Heartfelt thanks to Our Volunteers

Volunteer Week, taking place from April 19 to 25, 2026, is an opportunity to highlight the essential contribution of volunteers to the mission of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. Heartfelt thanks!

Life moves quickly. Time rushes past us. No sooner do we finish one task than we move on to the next on the list.

And then there are those who slowly make their way to the Oratory to offer comfort and friendship to pilgrims. They offer their hearts through a steady presence.

Together, they weave another dome, one made of invisible connections, humble smiles, thoughtful glances, and helping hands reaching throughout the Oratory. This delicate structure is as strong as concrete.

They set aside all their activities to come and serve, out of commitment, generosity, and love for the Oratory.

Rain or hail, they are there.

They are not only volunteers at the Oratory; many of them also contribute to other causes.

How is this possible? What motivates them?

Often in the background, they do not impose themselves. They ask for nothing, remain in the shadows, and simply wish to be there and to serve.

You can spot them beneath the arch of the Crypt Church, standing as they distribute pamphlets, carrying the collection baskets in orderly rows back to the sacristy, reviewing a reading, welcoming visitors, assisting a pilgrim in a wheelchair, leaning against a Basilica column, ready to step in.

It is cold, it is snowing, they are there.

Perhaps they feel they are needed. Perhaps the place itself inspires such devotion. Perhaps they sense the presence that inspired these grounds. Perhaps they feel a unique connection with the creator of this place.

The sky clears, the sun appears, they are still there.

All we can offer them are eight simple letters: t h a n k y o u.