Our Lady of the Cape
Encyclopedia
Our Lady of the Cape is a title given to Mary the Mother of God
in Cap-de-la-Madeleine
, Quebec Canada. The title pertains more specifically to a statue of the Blessed Mother which is currently located in the Old Shrine. Deep Marian Devotion
existed in Cap-de-la-Madeleine since 1694 with the institution of the Brotherhood of the Rosary under Father Paul Vachon. There was a decline in devotion after the death of Fr. Vachon (1729) which lasted 115 years, until devotion to Mary was revived under Father Luc Desilets in 1867. After he had seen a pig holding a rosary in its mouth Fr. Desilets decided to consecrate himself to the Blessed Virgin and reinstate devotion to her.
) to her instead. In march of 1879 pieces floated downstream from Lake St-Pierre of ice formed a "bridge" across the St. Lawrence River, and this miracle was attributed to the intercession
of the Blessed Mother. This bridge is called the Rosary
Bridge due to its connection with the prayer of the same name. For several days the parishioners poured water on the pieces of ice in order to thicken the ice and form a path, which they then used to transport the stones across the river. Fr. Desilets upheld his promise and renamed the old church.
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
in Cap-de-la-Madeleine
Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec
Cap-de-la-Madeleine is a former city in Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River and the St. Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into the City of Trois-Rivières in 2002. Population 33,022.- History :...
, Quebec Canada. The title pertains more specifically to a statue of the Blessed Mother which is currently located in the Old Shrine. Deep Marian Devotion
Marian devotions
A Marian devotion is a gift of oneself, or one's activities to the Virgin Mary. It is a willingness and desire to dedicate oneself to, or venerate her; either in terms of prayers or in terms of a set of pious acts...
existed in Cap-de-la-Madeleine since 1694 with the institution of the Brotherhood of the Rosary under Father Paul Vachon. There was a decline in devotion after the death of Fr. Vachon (1729) which lasted 115 years, until devotion to Mary was revived under Father Luc Desilets in 1867. After he had seen a pig holding a rosary in its mouth Fr. Desilets decided to consecrate himself to the Blessed Virgin and reinstate devotion to her.
The Miracle of the Ice Bridge
During Fr. Desilets' revival of Marian devotion the number of people attending the parish church began to increase until the church was no longer large enough to hold the parishioners. In 1878 it was decided that a larger church was needed and that it would be built with stones from the opposite side of the St. Lawrence River which is approximately 1 1/4 miles across at Cap-du-Madeleine. The decision was made to bring the stone across the river on sleds once it had frozen in the winter. Unfortunately the 1878-1879 winter was unusually mild and the St. Lawrence did not freeze over as planned. This seemed to hinder plans for construction of the new church. Fr. Desilets instructed his congregation to pray the rosary in order to obtain ice to cross the river, he also prossmised Mary that if she interceded he would dedicate the Old Church (then dedicated to Mary MagdaleneMary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
) to her instead. In march of 1879 pieces floated downstream from Lake St-Pierre of ice formed a "bridge" across the St. Lawrence River, and this miracle was attributed to the intercession
Intercession
Intercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
of the Blessed Mother. This bridge is called the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
Bridge due to its connection with the prayer of the same name. For several days the parishioners poured water on the pieces of ice in order to thicken the ice and form a path, which they then used to transport the stones across the river. Fr. Desilets upheld his promise and renamed the old church.