“It’s that time again when we make our way to Marylake to honour our Blessed Mother,” writes Juliet Rebello. “Now more than ever we need Her help as the world is in turmoil – wars, floods, fire, tornadoes. People are homeless and hungry and struggling to survive. Many are dealing with the pain of the loss of a loved one, while many are dealing with depression,” she notes.
Juliet, as well as volunteers, Ida,Victor, Marise, Claude, Bridget, and Peter are members of an ad-hoc and very dedicated group that promotes individual and collective spiritual strength and growth through Praying the Rosary.
Each year members of the group organize a number of activities and in September they organize a Community Pilgrimage to Marylake Shrine of Our Lady of Grace. Marylake Campus in King City, just north of Toronto. is a chief foundation of the Order of St. Augustine in Canada. One of their goals is to develop Marylake into destination for Marian devotion.
Marylake is now one of the popular spiritual centres for the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. The Campus was originally a 1,000 acre picturesque farmland property and it now encompasses a Monastery, Retreat Centre, and Marian Shrine. In 2017 the Order celebrated their 75th Anniversary at the location.
The Shrine Church and Blessed Sacrament Chapel are architecturally poetic buildings of ellipsoidal form. Irregular sized pieces of multi colour glass form a one hundred foot bell tower. A large multi purpose space and it’s circular sanctuary are bathed light. The acoustics of the church are superb. Professionals use the space for performances and recordings. A Chapel is located on the east side. It is used by community and visitors. The liturgies of the holy mass and hours are celebrated here daily.
The 45-room Retreat House provides lodging for retreatants during all four seasons.
In 2016 the Augustinians initiated a project to build The Rosary Path to complement the shrine. With a outpouring of support, donations, construction supplies and physical effort from volunteer the Augustinians have now created one of the largest Rosaries in the world. The sculpture path that extends in a loop is 1.5 kilometres in length over twenty acres of gently rolling hills and farm fields. A Great Crucifix sculpture starts the path. The nineteen foot Cross is made of a special stainless steel and the huge bronze corpus is eleven feet in length.
Through the generous donations from Canadian Goans and associated Catholic groups our Community as able to contribute to the project by collecting the funds to purchase two of the Hail Mary Beads along the Path.
“The beads numbered 37 and 45 and are registered as being funded by ‘The Goan Community’ and have a bronze plaque cemented into their foundation. The late John D’Souza was our go to community consultant when campaigning for the Beads,” says Juliette.
It should be noted that many Canadian Goans have made pilgrimages and retreats to Marylake individually and with their Parishes over years. Other Canadian Goan Community Groups in the GTA, notably The Canorient Christian Association of Toronto and the Curtorim, Loutulim, Raia, Association (CLR) make an annual pilgrimage part of their Community Development Activities.
In 2018 the Augustinians completed a Way of the Cross installation. The project is strategically and artistically placed on the outside edge of the Rosary Path. Steel-framed artworks of glass were created depicting the Stations of the Cross and they are embedded in the ground along with large crosses.
A15th Station, The Resurrection, was installed with special permission from Diocesan. A large Empty Tomb and Contemplative Area was created. The Augustinians write, “The Empty Tomb bestows upon us a life full in Christ. The resurrection reveals to us that the tomb cannot hold us from the glory to which God has called us. We share in this glory now by the grace Jesus has won for us. May the resurrection inspire us to live the new life in Christ, bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus, manifesting the glory of God in our bodies by everything that we do.”
A Canadian-Goan Family from the Toronto area provided the funds for the Station to be created. —
Marylake Pilgrimage Tips:
— Dress for the weather
— Carry a water bottle if needed
— Wear the right shoes (its a partial gravel road)
— Arrive early complete the loop before Mass
— Or attend Mass then complete the loop
— Don’t be afraid to set your own pace and rest if required
— Bring a nice lunch. Keep it cool in a cooler
— You will make lots of friend if you bring cookies or snacks to share