The Birth of Our Lady of the Cape (II)

The ceremony took place on June 22, 1888, in which Blessed Frederic Jansoone gave the sermon with these prophetic words: "From henceforth, this sanctuary shall belong to Mary. Pilgrims shall come from every parish, from every family in the diocese and from every diocese in Canada." The statue of the Holy Virgin from the side chapel was placed above the main altar and, in the evening at about seven o'clock, Father Desilets, Father Jansoon and Mr. Pierre Lacroix, a disabled man, entered to pray the Virgin. Then something extraordinary happened: "... the statue of the Virgin, whose eyes were completely lowered suddenly opened; the Virgin stared straight at the men. The effect was difficult to comprehend: the face was flooded with light from the sun shining through a window, lighting up the whole sanctuary. The eyes were dark, well formed and in harmony with the whole of the face. The Virgin's gaze was that of a living person; its expression was one of sternness mingled with sadness. This phenomenon lasted about five to ten minutes." Father Jansoon vowed later that the Virgin's gaze had transformed his life. And the little church has become today the great Shrine of Our Lady of the Cape that welcomes thousands and thousands of pilgrims...