Skip to main content
In this image, we see the altar of repose in Battlefields Park from the air, on the occasion of the National Eucharistic Congress in June 1938. The event took place one month after an international congress in Budapest, Hungary. A high mass was held on the evening of June 23 on this impressive site. The photograph was taken facing west.
1938 - 1938

The 1938 National Eucharistic Congress

Québec City has hosted many religious gatherings throughout its history. A major event—Canada’s first and only National Eucharistic Congress—was held in Québec City from June 22 to 26, 1938. An altar of repose for up to 100,000 worshippers was set up on the Plains of Abraham. A high mass was held at night on June 23, followed by a procession 300,000 strong on June 26. In this golden age of Catholicism in Quebec, the Congress sought to invigorate religious fervour in the province. What do you know about this large-scale event?

Crowd gathered in front of the altar of repose in Battlefields Park

W. B. Edwards Inc. In this image, we see the altar of repose in Battlefields Park from the air, on the occasion of the National Eucharistic Congress in June 1938. The event took place one month after an international congress in Budapest, Hungary. A high mass was held on the evening of June 23 on this impressive site. The photograph was taken facing west.
Chronoscope How many people do you think attended this high mass? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Ville de Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - W. B. Edwards Inc. - Breton Family Fonds - Date: 1938