Martyrs' Shrine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Martyrs’ Shrine is a Roman Catholic church in Midland, Ontario, Canada, which is consecrated to the memory of the Canadian Martyrs, eight Jesuit Martyrs from the mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. It is one of three national shrines in Canada, along with St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

In 1907, Dennis O'Connor, Archbishop of Toronto, consecrated a small chapel at Waubaushene, near the site where St. Jean de Brébeuf and St. Gabriel Lalemant/Lallemant 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, and purchased 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 interior, shaped like an overturned canoe, was designed and built by Ildege Bourrie.

Construction on the shrine was completed by the winter of 1925, and the shrine was formally consecrated on June 25, 1926 by William Henry Cardinal O'Connell of Boston.

The martyrs were subsequently canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930. Pope John Paul II visited the Martyrs’ Shrine in September, 1984, and prayed over the skull of Brébeuf.