A Glimpse at the Year 1924

In October 2024, quietly and without fanfare, Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal will celebrate 120 years of existence. When you think about it, it’s quite overwhelming: the sanctuary has endured an entire century! Almost a hundred years ago today, the chronicler of the magazine Les Annales de Saint-Joseph, Father Émile Deguire, c.s.c., took pleasure in reflecting on the twentieth year of the sanctuary’s activities.

 

The Chronicle of the Oratory

From the very first year of publication of the magazine, in 1912, there has been a section on its history titled “Chronique de l’Oratoire.” These pages are a true treasure trove for researchers interested in everything related to the history of the Oratory: the construction of buildings, work at the sanctuary, visitors and groups of pilgrims who come there, religious and cultural activities, and more. The most notable chroniclers include Father Georges-Auguste Dion, c.s.c. (1852-1918) and Father Émile Deguire, c.s.c. (1896-1992).

In his report for 1924, Father Deguire first presents the number of communions distributed: there were 117,000 for that year, which is 9,000 more than the previous year. Another point noted by Deguire is that the number of masses celebrated amounted to 2,200 high masses and 1,600 low masses, for a total of 3,800 masses, averaging 10 per day.

There were many pilgrimages, especially in the summer, when Father Deguire estimates that 700,000 visitors passed through the sanctuary. All means were good for visiting Saint Joseph: by boat from Sorel and Trois-Rivières, by train or bus, and on foot from the nearest parishes, schools, and confraternities.

Father Deguire concludes his report with the number of letters received to attest to healings or favors obtained. In total, there were 60,540 letters! (Chronicle of the Oratory, February 1925 in Les Annales de l’Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Volume 14, No. 2, p. 39)

 

The Important Anniversary of 1924

What is surprising in Father Deguire’s chronicle is that it is not so much the 20th anniversary of the Oratory being celebrated in 1924, but rather the 7th anniversary of the crypt. On December 14, several fathers and brothers from the Congregation of Holy Cross will participate in the event: a grand solemn mass, the participation of the Scholastics’ choir, and organ music will crown the celebration. For the occasion, the magazine will reproduce the sermons of Father Jules Poitras, c.s.c., and Canon Harbour from the Basilica of Montreal. Here is an excerpt from his sermon.

 

 

“What a marvel the devotion to Saint Joseph at the Oratory is! Twenty years ago, it was an uncultivated mountain. And suddenly, somewhere amidst the greenery, a small oratory emerges where a humble brother comes to pour out his heart before God. Soon, the crowd grows increasingly numerous. […] A spacious crypt is built, which itself soon cannot accommodate all the pilgrims; and that is why there are plans to raise an immense basilica whose dome will dominate the countryside, a votive offering of gratitude from an entire people.” (Chronicle of the Oratory, February 1925 in Les Annales de l’Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Volume 14, No. 2, p. 42)