Category: Saint Joseph

Pope Francis has placed the Jubilee Year 2025 under the sign of Hope. He invites all followers of Christ to be pilgrims of Hope in a living, personal and communal encounter with Christ, “our hope” (cf. 1 Tim 1:1) and “door of salvation” (cf. Jn 10:7.9).

St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal is part of this ecclesial dynamic, and has chosen “With Joseph, let us walk in Hope” as the theme for the 2025 novena.

For the 2025 Novena to Saint Joseph, we continue our little story of the votive chapel.

One of Brother André’s greatest wishes was to have a small chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph on the side of Mount Royal. Having placed a small statue of Saint Joseph in the hollow of a tree, along with medals bearing his likeness, he enjoyed visiting the spot with a friend to pray. After obtaining permission from Father Dion, his superior, to build the small chapel, Brother André, with the help of a few friends and Brother Abondius, was able to open it a few months later, on October 18, 1904.

In 2024, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Canada’s dedication to Saint Joseph. Many religious institutes and congregations in Quebec have a deep affection for him, often tracing it back to the very beginnings of their existence. We have invited them to share with us the role that Saint Joseph plays in their history.

In 2024, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Canada’s dedication to Saint Joseph. Many religious institutes and congregations in Quebec have a deep affection for him, often tracing it back to the very beginnings of their existence. We have invited them to share with us the role that Saint Joseph plays in their history.

In 2024, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Canada’s dedication to Saint Joseph. Many religious institutes and congregations in Quebec have a deep affection for him, often tracing it back to the very beginnings of their existence. We have invited them to share with us the role that Saint Joseph plays in their history.

Saint-Joseph’s Oratory began in a unique way. A brother from the Congregation of Holy Cross was the porter at the Notre-Dame College located on Mount Royal. He had a deep devotion to Saint Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. From his vantage point at the entrance of the college, he looked out at the mountain and saw it as a place where he could dedicate a place of prayer to this saint whom he held dear in his heart. Gradually, an initiative took shape in his mind and heart.

Pilgrims often question the devotion of Brother André to Saint Joseph. Where did it come from? Did it manifest in the youth of Alfred Bessette? Was it a devotion specific to the Congregation of Holy Cross? How did it come to take on such significance? How did he live it on a daily basis?

In 2024, we commemorate the 400th anniversary of Canada’s dedication to Saint Joseph. Many religious institutes and congregations in Quebec have a deep affection for him, often dating back to the very earliest days of their existence. We have invited them to share with us the place that Saint Joseph holds in their history.

We all feel it, especially when we lack it. Rest is a necessity. We all need it, whether daily, weekly, or annually, to recover from work fatigue, to reclaim personal space,

The devotion to the Sacred Heart as we know it today particularly developed from the 17th century onwards, especially with the revelations to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

“Work ennobles man”, goes the saying, but, we immediately add, “it can enslave him and reduce him to slavery”. With this wisdom in mind, the Assemblée des évêques catholiques du Québec is sounding the alarm on the current food crisis. In a beautiful message that I invite you to read, our bishops invite us to pay attention to the current food crisis, to analyze the situation in the light of the Gospel, and to consider various courses of action so that everyone can eat their fill.