Pope Francis honoured two 17-th century missionaries at mass on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
The two were elevated to sainthood on April 3rd this year. Francois de Laval was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec in 1685, and founder of the Seminaire de Quebec. Marie Guyart was the single-mother who established the first French-language school for girls in North America, the Uruslene Convent of Quebec.
Known as St. Francois de Laval and St. Marie of the Incarnation, Pope Francis credited them with spreading their faith “to the smallest and most remote”, during his homily.
Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, was at the mass, along with several other nuns and priests who made the pilgrimage to Rome for the occasion. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the great gift that you have given of two new saints” the Cardinal said.
Catholic in name only
It is hoped the canonizations might help boost the Catholic faith in Quebec. Once described as the Catholic province of Canada, church attendance and participation has now dwindled to about 6 per cent of the population, while most still maintain their Catholic status on census forms.
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