Shane Westin, a three-year program graduate who recently finished his fourth year at the Franciscan University in Steubenville, shares with us his OLSWA experience.
| Academy Participates in 49th International Eucharistic Congress |
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| Written by Elizabeth O'Brien | |||
| Friday, 04 July 2008 | |||
 During the week of June 16th to 22nd, students and staff represented Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy at the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City. Throughout the event, the Academy was one of approximately 100 exhibitors, including religious orders, formation centres, lay associations, Catholic media, and other groups from around the world. The week was one of great grace and encouragement as staff met with potential students, religious and clergy, teachers, and other supporters from around North America and overseas.A daily stream of visitors came by the booth, and although many had not heard of the Academy before, they mentioned their pleasant surprise that a new Catholic college is steadily growing in Canada. Several of the French-speaking visitors expressed their wish that a similar, faithful Catholic institution existed in Quebec and offered courses in French. At the same time, the Academy was greatly encouraged by the number of people from across Canada and the United States who had heard about the Academy already and who were interested in gathering more information for their friends and family members.
The staff also viewed the Congress as a spiritual opportunity for the Academy. Participating in the daily prayer, catechesis, and celebration of the Mass, they joined with friends and students to pray for the future of the school and for the Church in Quebec and Canada. From the beginning, the event was filled with a spirit of grace and pilgrimage. On Thursday evening especially, the three-hour Eucharistic procession through the streets of Quebec was like a scene from a Heavenly procession. Local residents knelt or took pictures from their balconies as a crowd of approximately 20,000 people flowed through the streets in the direction of the St. Lawrence River. Cardinals, bishops, and priests walked alongside of old and young people representing every vocation. They accompanied a canopied carriage bedecked in flowers and escorted by torchbearers. The sounds of music and prayers in different languages filled the streets as the vehicle carried a giant-sized monstrance with out-stretched golden rays. Everyone held a lit candle so that thousands of sparkling lights lit up the outdoor stadium to welcome the Blessed Sacrament at the end of the five-kilometre trek.  The climax of the week-long event was the final Mass on the Plains of Abraham, the memorial site of the great battle for Quebec City. The Mass was celebrated by the papal legate Cardinal Jozef Tomko. Greeted by the cheers of approximately 60,000 pilgrims, Pope Benedict XVI was broadcast live on satellite television and gave the homily. Calling the Eucharist “our most beautiful treasure,” he encouraged the faithful to study more deeply the meaning of the Eucharist and to prepare carefully to receive communion worthily. Afterwards, during the consecration, the sky which had previously been hot and sunny, clouded over and broke into a furious, thundering downpour over the multitude gathered on the field. The deluge was so great, that people had trouble seeing through the rain as they struggled through the mud to receive communion. Nevertheless, a spirit of hope and excitement filled the crowd as soon as the rain began to die down. Bishops, priests, and pilgrims alike saw the surprise storm as a sign of God’s cleansing grace upon Quebec. Cardinal Tomko himself described it as a “rain of grace” while Marc Ouellet referred to it as a “flood of Divine Goodness.” (See http://www.lifesitenews.com). The spirit of jubilation that began with the rain continued to flow through the crowds as they streamed away from the plains. A constant theme during the week was the fact that our country was founded upon the blood and sacrifice of holy religious missionaries and martyrs. Indicating a return to this original fervour, Cardinal Ouellet stated his belief that a turning point has been reached in the history of the faith in Quebec. With this in mind, Catholics throughout Canada continue to pray that the outpouring of blessings that began at the Congress will flow throughout the whole country, sparking a new growth in faith. The Academy was thrilled to participate in the event, representing one aspect of revival in Canadian Catholic culture, and is looking forward to the next Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland, in 2012. To read the full text of the English translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s homily, please visit: (http://www.zenit.org/article-22994?l=english)
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