Our Beacon of Hope

7/24/2019

Standing inside the steel frame of the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Rockies under construction in Canmore, the fresh mountain breeze intermingles with the scent of burnt metal, plaster and cement. This time next summer, the doors of the shrine are expected to open for both parishioners and pilgrims.

Last spring, 144 screw piles were being drilled into a hole in the ground to help secure the foundation.

“I entered into the project right on the cusp of it really beginning to move forward. It was a really exciting moment to be there,” said Fr. Nathan Siray, who was transferred to take over as pastor in April 2018.

Today, construction is well underway: the entire steel structure erected, some framing for the walls and windows in place and the concrete floor poured.

When Fr. Siray stands inside the skeleton of the church, he imagines a feeling of overwhelm and splendor, but also connection and closeness. “It achieves this wonderful balance between grandeur and intimacy, which I think people are really looking for in a church building. I’m really excited that spirit is captured within the architecture,” he said.

Some key design features will be a larger-than-life custom-made stained-glass window of Our Lady of the Rockies in the apse of the church. It will depict Mary holding the Christ Child amidst images of the Three Sister Mountains and Canmore’s coal mining heritage.

“The moment you walk through the doors into the nave of the church, this window is going to blow you away. I think it’s going to be the centrepiece of the shrine,” said Siray.

Large clerestory windows on the upper portion of the church roof will bring in an incredible amount of natural light, explained Fr. Sirary. As the sun rises and sets you will have a different play of light and shadow in the building.

The official feast day of the shrine will be Aug. 22 — The Queenship of Mary. A marble statue depicting Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth holding the Christ Child will further highlight Our Lady’s centrality.

Another marble statue will feature the passing of St. Joseph with Mary kneeling beside him and Jesus extending His hand over in blessing.

“It is a very consoling image for someone who has lost a loved one, or is currently going through the grief of anticipating the death of someone they care for,” said Fr. Siray.

A rosary chapel will host a statue of St. Catherine of Sienna. The front of old altars placed in the wall will showcase the infancy narratives of Jesus.

“It’s going to be an incredible place,” said Siray. “I think it will entice people to want to come in and spend quiet time in prayer and reflection, and really help people to have a deep sense of the presence of God and the Holy Mother of God in their life of faith.”

Calgary Bishop William McGrattan discerned that Our Lady of the Rockies should expand its reach, becoming a diocesan marian shrine. He envisions it as a spiritual base camp located at the gateway to the mountains. He hopes it will also have the potential to be a gateway to an experience with God.

“In our tradition a shrine is a church or a sacred place to which members of the faithful make pilgrimage for special reason of piety and prayer,” he said in a statement.

“The Rockies, by their natural beauty and grandeur, have the power to draw us out of our busy lives and lead us to contemplation and prayer.”

The Bow Valley Corridor draws people from around the world to experience the majesty of the mountains. While Canmore has a relatively small parish community, it welcomes an impressive amount of visitors. Fr. Siray said the hope is this shrine will encourage people to not simply come to the area as tourists, but pilgrims making a spiritual journey.

“The nature of our parish has always been to welcome people for weekend Masses,” said Fr. Siray. “The Bishop’s inspiration was to take this and honour the local parish community, but really give it a very universal dimension; by being a shrine we are able to achieve that.”

The infrastructure to make pilgrimages is already in place with the extensive trail system within Canmore and the Legacy Trail linking Canmore and Banff. Fr. Siray dreams there could even be a Calgary to Canmore pilgrimage, but he is clear he wants to leave room for the Holy Spirit to guide.

“We want all the people of our diocese to feel like this is their second home. They may come for days of recollection or to hold a special Mass.

“I hope people from all over will have a sense like here’s a sanctuary, here’s a place where I can gain some peace in my life. I think Christian and non-Christian alike are looking for that, that’s what our shine can be for them.”

Fr. Siray has kept a detailed photo journal of all the construction milestones on the parish website: www.rockiesparish.com. First and foremost, he welcomes prayers of protection for the construction workers and the entire site, and secondly for excitement and support for the shrine. Any financial donations can be made directly through the parish website or by calling the office at 403-678-5022.

“We are always asking for a spirit of charity first with prayers and then to whatever degree financially,” Fr. Siray said. “If people can assist us in that way, it will help us move ever closer to paying down our mortgage eventually, and to allow the shrine to thrive and to grow.”