MONTREAL — St. Joseph’s Oratory was overflowing with pilgrims on the eve of Br. André’s canonization in Rome. An estimated 1,500 pilgrims attended the evening mass Oct. 16, which led into a six-hour vigil of prayer, meditation, adoration and song. Every seat in the crypt church was filled for the mass; people stood in the ...read more

This blog was submitted by Father Andrew Gawrych of the Congregation of Holy Cross “Are you going to Rome?” That was the question I heard numerous times over the past couple of weeks at the University of Notre Dame. I live in the undergraduate seminary on campus, and I work as the Associate Director of ...read more

We’re less than 24 hours away from the canonization of Br. Andre Bessette of Montreal. The excitement in Rome is palpable. It can be hard to spot Canadian pilgrims because they don’t all wear Canadian flags on their backpacks. But walking around Rome today with a Canadian flag on our camera, Danielle Jones – Salt ...read more

By François Gloutnay, editor of the Catholic media blog Nouvelles de l’ACPC. On the eve of Br. André’s canonization, cyberspace is swarming with articles related to the event. In addition to Internet-based news media and blogs, groups and individuals will surely contribute to the online fray. On several occasions in the upcoming days, this blog ...read more

MONTREAL — Today, Oct. 16, is the eve of Brother André’s canonization. It is also a day of fine coincidence, call it Providence. It was on this day, in 1904, that the first, small, wooden chapel built by Brother André in honour of St. Joseph on the slope of Mount Royal in Montreal was inaugurated. ...read more

It is Saturday and we arrive to a house in a middle-class neighbourhood of west Amman. There is quite a crowd gathering for the day’s events. Inside, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary have a full-morning planned. In the back room there are dozens of children participating in an activity. They are all Iraqis displaced because ...read more

This is certainly a weekend dedicated to Brother André Bessette. Check out our Salt + Light coverage schedule of the canonization of Br. André Bessette here. The live coverage in French begins on Saturday, October 16th at 7 pm ET.  Host Sébastien Lacroix will be joined by Rita Sawaya in Rome and by Laura Ieraci ...read more

A council for new evangelization, Bishops from the Middle East (and the world) travel to Rome for a Synod, and an upcoming canonization. Catholic News Service’s, Carol Glatz and John Thavis review a busy week at the Vatican. To download Flash Player please click here ...read more

Welcome to the eighth of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André Bessette. In three days, we celebrate the canonization of our beloved first male Canadian-born saint. Of the many pilgrims descending on Rome for this wonderful occasion, there will be 18 enthusiastic young people from Brother Andre Catholic High School in ...read more

When the Canadian bishops gather for their annual plenary assembly, it’s fair to say that they’re not overwhelmed with requests for media accreditation. The discussion topics, be they administrative or pastoral, rarely generate much buzz in the nation’s pews. Yet for the past two years, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) plenary has seen ...read more