Category: Saint Joseph

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.

It is recounted that during his expedition to the Hurons in 1615, Samuel de Champlain was accompanied by the Franciscan Recollet, Father Joseph Le Caron, who celebrated the first mass in Huron country on August 12, 1615 and named this first mission, at Quienonascaran, after Saint Joseph. In 1624 (around July 16 through August 15), Father Le Caron entrusted this new colony to the care of Saint Joseph as he wrote in his memoirs: “Sixteen hundred and twenty-four, we made a great solemnity…, by a vow we made to Saint Joseph whom we chose as the patron saint of the country and protector of this nascent Church.” (Annales de Saint Joseph, 13ème Année, Janvier 1924, p. 11).

Brother André, a listening heart. A man of prayer and great simplicity, he embodied John the Baptist’s words to Jesus: “He must increase but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). His reputation as a miracle worker and saint spread quickly. Yet the humble religious man never even sought recognition, let alone glory. He never stopped calling himself “the instrument of Saint Joseph,” his companion in spiritual life.

Hope cannot be taken for granted. It’s easier to despair, to let ourselves fall into sadness or weariness. How many are discouraged? Consciously or not, we sometimes forget Hope and wonder: “What’s the point? What’s the point in going on?”