Short Summary

It was to celebrate the centenary of the Archdiocese of Ottawa and to pray for lasting peace in the world. Although now largely forgotten, in its day it was the largest religious conference in North America. Ottawa had never seen anything like it.

A huge outdoor repository was built at Lansdowne for the religious festivities. It was 515 feet long and along its back wall were four large statues of angels raising golden trumpets toward a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that topped a 115 foot tower at the centre of the dias. Beneath the tower was a stage and altar. In front were benches enough to seat 75,000 people. There were also 110 exhibits on the site. Estimates of attendance vary from 100,000 to 250,000 (Ottawa’s population was only 200,000 at the time). Many were locals but visitors arrived by car, bus, plane, and 66 special excursion trains.

During the five-day Congress there was a procession of floats along the canal driveway, public veneration of a replica of the statue of Our Lady of Cap-de-la-Madeleine, and the consecration of Canada to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Congress also featured the Dionne Quintuplets (age 13) singing hymns in both English and French. The event ended with what the Catholic Northwest Progress newspaper called “the greatest fireworks display ever held in Canada” depicting scenes in the life of the Blessed Virgin.

A message to the Congress from Pope Pius XII was broadcast during a Mass on June 19 and carried by major radio networks across the country. The Congress was attended by 9 cardinals - including Cardinal McGuigan of Toronto (who was the official Papal Legate), Cardinal Tisserant, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church, Cardinal Mindszenty, Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of the Church in Hungary, Cardinal Gerlier, Archbishop of Lyons, Archbishop Mar Ivanios of Trivandrum, India, and Cardinal Artegay Bentancourt of Havana, Cuba - 19 archbishops (including Archbishop John D’Alton, Primate of All Ireland) and 120 bishops from seven countries.

Prime Minister Mackenzie King did not attend but hosted a dinner for the cardinals at his Laurier House residence. However, Louis St Laurent, then Secretary of State for External Affairs, Premier Maurice Duplessis of Quebec, Thibaudeau Rinfret, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Angus MacDonald, Premier of Nova Scotia, and Paul Martin, Federal Minister of Health and Welfare, were some of the government representatives in attendance.