Midnight Mass opens congress at Le Cap

Midnight Pontifical High Mass in the Three Rivers Cathedral, midway between Montreal and Quebec, proclaimed the opening of Canada's National Marian Congress on the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows. Into the near-by village of Cap de la Madeleine poured hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over Canada and from the United States for the start of 11 days of ceremonies expected to draw 1,000,000 people. Hotels and inns in the vicinity of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Cape were filled to capacity. More than '12.000 rooms were set aside in private houses for the visitors.