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By the time you read this blog, the bells of the carillon and the consoles (keyboards and pedals) will have reached their destination, the Paccard foundry, in France.
Mr. Cyril Paccard, director of the design office at Paccard, was on site in early October to prepare the carillon for its departure. Over 10 tons of bells to be packed in boxes for transport on a container ship, from the Port of Montreal to Europe! Let us pray for a successful journey!
Our bells are not going to Rome…they are headed to France, more specifically to Annecy-le-Vieux. After 65 years of loyal service, they are returning home in a way, to where they were created. They are going to restore their beauty… 58 bells will be refurbished and three new ones will be cast. The C#3, weighing 1800 kg, will be cast on December 12, 2019. At the same time, two small bells, the B7 and C8, each weighing 9 and 8 kg, will be unmoulded. We are delighted and proud to be able to count on the Paccard foundry to restore our Carillon!
The Oratory carillon is the only carillon in Quebec. With the three new bells that will be cast, it will have 61 bells. Could we not dream of adding more over time? With 62 bells, it would be one of the two largest carillons (in terms of number of bells) in Canada. The one in Victoria, British Columbia, also has 62.
According to Mr. Cyril Paccard, the instrument and bells are expected to be returned for March 2021. As tradition would have it, a blessing is planned for the bells before they are placed in the new tower. If all goes well, we should be able to hear the new Carillon in the summer of 2021.
It has often been said that Saint Brother André was ignorant and that he could barely read and write. The reality is more complex. While he left behind very few writings, aside from some postcards to family members, he could certainly sign his name, and the few books found in his room after his death demonstrate his interest in pious readings. The fingerprints he left on certain passages of these books and the numerous intimate witnesses of his life confirm this. But what books are we talking about? Let’s discover them together.
Every year, on November 2nd, the Catholic Church invites us to a time of reflection and prayer to commemorate our deceased loved ones, commonly referred to as “All Souls’ Day.” This day is not merely a moment of remembrance ; it serves as a profound reminder of the unbreakable communion that binds us to our departed loved ones. It is not a sterile nostalgia focused on the past, but rather an authentic spiritual encounter, a mystical synergy with those who have already entered the beyond, in the unwavering hope of the resurrection promised by Christ.
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.