Lourdes on the Fraser River: Mission park set for annual pilgrimage

The Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission has long been known as one of the most historic and scenic parks in the Lower Mainland.

In many ways it is the heart and soul of the Mission community, without doubt one of the most serene places in the Fraser River Valley.

Immediately below the spot lies the mighty Fraser River, the great highway of nature and peoples with its abundance of wildlife, blessed by the bounty of the annual salmon run.

From the vantage point of the park can be seen one of the most beautiful vistas of the central Fraser Valley. The panorama includes the snow-covered peak of distant Mt. Baker, seen on the horizon in Washington State.

The park consists of a 50-acre parcel of land situated on a flat area overlooking the Fraser River, a long-time favourite gathering place for the residents of Mission.

Families and individuals meet to picnic, exercise, walk their dogs, or stroll along winding footpaths. There they rest amid beautiful trees, some of them quite old, and landscaped flower beds with shrubs.

In the springtime rabbits can be seen hopping through the tulip beds. There is a rhododendron walk that showcases five large rhodo beds spread over three acres.

Birds are heard chirping in the air amid the iconic sound of distant train whistles; a creek can be faintly heard on the east side of the park.

The park includes benches, a bandstand, a playground, a sandbox for children, and even a popular café known as the Blackberry Kitchen Café.

A host of community events are held in the park, including concerts, fundraising events, wedding photo shoots, and annual events for Canada Day, Father’s Day, and even a folk music festival held every summer.

The first Europeans passed through this wilderness here in the summer of 1808, on the canoes of the Northwest Company. These pioneers were plying the Fraser River in search for a land route across Canada to the ocean.

Then came the heroic volunteer missionaries known as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who arrived in 1861, a group of volunteers, many from France, who dedicated their lives to the poor.

The missionaries who came to B.C. felt a distinct call to dedicate their lives to serve Sto:lo, the river people who inhabited the land along the Fraser River.

The missionaries chose this prime location to establish what they proudly named St. Mary’s Mission.

The original site of the mission was on the bank of the river, where the first missionaries built a school with a chapel as well as a dock, storehouse, post office, flour mill, and blacksmith shop.

In those early years the area was rapidly growing – already by 1870 the gold rush was over and land development for agricultural and industrial use was in full swing, with steamboat traffic moving passengers and cargo down the river.

After 20 years the original site was abandoned when the Canadian Pacific Railway came through with a new rail line.

In 1882 the mission moved to the present site, just up the hill, on the land that is today the Fraser River Heritage Park.

There the missionaries put down permanent roots with the construction of St. Mary’s Residential Indian School, which was built with the intention of evangelizing the native populations.

The school functioned under the care of the Oblates from 1861 to 1961. Upon establishment of a new school site nearby, the old buildings sat idle and became derelict.

In 1965 all the old buildings were demolished, including the school’s nearby chapel, the beloved shrine and place of pilgrimage known as the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

In 1974 the land was sold by the Oblates to the Government of British Columbia.

The story begins in 1980 when a group of local citizens got involved and formed what they called the Mission Heritage Association, a non-profit founded with the intention to convert the abandoned site into a public park for all.

The first big accomplishment of the association came in 1986 when 50 acres of the original school site were deeded as a park for the use and enjoyment of future generations, with the association managing and operating the park on behalf of the District of Mission.

The second big accomplishment came with the rebuilding of the former shrine chapel, the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which had crowned the northeast corner of the park for generations and had been demolished previously in 1965.

To this day the shrine draws about 3,000 pilgrims every mid-August for the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s annual Marian pilgrimage to the grotto. On that day pilgrims come to worship and picnic for a family celebration. This year’s pilgrimage is Saturday, Aug. 17. See details below.

The event begins with confessions in the morning and is capped with afternoon Mass usually celebrated by the Archbishop, concluding with a Eucharistic procession up the hill to the grotto with a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes carried aloft by volunteer faithful.

The event, which draws participants from across the archdiocese, concludes with the recitation of the Rosary and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the shrine chapel.

Generous volunteers from the Order of Malta set up a first aid tent as well as a tent for malades, sick and elderly who are bused in from Vancouver to participate in the festivities, organized for many years by gracious hosts Frank and Terry McCullough of Vancouver.

The story of the shrine goes back to the vision of Bishop Louis-Joseph d’Herbomez, the first Oblate bishop in the territory of B.C.

He was the original driving force behind the establishment of St. Mary’s mission and shrine.

The bishop and other clergy were fond of walking up the hill, which overlooked the campus where they would sit on a small rock promontory and enjoy the tranquil breeze.

The scene reminded the bishop of the peaceful setting of the Lourdes Grotto in France.

Called away to Rome in 1887 and in ill health, the bishop made a vow he would build a Lourdes shrine on the site if he lived to return to Mission.

He did return but died in 1889 before he had the chance to deliver on his promise, leaving instruction plans in his papers that were passed on to the new bishop.

His successor, Bishop Paul Durieu, OMI, assumed responsibility for the project, and thus in 1892 the first Marian shrine in B.C. was built, perched as a beacon, overlooking the school and growing town named for the “Mission” on the hill.

The original grotto was a six-sided chapel with a silver dome roof laden with stained glass skylights and topped with a white cross.

The interior boasted intricate mouldings handmade from local B.C. cedar. The shrine’s unique design allowed three side walls to be opened to reveal the inside of the chapel, seen from the outside.

From the beginning the shrine was a place of pilgrimage. Over the years many pilgrims came for various celebrations, such as the annual Easter celebrations, which drew an estimated five to seven thousand participants annually.

Many chose to be married at the shrine. Baptisms and confirmations were common. The shrine was the focal point not only of St. Mary’s school, but for the entire local Catholic community.

When the shrine was demolished in 1965, locals mourned the passing of a Fraser Valley landmark, believed to be gone forever.

Twenty years later, the grass-roots Mission Heritage Association, with help from the local Knights of Columbus, began plans to reconstruct the grotto.

The new grotto is a near exact reproduction of the old, built after careful planning. It was dedicated and blessed amid great celebration on May 13, 1997.

Today the grotto shrine is open during the summer months, on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m., from May through September.

To reach the church, pilgrims walk across the grounds of the former school and up the hill.

The ruins of old concrete foundations of the school remain, as well as the original school bell, the cemetery, and some original trees, including an orchard, a line of stately chestnut trees, and a beautiful catalpa tree.

The bell, cast in West Troy, NY, dates from 1875. It served as the bell for St. Mary’s until the school was torn down.

It had been moved to the new St. Mary’s, where it was kept until 1999, when it returned to the site, donated by the Sto:lo people.

On the edge of the park is a five-acre cemetery still belonging to the Oblates and dedicated to the memory of the pioneers.

Here, pioneer bishops, priests, brothers, settlers, and First Nations members have been laid to rest, amid a garland of trees and nature. Members of the Oblate order are still buried here.

A walk through the cemetery is a walk through history where the names share a common resting place, awaiting the final resurrection.

J.P. Sonnen is a tour operator, travel writer, and history docent with Orbis Catholic Travel LLC.

Pilgrimage to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

Join us Saturday, Aug. 17, on the annual Pilgrimage to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. At Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission beginning at 10 a.m. with confessions. Mass celebrated by Archbishop Miller at 1 p.m. Procession to the grotto, Rosary, and Benediction at 2:30 p.m. followed by a picnic and fellowship at 4 p.m. More information at rcav.org/missionpilgrimage.