J’ai pris sur moi de rédiger cette supplique après avoir entendu plusieurs personnes exprimer leur profond désir de voir se produire ce renouvellement, désir auquel je m’associe de tout cœur. Mes dix ans de travail au service de saint Joseph et de la Sainte Famille comme directeur du Centre de recherche et de documentation (maintenant fermé) de l’Oratoire du mont Royal m’ont permis de mesurer l’abondance des grâces dont le Canada a bénéficié de la part de ce grand saint.
To you, who have at heart to pray to Saint Joseph for the world and its leaders, we send you this call to the prayer of Evelyn and her family living in Venezuela, a country at the heart of a humanitarian and economic crisis.
During the past week, the political crisis in this oil and completely ruined country has intensified. This Saturday, February 2, Venezuela is preparing for two protests. The first was convened by Juan Guaido, self-proclaimed president since January 23 and the second by Nicolas Maduro.
Six European countries have given Nicolas Maduro until Sunday to call elections. However, the position of Nicolas Maduro is reinforced by the support of Cuba, Russia, China and Turkey. Pope Francis said on Monday that he fears a 'bloodbath'.
Venezuelans oscillate between fear and hope.
Thank you for your support!
A great number of countries are currently in a crisis mode, the world is in need of prayers! Among others, earlier this week, through the testimony of a teacher from Ambatodrazaka, a village considered the hayloft of Madagascar, we received a call urging us to pray St Joseph for this country, in dire need for some relief from an intense drought seriously affecting the local population and its crops. She also asked that we pray so that serenity be restored in the country…
Did you know that Saint Joseph watches over the American people in a special way? Well! yes, he does. In 1868, Washington Catholics erected a church on Capitol Hill: Saint Joseph's on Capitol Hill. For over 140 years, the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Joseph in Washington remained literally in the shadow of the Capitol, long before the line of sight was obstructed by the Library of Congress, and the building of the Supreme Court of the United States.
I recently spent sometime vacationing in a very beautiful part of Québec, on Lake St François. To get some exercise, I went for a stroll, with friends, to Mount Megantic National Park, several dozens of kilometers away from where we were staying.
At the information desk, we learned that there was a chapel dedicated to St Joseph on the Park's premises, at the top of a mount of the same name.
From July 1 to 3, 2016, over 1500 fathers will cross in groups of ten, Cotignac, a small town in France’s southern region. They will stop over at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces and then their paths will converge towards Mount Bessillon out of which numerous graces still flow from the source of “Water of Joy”. Let us pray Saint Joseph for them, for their families and for all of France!
On September 24th, it will be Francis’ turn to do it, a historical event since this is the first time that Peter’s successor is invited to the American Congress to deliver a speech. This “first” follows the tradition of inviting heads of foreign states to address the Congress. Francis will address the Congress with a double political status: head of the smallest country in the world, the Vatican, and head of the Catholic Church.
Writing a speech addressing the members of the United States Congress is not an easy task. Without pretending that I know what should be said in such a situation, in a follow-up to my previous post, I will try to speculate on the speech that will be pronounced on September 24th.
As Francis likes to develop a theme in three points, here is my “triad”.
Recently, while searching the net, I found an Angelus preached by Pope John Paul I. We know very little of him, his one-month term was so short. Certain messages contained in these Angelus are surprisingly contemporary and I find that they stimulate my commitment to Impact J.
Francis declared on September 14th, 2014:
“Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction.”
Interview published in the 70th bulletin of Saint-Joseph de Bon Espoir in Espaly, France.
Why so much interest for Saint Joseph?
I was born in Montreal and from a very young age, the colossal church built on the Mount Royal, the Saint Joseph Oratory, fascinated me. The thousands of crutches exhibited in the sanctuary and left there as a testimony to the cures obtained through Saint Joseph, reveal in one glance the abundance of graces that flowed over this city.
On September 20, 2014 IMPACT J had the opportunity to meet the Archduke Rudolf of Austria. He was in Valleyfield, Canada to give a talk on the life and courage of his grandparents, Charles and Zita of Austria. They were, without a doubt, exceptional models of leaders and an inspiration for Impact J.
On March 19, 2013, solemnity of Joseph, Francis officially became the 265th successor of Peter. On his coat of arms: the flower of the nard, representing Joseph, is next to a golden star, which represents Mary, both symbols accompanying a flaming sun symbolizing the Christ, emblem of the Jesuit society of which Francis is a member.
A few months later, Francis accomplishes two actions of great significance: he asks that the name of Joseph be added to all Eucharistic prayers, and he consecrates the Vatican to Joseph and to archangel Michael.
