CELTIC CROSS ON IRISH FAMINE VICTIMS’ GRAVE.
In the presence of about 7,000 American and Canadian Irishmen a monument was unveiled and dedicated at Grosse Isle, Quebec, Aug. 15, 1909, to commemorate the spot where 12,000 Irish immigrants, victims of the famine fever and the ship fever of 1847–48, are buried in the long trenches at the Quarantine Station on Grosse Isle, in the St. Lawrence River, forty miles from Quebec. The monument is a beautiful Celtic cross and it was erected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The solemn ceremony was attended by many prominent Americans and Canadians of Irish blood.
The story which the monument will bring to the new people flocking to this great country will be a story filled not only with the heart’s blood of a great race, but with undying evidence of the equal faith, charity and hospitality of the French, who were the first settlers on these shores. A tale of terror and suffering, of faith and courage, of devotion to fellowman and unswerving loyalty to the faith of their fathers under the most bitter adversity is entwined about the great cross which now stands to mark the graves of ten thousand unknown martyrs.
Dignitaries of the Church, high officials of state, priests and laymen, Irish and French, humble and of high degree, stood side by side beneath the open sky, or kneeled silently before the great cross with but one thought—the honor of the martyrs who had died for their faith. To do honor to their memories men had gathered from a score of Provinces and States; many had traveled thousands of miles. Awe inspiring in its solemnity, the scene carried to every bowed heart a meaning far beyond the words of the speakers and left a mark which should last through a lifetime. A new epoch, a renewal of faith and brotherly love, was begun, and few there were in attendance who will not carry the spirit of the great gathering with them into daily life.
From every standpoint the great ceremony was a success. Not a flaw occurred in the arrangements or their execution. In spite of the comparative inaccessibility of Grosse Isle, every man, woman or child who wished to attend the ceremonies was provided for. A perfect day smiled on the scene, as boat after boat, crowded with passengers, left Quebec in the early morning. No one was left. No accident marred the occasion. Thousands had gathered in the city during the day and night. Special trains from Ottawa and Montreal brought their quota of members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of church dignitaries and government officials.
To the untiring zeal and energy of the A. O. H. officials was due the success of the great undertaking. P. Keane, P. Doyle, T. Heavers, P. Scullion, T. Heaney, J. Foley, H. N. Morrow, H. Cundy and other officers of the order in Montreal were in charge of the excursion from there. Having already taken a leading part in the movement with the national convention of the order in Indianapolis last year, which resulted in the decision to erect the great memorial cross, these men were vitally interested in the successful completion of the plan and their efforts were fully rewarded.
The train from Montreal, carrying a delegation of several hundred, left Saturday night, and the party arrived in Quebec by six o’clock Sunday morning. There they scattered about the old town until the sailing of the boats, between nine and ten o’clock.
From Ottawa almost an equally large delegation was in attendance. From Toronto, Winnipeg and other cities representatives of the Ancient Order of Hibernians flocked to the great celebration, and many States contributed their quota. As far away as Colorado branches of the order sent representatives, while four delegates traveled from Winnipeg. The States represented were Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, Wisconsin and Colorado.
The sail down the river from Quebec to Grosse Isle was a fitting prelude to the program which followed. Forming at the wharf on Grosse Isle the procession, headed by the band, moved toward the cemetery. Following were the Hibernian Knights of Montreal, Halifax, St. John, etc., the Hibernian Cadets of Montreal and Quebec, the National Board and officers, Hibernians of Montreal, Quebec and other cities, clergy, altar boys, invited guests and congregation. There Low Mass was celebrated by Father Hanley, C. SS. R., and following the sermon and attendant ceremonies the vast audience moved to the high promontory of Telegraph Hill, where the granite cross with its tablets overlooked the placid river.
Almost more impressive than the scene of the kneeling thousands before the open altar near the old cemetery was the scene at the foot of the great cross. Chief among the speakers at the monument was the Hon. Charles Murphy, Secretary of State. Introduced by Chairman C. J. Foy as a man who needed no introduction for his prominence in the country and his rise to power and influence, Mr. Murphy took the platform facing the cross and the broad expanse of the river, with the eager audience gathered in a natural amphitheater on the rock at his feet.
Tears came very near the surface as Mr. Murphy opened his address with the reading of a telegram which he had received from Vancouver, B. C., a day or two before. “This telegram,” he said, “means to me the undying loyalty and devotion of the Irish people, and coming as it does from a family scattered throughout the continent, for the memory of a grandmother long since dead, is particularly touching and typical.”
The telegram is self-explanatory. It follows:
Vancouver, B. C., Aug. 11, 1909.
Hon. Charles Murphy:
Our beloved grandmother Graham was one of the fever victims of 1847. Enclose $10 for flowers for the monument, and accept thanks of,
James Harrison Brownlee,
(Prov. Surveyor, Vancouver).
Archibald Graham Brownlee,
(Mining Engineer, Denver, Colo.).
Mrs. Stanton,
Chicago.
Continuing Mr. Murphy took as the keynote of his address the fact that the monument now stood as much an evidence of an enduring bond between the Irish and the French as it did to the memories of the martyrs whose graves it marked.
Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Chief Justice, also spoke briefly at the monument. The whole terrible tragedy was a manifestation of faith and loyalty, said he, which has helped and through the ages will help men to die as men should, or live as men should.
Continuing, he thanked the Papal Delegate and the Lieutenant-Governor for their presence and closed with the remark: “Ireland has not been desecrated and persecuted for nothing. It is her pride and her glory but to point to the Cross.”
At the early services at the open altar near the old cemetery the Rev. Father Maguire, Provincial Chaplain, A. O. H., preached an eloquent sermon, telling of the trials and sufferings of the ship fever victims and the devotion of the priests.
Mr. C. J. Foy, National Director A. O. H., presiding at the ceremonies at the monument, made a stirring address. Speaking briefly of the history of Ireland, he drew the great fact that though always persecuted, and always hounded, the Irish had never bowed in submission, and had never allowed a stain upon their religion or upon their homes. In this he cited the French as a nation of similar pride.
Mr. Matthew Cummings, National President of the A. O. H., made a touching and eloquent address, citing points in Irish history showing the sadness of the nation’s history.
Mr. J. Turcotte, M. P., delivered an effective speech in French, expressing the sympathy of the French Canadians with the Irish, their admiration for the abiding faith and their pleasure in assistance at this memorial for their martyrs.
A short address in Gaelic by Major McCrystal, National Director A. O. H., concluded the speeches.
Monsignor Sbaretti, Papal Delegate, then blessed the cross and the ceremonies were at an end.
Returning to Quebec in the early evening, the beauty and solemnity of the sunset on the river lent the final touch of grandeur to the day. In Quebec the delegations scattered and took their various trains during the course of the evening.
Among the prominent men present were Monsignor Sbaretti, Papal Delegate; Lieutenant-Governor Pelletier, Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Chief Justice; Hon. Charles Murphy, Secretary of State; Mr. M. Cummings, National President, A. O. H.; the Hon. E. B. Devlin, M. P.; the Hon. C. R. Devlin, J. A. Turcotte, M. P.
Beautiful floral pieces were presented by the provincial government, the Ste. Jean Baptiste Society of Montreal and Ste. Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec, and an anchor from Mrs. Lemieux of Quebec.