The Master Visits the Cathedral in Montreal
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
Montreal (today: Montreal, Canada)

In the afternoon of that first day, the Master went for a ride through Montréal at Sutherland Maxwell's invitation. When they reached the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame (Marie-Reine-du-Monde) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said He would like to see it. Everything was quiet and no one was in sight. The Master alighted and went in to see the huge building. With rapt attention, He gazed. After wandering through the church, He noted that the church was present in Canada, so far away from where Christianity had started in Galilee and Calvary, because of the sacrifice of the early Christians who had traveled the world to spread their faith.
Standing at the entrance, He said to His companions: “Behold what eleven disciples of Christ have accomplished, how they sacrificed themselves! I exhort you to walk in their footsteps.”
Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 182; the Master’s words are from Mahmúd’s Diary, entry for Friday, August 31, 1912 (Montreal).
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
Sutherland Maxwell Welcomes the Master
Reserved by nature, Sutherland Maxwell first planned to lodge ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a Montreal hotel, but the day before He came bought new furniture for Him and begged Him at the station to stay in their home.
The Stone Refused by the Builder
Nettie Tobin, who was not well off, brought a builder's rejected stone to the Wilmette Temple site by baby carriage, streetcar and a borrowed wagon, and the Master used it at the dedication of the land.
The Stone the Builder Rejected
In 1912 Nettie Tobin, a Chicago Bahá'í with little money, hauled a stone a builder had rejected all the way to the House of Worship site, where 'Abdu'l-Bahá used it at the dedication.
The Cleaning Woman's Hands
A cleaning woman, ashamed of her rough, work-worn hands, meant only to touch 'Abdu'l-Bahá's robe and slip away. He took her hand, raised her up, looked at it with deep love, and said one word: “Sacrifice!”