Gala Night: Caring for our Blessed Mother

We invite you to join us for our 8th Annual Gala Night, an elegant evening celebrating Our Lady and transporting you to the very heart of our story. Sainte-Marie among the Hurons will be hosting this year's Gala as we look to fundraise and support capital infrastructure projects at Martyrs' Shrine. This year we are focusing on the restoration and awaited beautification of our Lourdes Grotto, a beloved centerpiece of Martyrs' Shrine and home to Martyrs' Shrine's first outdoor altar space.

The Jesuit missionaries celebrated at Martyrs' Shrine evoked the support of the Immaculate Virgin Mary for assistance in their labours and through it built the mission of Sainte-Marie in her name, located in the heart of the traditional lands of the Wendat (Huron) Nation.

Join us this fall for an evening of live classical entertainment from The Narrows Ensemble exploring the Music of Divine Love in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The concert is followed by our 2023 Gala Reception and Gala Dinner.

Thank-you
We sincerely thank, in advance, all of our generous supporters, attendees, sponsors, organizing committee, media partners, volunteers, and others who have and continue to make Martyrs' Shrine an unforgettable space for pilgrimage, prayer and reflection.

Tax Receipt
This event is partly eligible for charitable tax receipts.

Event Details

Location: Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, North Court: 16164 Highway 12 West, Midland ON

Date: September 9, 2023

Schedule of Events: 

5:00-7:15pm - Silent Auction

6:00pm - Prayer Concert

6:45pm - Reception and Farewell to the Shrine's Director, Fr. Michael Knox, SJ

7:45pm - Dinner

Fundraising Effort: The Lourdes Grotto

This year we are fundraising for the restoration and awaited beautification of our Lourdes Grotto, a beloved centerpiece of Martyrs' Shrine and home to our first outdoor altar space.

Condition: The Grotto, now nearly 100-years old, is in a much needed state of repair. The overall structure is sound, however erosion due to years of rain and winter weather is deteriorating the surrounding garden spaces and walkways. Plants have rooted themselves around the upper portion of the structure whose roots could eventually compromise the integrity of original stone work.

Vision: We are looking to have the retaining wall replaced as well as the pathways that allow visitors access to Our Lady of Huronia and the bronze plaque of the Canadian Martyrs. As well, restoration work would be done to the Our Lady statue, which has also suffered through years of harsh weather. Gardens would be stripped and replaced with new landscaping and a water feature would be added that is 1) connected to our aquifer, and 2) harkens back to the Marian apparitions once witnessed in Lourdes, France.

Fundraising Goal: $100,000

About The Musicians

Based in Orillia, co-founders Peter Voisey and Valerie Selander have long wanted a musical project to bring really beautiful, professional quality chamber music to the communities of Simcoe County and surrounding areas. The Narrows Ensemble is a group of longtime colleagues from the orchestral, opera, choral and chamber music world around Toronto and southern Ontario.  Their first performance was in September of 2017 at St. Paul’s Centre, Orillia.

“We just happen to be a group of freelance professionals who love working with our favourite musicians, and have the good fortune to be able to play chamber music together,” says Ms. Selander.  “All our core members have some working or family relationship with the area here.”

As well as performing professionally in the communities around this area, The Narrows Ensemble members are part of the instrumental music education culture here – adjudicating music festivals, coaching and leading band or orchestra clinics, instructing at National Music Camp on Lake Couchiching – strengthening the local tie-in.

With an ardent music- and arts-loving culture in this area to inspire them, and an all-star line-up of musicians, The Narrows Ensemble performs the kind of classical music that people love, and delivers a rich and engaging performance experience.

The Narrows Ensemble today welcomes Brenna McLane on viola and Wendy Solomon on cello.