Rosary brought miracles to 19th-century Quebec, and ‘we can do that again,’ filmmaker says

When Canadian filmmaker Kevin Dunn set out to make his latest movie Bridge of Roses, he wanted to tell a story to help Canadians – and everyone else – engage with the rich religious history of their country and look toward something larger than themselves. 

The film begins with a meditation by Jesuit missionary Jacques Buteux about the tremendous natural beauty of Quebec’s St. Lawrence region, highlighting the Canadian sensibilities that inform not just the film’s perspective but that of its director.

Dunn, a Hamilton native and father of Kathleen Leblanc of local A Guy and a Girl musical fame, made the move from secular to Catholic filmmaking about 15 years ago. Since then he has amassed a number of awards as well as critical acclaim for his films about various social justice and pro-life issues.

“Regardless of the genre, I always look for a great story with relatable characters who inspire and challenge people to look up and not down; look up and not look in,” Dunn told The B.C. Catholic. “Everything should point towards God.”

Like many Canadians, Dunn grew up with a vague sense that there was something lacking in his understanding of Catholic Canada’s history and culture – a phenomenon that is mentioned in the film.

Canadian Catholics often bemoan the lack of a serious pilgrimage site, a misconception that Dunn hopes Bridge of Roses will correct.

The film depicts the Miracle of the Ice Bridge of 1879, when parishioners in Cap-de-la-Madeleine near Trois Rivieres, Que., sought to build a new church. When an uncommonly mild winter derailed their plans to transport the construction materials over the frozen St. Lawrence River, parish vicar Father Louis-Eugene  — portrayed by CBC Radio-Canada host Vincent Dureault — urged his congregation to pray the Rosary.

Miraculously, pieces of ice emerged from down the river to create a bridge, which allowed building materials to cross from the mainland.

“To be frank, I had heard of it all,” said Dunn. “But I never really understood her [Our Lady of the Cape’s] significance for this part of the world,” he said about the proposal by the Marian Devotional Movement to make the film.

As he researched the project, Dunn became convinced more people needed to hear the story of Our Lady of the Cape, which centres on Father Luc Desilets’ efforts to reinvigorate the faith of his flock and the miracles surrounding religious life in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Que.

Dunn hopes the story will help inspire hope about living in an increasingly “post-Christian era.”

“When things looked so terrible that a pig was chewing on the rosary, (Father Desilets) must have been so down. He was in the middle of nowhere and no one was going to church. He kneels down and prays to Our Lady, and 30 years later thousands of people were there to crown Our Lady of the Cape,” he said.

“It’s a real testament to that reality and to the power of the Rosary. We can do that again!”

Dunn hopes the film will elevate its characters for the audience. “We take our faith for granted, but these were the people who laid the groundwork. These were the true heroes of Our Lady and the heroes of our Lord,” he said.

The story has a Canadian grassroots, small-town feel and shows what can happen when people of faith come together in prayer. To this day, townspeople talk about ancestors who walked on the ice bridge at Cap-de-la-Madeleine.

“When we pray together things can happen, ice bridges can happen,” Dunn said, adding the film serves as a reminder that communities are strengthened by common experience as well as faith.

Bridge of Roses: The Story of Our Lady of the Cape is available for streaming at vimeo.com/ondemand/bridgeofroses.