Another group of retired University of Ottawa employees – Lise Lépine, Elizabeth Clarke-Gilman, Luce Laviolette and Louise Potvin – also decided to make a pilgrimage, in Canada. On June 17, 2008, these women set out on foot with their backpacks from Ottawa’s cathedral towards Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. Their 12-day journey took them through Orleans, Masson, Thurso, Plaisance, Montebello, L’Orignal, Chute-à-Blondeau, Rigaud, Oka, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac and Laval. They also took part in the Outaouais/Montreal leg of the Chemin des sanctuaires, part of Quebec’s own version of the Way of St. James, that runs from Ottawa to Sainte-Anne-de Beaupré and witnesses groups of people making pilgrimages daily from May 25 to June 23. For Lise and her friends, this 234-kilometre “walking workout” of 19 kilometres a day was a spiritual experience that provided time for contemplation while also allowing them to satisfy their love for nature and adventure.
