The Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs

As mentioned in our previous post, we are so grateful to Ellie and Mike Vandenheuvel who showed us the Martyrs’ Shrine and provided commentary on the many memorials there. Ellie and Mike came to Penetanguishene from Holland 53 years ago for their honeymoon. They recently celebrated their 53rd Wedding Anniversary at the Shrine church.

Commonly known as the Martyrs’ Shrine, this ‘house of prayer, home of peace,’ offers many spiritual retreats and pilgrimages. The Shrine is a holy and historical space in Midland, Ontario, that welcomes over 100,000 visitors from around the world each year.

Within the spacious grounds is a Roman Catholic church consecrated to the memory of the Canadian Martyrs – six Jesuit Martyrs and two lay persons. These martyr saints left their comfortable lives in France to work among the indigenous people who occupied the territory of the Wendat Nation, known today as Georgian Bay. The Shrine celebrates the significant contributions they made to the introduction of Christianity and to the founding of the Province of Ontario and the nation of Canada.

The martyrs died over 350 years ago. They experienced fear, felt hunger, knew loneliness, had great hopes, and forged friendships. Some lie buried in these holy grounds. Their missionary spirit of self-offering love, education and spiritual discovery forms the legend of this site now.

The martyrs were canonized in 1930 by Pope Pius XI and made secondary patrons of Canada in 1940. As saints in heaven, the martyrs still love the land of Canada and hold a special love for Huronia. The paintings of the Martyrs, the relics, the canes and crutches speak of their personal intercession with the Lord. Visiting the Shrine brings one renewal and peace.

Diversity of Culture

The Martyrs’ Shrine continues to offer the diversity of service born from the original mission site. The story of the Martyrs’ Shrine is older than Canada itself and an odyssey into the great human virtues of love, compassion, generosity, and interculturalization that shaped Canada as it is known today.

This diversity of culture is seen in the many gardens, altars, pavilions, and statues that adorn the grounds. Countries represented are:

Huronia, Slovakia, Albania, Korea, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, Portugal, Croatia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Germany, Africa, Italy, Lithuania, China, Iraq, and most recently, Vietnam.

History of the Martyrs’ Shrine

The Martyrs’ Shrine is one of nine national shrines in Canada, including among others, Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre.

In 1907, Dennis O’Connor, Archbishop of Toronto, consecrated a small chapel in Waubaushene, near the site where Sts. Jean de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lalemant were martyred. In 1925, Fr. John M. Filion, provincial superior of Jesuits in Canada, decided to pursue the construction of a larger church closer to the mission. He bought the Standin farm in Midland, across the road from Sainte-Marie.

Construction began that year, using some materials from the Waubaushene church and others donated by lumber companies in Northern Ontario. Pews, stained glass windows, Stations of the Cross and an altar were donated by churches in London and Toronto,

The church interior, shaped like an overturned canoe, was designed and built by Lidege Bourrie.

Construction on the shrine was completed by the winter of 1925 and was formally consecrated by Cardinal William Henry O’Connell of Boston, Massachusetts. The shrine houses the bones of St. Jean de Brebeuf, St. Gabriel Lalemant, and St. Charles Garnier.

The shrine was built without insulation. Due to the cold temperature conditions, the reliquaries are taken out of the church in the winter, and the shrine is closed to the public.

Saint Pope John Paul II visited the Martyrs’ Shrine in September 1984, and prayed over the skull of Brebeuf.

The martyrs left behind a legacy of faith. Their Jesuit letters reveal the vibrant faith of the Hurons and the missionaries. Today, faith still brings people to this holy spot. They find it in the church, the gardens, the hillside.