The Ghosts of Vanier College
Do you believe in ghosts?
Have you ever seen one?
Stay at Vanier long enough, and you are bound to have a ghost encounter of your own. Located between two cemeteries, built on moved graves, and housing the spirits of dead nuns, Vanier has been a hotspot of paranormal activity for decades.
Don’t believe me? Well, let me present to you some true ghost stories that took place on our very campus. One story comes from an alumnus of Vanier College, Christina Marando. It took place several years ago, near the stairwell of the N building.
Her class had ended at the bustling hour of noon. However, as she walked down the stairs and opened the N building door, she noticed that the courtyard was devoid of a soul… well, that is, except for one. As she opened the door, a girl veiled in white passed her by. She held the door, thinking nothing of it, till she took a second glance at the girl. The girl looked around 5 feet tall with white skin and white clothing, resembling a nun. However, the thing that struck Marando the most was the ethereal nature of her figure. Chills ran down her spine as the girl passed her and moved to the stairwell. There, the ghastly figure glided up the stairs, not moving their feet nor causing any footsteps. And right before it turned the corner, it vanished from existence.
Our following testimony comes from rumours that have spread around the college of the paranormal, overnight stay of two girls at Vanier College. While an identified instructor was present during this overnight stay, they have refused to comment. Taking a class of ghost stories, two unidentified girls were eager to spend the night at Vanier investigating ghosts. Their teacher, an avid fan of ghosts themselves, agreed to chaperone them. Little did they know that they would find exactly what they were looking for. Once the sun went down, they began to explore the building. At this point, it was expected for the building to be completely empty with no one inside. However, when the girls laid down at the bottom of the A building stairwell (The one leading to the telescope), they found that this was not true. The teacher was alerted to loud hysterical screams as she ran to the stairwell where she left the two girls. She asked them what had happened, but they were inconsolable. It is rumoured that an ambulance was called due to the girls being unable to calm themselves down. Several days later, the teacher found out that the students observed the abnormal visage of a nun staring down at them from the top floor.
The last testimony comes from an anonymous student who made a shocking discovery while roaming the many halls of Vanier College. During their first semester, our student explored the college when they decided to visit the offices behind the engineering classrooms and the STEM Center. They decided to pass through the hall and take the stairs back down. They walked down the aisle and saw a nun in one of the offices. Upon reaching the stairwell, they decided that it was an interesting sight and went back to glance upon them once more. Much to their surprise, the nun was gone.
You may be wondering why these three stories are all of the nuns, but it is to be expected. Vanier College was built near a nun cemetery, and part of the construction of the N-Building called for the dislocation of various tombs. Thus, it is no surprise that some of their souls still linger on.
So, do you believe in ghosts now?
Even if you don’t, be sure to keep an eye out when you round the corner.
You never know what might be there… or not.
By Aakarsh Dhar
