Category: Spiritualité

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.

Embarking on a journey alongside the Major Reliquary of Saint Brother André is akin to journeying alongside the saint himself; this has been my profound experience over the past four years.

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.

With these words, Pope Francis invites us to take advantage of Lent 2024 as a journey where we allow God to guide us towards freedom. “When God reveals Himself,” says Pope Francis, “He communicates freedom: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery'” (Ex 20:2).

At times when hope may be lacking, and we feel powerless to build a more fraternal and solidarity-oriented world, a world where peace and care for the most vulnerable are priorities.

“Lent is the time of grace during which the desert becomes – as the prophet Hosea announces – the place of first love (Hos 2:16-17)… God brings us back to Him and whispers words of love to our hearts.”

Every year in October, we celebrate Thanksgiving. This harvest time encourages us to give thanks for the bounties of nature. At the Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, we give thanks to the Lord for His bountiful gifts, but we give thanks in a very special way for this place of welcome, prayer, and peace, and for the one who made it possible, Saint Brother André. On October 19, we commemorate the anniversary of the first Mass celebrated in 1904 in this small oratory on the mountain, and on the 17th, we also give thanks on the anniversary of Brother André’s canonization.

On several occasions, Saint Joseph moved from one place to another. In Luke’s Gospel, we see Joseph traveling to Bethlehem for the census of the people according to the decree of Caesar Augustus. Joseph and Mary also travel to Jerusalem for the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Holy Family also travels to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover. In the Gospel according to St. Matthew, there is the flight into Egypt.

One day, I had the pleasure of meeting Armand and his wife. They were celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary. As a gift, they had asked a friend to take them to the Oratory. Armand’s wife told me with great pride: “The first thing we did, the day after our wedding, was to come here to the Oratory. We’ve always had great confidence in Saint Joseph and Brother André. Armand and I wanted to come here to celebrate.”

The Romans used to dedicate a month to a deity. The month of May was thus the month of Maya, goddess of fertility. When Christianity became the official religion, the month of Maya became the month of the Madonna and therefore the month of Mary. The Dominicans developed the devotion to the month of Mary. But it is in the XVIII century, with Saint Philippe Néri that the month of Mary becomes a popular devotion. Pius VII, in 1815, consecrates the devotion to the month of Mary which extends to the whole world.

The family is a reality, a natural institution that is found in all cultures, even if family life is lived differently in different places and times.

It is undeniable that our family life marks us deeply. There was a time when grandparents, parents, children and here and there an aunt or uncle lived in the same house every day. Nowadays, this intergenerational dimension is less present. But the family network still has a certain influence.

That morning I was to preach on the Gospel of the Multiplication of the loaves. Now I didn’t feel like talking about the parallel between the multiplication of the loaves and the Eucharist yet. As I reread the Gospel, another clue emerged with the seven loaves.

We are in a desert place, far from any settlement. For three days a huge crowd has been following Jesus without eating. Jesus is moved by compassion. But how to feed all these people? The apostles have only seven loaves of bread. So Jesus asks them to bring them to him. The disciples comply. Jesus blesses the seven loaves and asks the apostles to distribute them. Not only do they feed the crowd, but they collect seven baskets of leftovers! Because they put their poverty at the service of Jesus, he was able to do wonders.