A great tourist attraction in Newfoundland in the early summer is the arrival of icebergs. The waters off our coast are often called “iceberg alley”. These chunks of ice break off from glaciers in the Arctic or around Greenland and drift south with the current. Only one tenth of the size of an iceberg is above water.
The icebergs are made of fresh water, not salt water, and in recent years companies have harvested the ice to bottle the water for sale or use it to make beer, wine and alcohol.
Some of the most famous icebergs off our shores are known because of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. In 1905 an iceberg with the resemblance of the Virgin Mary arrived just outside the Narrows of St. John’s Harbour. The Archbishop of St. John’s at the time, Archbishop Michael Francis Howley, was most impressed with it and called it the “Crystal Lady”. To this day it is unknown whether it was a natural phenomenon or was it carved by foreign fishermen. In more recent times a large one floated by the community of Ferryland dwarfing the homes on shore. This scene was reproduced on a Canadian stamp. A smaller berg was even in the shape of our island of Newfoundland. Sometimes, to appreciate their massiveness, it is necessary to compare them to a passing boat. In the photos below,Frank Ryan (Sr. Rosemary’s brother) is seen on his boat close to an iceberg in Trinity Bay, NL.
It is dangerous to get too close to icebergs in boats as it is unknown when they will “calf”, meaning break apart, and form smaller icebergs which roll over and make dangerous waves in the process.
Climate change may lessen these wonderful sights in the future with the melting of Arctic ice and the warming of our oceans. But we hope to enjoy them for years to come as they continue to be such attractions not only to tourists but to local residents as well who are thrilled at their arrivals.
Una gran atracción turística de Terranova a principios de verano es la llegada de los icebergs. Las aguas de nuestra costa suelen llamarse “el callejón de los icebergs”. Estos trozos de hielo se desprenden de los glaciares del Ártico o de los alrededores de Groenlandia y derivan hacia el sur con la corriente. Sólo una décima parte del tamaño de un iceberg está por encima del agua.
Los icebergs están hechos de agua dulce, no salada, y en los últimos años las empresas han recogido el hielo para embotellar el agua y venderla o utilizarla para fabricar cerveza, vino y alcohol.
Algunos de los icebergs más famosos de nuestras costas son conocidos por el hundimiento del Titanic en 1912. En 1905, un iceberg con el parecido de la Virgen María llegó a las afueras de los Estrechos del puerto de San Juan. El arzobispo de St. John’s en aquel momento, el arzobispo Michael Francis Howley, quedó muy impresionado con él y lo llamó la “Dama de Cristal”. A día de hoy se desconoce si fue un fenómeno natural o si fue tallada por pescadores extranjeros. En tiempos más recientes, uno de gran tamaño flotaba junto a la comunidad de Ferryland empequeñeciendo las casas de la orilla. Esta escena se reprodujo en un sello canadiense. Un iceberg más pequeño tenía incluso la forma de nuestra isla de Terranova. A veces, para apreciar su masividad, es necesario compararlos con un barco que pasa. En las fotos de abajo, se ve a Frank Ryan (hermano del Sr. Rosemary) en su barco cerca de un iceberg en Trinity Bay, NL.
Es peligroso acercarse demasiado a los icebergs en barco, ya que no se sabe cuándo se romperán y formarán icebergs más pequeños que se volcarán y provocarán peligrosas olas.
El cambio climático puede reducir estas maravillosas vistas en el futuro con el deshielo del Ártico y el calentamiento de nuestros océanos. Pero esperamos seguir disfrutando de ellos en los años venideros, ya que siguen siendo una atracción no sólo para los turistas, sino también para los residentes locales, que se emocionan con su llegada.
The Census of 2021 reported that Canada has over 450 ethnic and cultural origins by participants. This day calls us to recognize and embrace these diverse cultures that have helped to build a strong and vibrant Canadian society. It is also a time to celebrate the many significant contributions that Canadians of different cultural backgrounds have made to our society.
These two great women of Mercy faithfully carried out the works of Mercy as if there were dozens of sisters in the Newfoundland Mercy community – continuing in school and visiting the sick and poverty-stricken in their homes and in St. John’s Hospital (located near present-day Victoria Park). In June of 1947 when St. John’s was in the throes of a severe typhus epidemic, they closed school and devoted themselves entirely to visiting and caring for the sick. It was at St. John’s Hospital that Sister M. Joseph caught the dreaded fever from a young seaman who was suffering great physical and spiritual anguish. Despite the medical services of physicians and the loving care of Sister M. Francis, Sister M. Joseph died after two weeks of suffering the torments of the disease. She was 48 years of age and had only been a Sister of Mercy for four years.
At her reception into the Novitiate on August 2 of that same year she received the name Sister Mary Patrick Ligouri. A local newspaper, The Newfoundlander, in its August 3,1865 issue, reported on her Reception Ceremony, noting that a couple of her brothers “our respected townsmen, the Messrs. Farrell” had emigrated to Newfoundland from Ireland and were well established in the business community of St. John’s by the time their sister arrived.
She was received into the novitiate and given the name Sister M. Camillus Joseph on the feast of Our Lady of Mercy in the same year. Her novitiate companions were Sister M. Ligouri Carmody and Sister M. Ignatius Guinane, two young women from Limerick, Ireland, along with another Newfoundlander, Sister M. Clare Tarrahan, who haentered the community a year earlier.
Mary Ellen’s religious name was Sister Mary de Chantal, a name that became legendary over her nearly sixty years of Mercy ministry in Newfoundland. In September 1961, less than a year after her Profession of Vows, Sister M. de Chantal went to Brigus as a member of that founding community. In 1866 she became Superior of Mercy Convent in St. John’s, the second sister to hold that position since the death of Sister Francis Creedon. During her time of office, two new Mercy foundations were established – Conception Harbour and Petty Harbour. In 1861 she went to Burin as Superior of St. Anne’s Convent.
The documentary is the work of film maker, Kevin Moynihan with the financial help of a number of religious orders in Canada. Our congregation has contributed to his work over the years.