Aldo

Aldo is my best customer. Aldo is a donkey.

Any walking tour of Old Québec includes a stop at the Cathedral of Holy Trinity, 31 rue des Jardins. It was the first Anglican cathedral built outside of the British Isles, and it graces the Old City with its Palladian architecture, its sonorous bells, and its austere presence. As impressive as all of this, however, is the furry, gentle-eyed donkey that lives on the cathedral grounds. His name is Aldo and he is commonly seen peering over the stone wall that runs between the church hall and the rectory.

He lives in the Anglican churchyard courtesy of a parishioner who fell in love with the notion of a rural donkey in an urban setting. It is a pairing that she thinks works well…and I couldn’t agree more. Some people put money in the donation box, some people bake cookies for the church sale, this generous parishioner offered a donkey.

When I am standing in front of the cathedral, boasting its elegant lines, Aldo is always there. His ears are alert, his eyes wide open, he waits on my every word….I think.