Blessed Frederic - Cap de Madeleine

Blessed Frédéric
DVD

Apostle of Mary
Taped at Cap de Madeleine, his Shrine in Canada

Pope Benedict XVI "Take courage!
Fix your gaze on our saints."

Trois Rivieres in Quebec, Canada is where Bl. Frédéric lived and is buried. 

We learn how important he was to bringing pilgrimages to the nearby  Marian Shrine of Cap du Madeleine. 

A huge Miracle took place, known as the Miracle of the ice bridge.

Find out about this Miracle. 

Learn about the history and traditions of this famous Canadian Marian Shrine.

We tour the Shrine of  Cap du Madeleine  Venerate Our Lady at this miraculous Shrine.

The Shrine includes the original church, the new Basilica, the Rosary bridge

and the outdoor Way of the Cross.

When Pope John Paul II came to the Shrine he said,

"Today, indeed, we come to Notre-Dame du Cap as people of our time. We come with those generations of the past with whom we share our faith in the Mother of God.  A fine inheritance has been bequeathed to you.  It has made you what you are.  And the cornerstone of that inheritance is Mary, to which your predecessors dedicated themselves.  We are here to, as it were, transfer this sharing of faith into the hearts of our generation and their successors."
"Those generations of early witnesses provide us, who are here, with our inspiration.  Courageous as the prophets, they generated faith, fanned it into flame, tended it lest it die out in the ashes of skepticism.  When we are tempted to lose our grasp on hope, it is their faith in the future which upholds and stimulates us.  Through the generations it is the pilgrims' faith that confirms the special vocation of this Shrine."
 

Cap de la Madeleine receives a priest! - Blessed Frederic

          Although Father Vachon died, we are sure his love for the people of Cap de la Madeleine did not die nor did his love for Our Lady of the Cap; after all he had been with them forty-five years.  Had he been praying?  Well God sent the parish a priest; but just not another priest, one who would bring new life to the suffering souls of the Cap.  The Curé of Ars said, "If I had known when I arrived in Ars, all that I would have to suffer there, I would have died on the spot."[1]  In 1867, Father Désilets found 1000 hard-to-handle parishioners who knew little about the Faith and couldn't care less.  No matter how hard he tried to reach them, the church remained basically empty on Sunday, with even fewer coming during the week, if that was possible. 

          Was God to allow this to continue?  One night, Father was returning from hearing confessions in the vestry, when he stopped inside the church to pray.  His heart almost broke!  It was the eve of the Ascension and the church was empty!  Then what should he see but a pig with a rosary dangling from his mouth!  The thought came to him: "The rosary falls from men's  hands to be picked up by the swine."  What did he do?  He wiped his tears, "girded his loins,"[2] put on the "armor of God"[3] and consecrated himself to Our Lady of the Rosary!  He immediately began promoting devotion to the Rosary.  At first, the reception was very cool, but little by little, more and more men, women and children flocked to the church to pray the Rosary.  He restored the Brotherhood of the Rosary, which Father Vachon had founded 100 years before.  The little church which had been empty, now could no longer hold the congregation.  Talk began again, to build a new, larger church.  [What can Our Lady do, if we only pray!] 

Miracle of the Ice Bridge

          Well the finances of the village were no better than they had been during Father Vachon's time; and the only stones they could use were on the other side of the St. Lawrence River.  It did not look too hopeful; but nonetheless the building of the new church was approved and work began.  On the other side of the St. Lawrence river, the stones were being split and prepared.  All was in readiness for transport across the river for when winter set in; at that time they would be able to cart the stones over the river which would be frozen.  There was only one problem; they were having a very balmy winter, with the temperatures never dropping even close to freezing.  No ice - no transport!  The parish did not have the resources to pay for the stones to be transported across the river by ferry - therefore no new church!

          In November, Father Luc Désilets asked the people to pray that a bridge of ice form on the river, so that the building blocks could be carried across.  Everyone began praying.  The young associate pastor, Father Duquay, each day, prayed the Rosary at a side chapel, in front of the altar of the Brotherhood of the Most Holy Rosary, at the feet of Our Lady of the Cap.

          March came and a high wind began to break up the ice blocking the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River to the south and the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.  The ice began to drift downstream to the Cap de la Madeleine.  It was covering the river several hundred feet from the church.  That Sunday, March 17th, Feast of St. Patrick, Father Duquay told the parishioners that there would be a High Mass for the feast of St. Joseph on March 19th, petitioning Jesus' foster father to ask his Son to form a bridge of ice!  He also invited the men to come with him to survey the river.  (If they wanted it done immediately, they should have asked St. Patty! - An Irishman joking)

          When they arrived, they saw that the river was covered with a thin layer of ice floating among drifts of snow.  They went from spot to spot, looking for blocks of ice floating closely together.  They had gone about 1000 feet with no success, when they spotted two of the guides heading upriver to the south shore.  Father joined them.  Only Father Duquay and the two guides dared continue, the ice was so thin and treacherous.

          Having arrived at the south shore, Firmin Cadotte (one of the guides) crawled forward, feeling in the icy waters for a piece of ice that could carry his weight.  He persisted and then was joined by thirty other men who began working alongside one another to form a 1600 foot stretch of ice along the river, wide enough for two carts carrying stones to pass one another.  At 11 P.M., they returned to the sacristy and Father asked, "Well men, what are we going to do now?"  A plan was formulated whereby they would pour water over the thin bridge of ice that had formed and, upon freezing, pour more water over it until it would become thicker, and when it was thick enough to carry the weight of the carts and stones, they would begin carting the stones across the river.

          It was the following morning, March 18th, at 3 A.M., when the men returned to the river's edge and went back to work on the ice.  Now considering how temperate it had been and that it was now March, it was nothing short of a miracle that the bridge was now solid enough to walk on!  Men kept pouring
water on the ice.  It was now 6 inches thick!  Encouraged, seeing a possible light at the end of the tunnel, they kept on pouring water. 

          March 19th, Feast of St. Joseph, just as they were trying to decide where the opening should be made for the carts to travel, as much snow had fallen during the night blocking the way, what did they see coming across the bridge of ice?  The first cart carrying blocks of stone!  This cart was followed by other carts, until by Sunday 175 sleighs carrying stones had passed.  The men had carted 1000 feet of stone plus enough stone for a foundation.  Father Duquay ordered all work to stop.  God had answered their prayers; it was time to say Thank You, Lord.  That day, the bridge was given the name it carries till today, the Bridge of the Rosary.  One of the workers said, "It was quite extraordinary, a real miracle.  It defied common sense."  And when Father Désilets saw what had come to pass, he said, "Is this not a clear sign of Heavenly intervention?  Can one not manifestly see the Finger of God?"

Read more continued click here

Bl. Junipero Serra His last ounce of blood shed for the Church, he loved and brought to the Native Americans, he died as he lived, praying for those he was leaving behind.
St. Frances (Mother) Cabrini Pope Leo XIII told her. "Your mission will be in America to help the Italians and make your country loved." Mother Cabrini said, "Yes!"
St. Paschal Baylon Proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII Patron of Eucharistic Congresses, he was never ordained a Priest.
St. Leopold Mandic Although he would be considered imperfect today (barely 4' 6") this Saint of Reconciliation brought about consolation and hope to thousands.
St. Dominic Watchdog of God - He fought the Albigensianist heresy - Our Lady gave him the Rosary with the mandate to spread it to all her children.
St. Angela Merici I want to become a Saint, because I love Jesus. She had visions of Heaven, of Jesus, as well as the devil. She battled the Protestant Revolt with education.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton A faithful daughter - a loving wife and mother - an obedient Nun - a lover of the Eucharist and Mother Mary - a role model for today
Bl. Frederic Thanks to him, Our Lady of the Cap Shrine became the meeting ground for every kind of physical and moral distress. The sick found healing; sinners were filled with remorse.Code BJS               224 pages           Many Photos
ISBN 1-58002-132-8            $11.95

V155 - Saint Frances Cabrini
Saint of the Immigrants
First Canonized American Saint

"We were sent here by the Holy Father... we cannot go back!"

This video has been two years in the making. 

Scenes follow her life from Sant’ Angelo Lodigiano in northern Italy to her first community in Codogno,
to the first motherhouse in Rome;
then go to the United States where she labored among the Italian immigrants of the 19th Century.

We visit her Shrines in: Manhattan, NY;
Fort Tryon Park, NY;
Westpark, NY;
Cabrini College, Radnor, PA;
Cabrini Shrine, New Orleans, LA

One hour special
ISBN 1-58002-075-5    $19.95

V150 - Saint Angela Merici
Foundress of Ursulines
Incorrupt Body - Visionary
Peacemaker - Consoler

"I want to become a Saint, because I love Jesus!"

Scenes from Northern Italy, trace the life of this Saint from:
Desenzano which has a shrine dedicated to her
Brescia, where she founded a school and which has her incorrupt body
Milan,
Mantua
and Rome.

She had visions of Angels ascending and descending from Heaven.
She fought Lutheranism by teaching the young about the Faith.

V151 - Saint Leopold Mandic
Saint of Reconciliation
Apostle of the Confessional

Scenes from  where he began in Herzegovina, to Venice and the Cathedral where he was ordained, to Padua.  

Visit his confessional, where he spent most of his life.  
It survived a bombing during World War II.

His dream was the unification of the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches

Visit the museum, his tomb and more.

ISBN 1-58002-071-2 $19.95

Viewer Comments: Dear Bob and Penny:
I love your show!  You are so informed on all of the wonderful people, who have served Our Lord through the ages.  They all defended the Faith, and served with their lives for the love of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They  are truly God’s superheroes.
The pilgrimages that you have taken and have shown on your programs have inspired me to want to go on pilgrimages.  Someday, I would love to go to Mexico to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe.  I have seen copy of the tilma of Juan Diego, at a local church here in California.  It was truly beautiful.
Living in California, I have visited some of the California Missions.  I consider that a sort of pilgrimage as well.  I do hope they make Bl. Junipera Serra a Saint soon.  And thank you for clearing up the story that the Franciscan Friars did not force the Chumash Indians into Christianity. That was something I had heard about for so long.  I just did not want to believe that falsehood.
Anyway, thank you again for your wonderful programs, and keep up the great work.
God Bless you both,
C. K.                                                                                               CA

V127 - Blessed Junipero Serra

Apostle of California
Founder of the California Missions

Visit the California Missions, the legacy of Blessed Junipero Serra, apostle of California.

Walk through his early priesthood in Mallorca, Spain, to the missions of Mexico, and then to California.

See Mission Santa Barbara,
San Juan Capistrano
and Shrine at Carmel Mission, his cell and tomb.

V135 - Blessed Frédéric

Apostle of Mary

Go to Trois Rivieres in Quebec, Canada, where Bl. Frédéric lived and is buried.

 See Cap du Madeleine, where a huge Miracle took place.
Find out about this Miracle. 
Learn about the history and traditions of this famous Canadian Marian Shrine.

Venerate Our Lady at this miraculous Shrine.

See the original church,
the new Basilica,
the Rosary bridge
and the outdoor Way of the Cross.

V183 - Saint Dominic
Founder of the Order of Preachers - The Dominicans
Watchdog for God

"I give you arms, with which throughout your life,
you may fight against the devil."

V158 Saint Pascal Baylon
Patron Saint of Eucharistic Congresses and 
Confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament

He was born in Spain, trace his life,
beginning as a shepherd,
to joining the community of St. Peter of Alcantara as a doorkeeper.

He waged a battle against the French Huguenots.

He died in Vallareal, Spain.