At the end of the side aisle, nearest to the wooden arch, there’s an interesting window on the right illustrating a passage from Chapter 11 of the Gospel according to Matthew. This refers to helping the poor and prisoners, as Jesus says “Come unto me all ye who labour or are heavy laden” (Mt 11:28). There have been many black people in the Cathedral congregation, but this window is the only one in which a black person is portrayed. He is about to have his chains removed.

Considerable research has been done recently into the history of slavery in Quebec. There were no slaves by the time the Cathedral was built, but sadly we know from the records of births, marriages and deaths, that in the mid eighteenth century some early members of the congregation owned slaves.

Today our community is working hard to remove discrimination in any of its forms, and to ensure that everyone is welcomed.