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This image shows the parade for the 1938 National Eucharistic Congress going down Saint-Jean Street in Québec City. We see Racine and D’Aiguillon streets in the background. Organized by the Archbishop of Québec, the event sought to combine faith and modernity at a time when the Catholic Church was at the height of its influence on French-Canadian society.
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?

Eucharistic Congress parade on Saint-Jean Street

René Bureau This image shows the parade for the 1938 National Eucharistic Congress going down Saint-Jean Street in Québec City. We see Racine and D’Aiguillon streets in the background. Organized by the Archbishop of Québec, the event sought to combine faith and modernity at a time when the Catholic Church was at the height of its influence on French-Canadian society.
Chronoscope Can you locate this parade on the map? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Ville de Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - René Bureau Fonds - Date: 1938–06