On Sunday morning, we finally received our luggage, after having been in Canada since Thursday night! I decided to do a bit of exploring on my own, while my husband and daughter went swimming and watched the soccer game. I headed downtown to take a look at St. Patrick’s Basilica.

It is another pretty church, opened in 1847.

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The church was built for the Irish immigrant population in Montreal. I liked seeing all of the Saint Patrick details.

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Since Saint Patrick’s is the main English speaking Catholic church in Montreal, I decided to stay for Mass. There was a little park area out front (and down the many steps) where I spent a little time by myself before Mass began. The parishioners and visitors attending Mass made quite the diverse cultural group.

Since it was Sunday morning, I timed my visit to the next church to be between Masses. As I approached the Cathedral of Marie Reine du Monde (Mary, Queen of the World), Mass was just ending. I walked inside for a look around. The thing that makes this church unique is that it is a miniature replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I’ve never been to Rome, but one day!

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On my way back to the hotel, I passed Place du Canada, where it appeared some sort of gathering or concert of Muslim people was happening. I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on as they weren’t speaking English over the loudspeaker, but everyone was carrying the same flag. Montreal is definitely a diverse and international city with many cultural influences.