Ottawa - His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Paul Lortie as Bishop of the Diocese of Mont-Laurier, and appointed the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gatineau, as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Mont-Laurier. Bishop Lortie has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Mont-Laurier for the past seven years. He submitted his resignation to the Holy Father upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) continues to post possible homily ideas and prayers of the faithful to help link the Sunday liturgy with the national pastoral initiative for life and family. The proposed texts for the month of July 2019 include suggestions from the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 7 July to the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 28 July. As usual, the suggestions for homilies and prayers can be easily adapted for family prayer, as well as for personal prayer or for use with other groups or organizations. The texts for the month of July are available on the special Life and Family webpage, under the section "Documents and activities proposed by the CCCB".

The Most Reverend Louis Corriveau will be installed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Joliette at the Cathedral of Joliette, on 28 June 2019 at 7:30 p.m. with the participation of the Most Reverend Luigi Bonazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada, and the Most Reverend Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montréal. A number of other Archbishops and Bishops from across Canada will also be present. When appointed Bishop of Joliette by the Holy Father on 20 May 2019, Bishop Corriveau was the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Québec. The Most Reverend Raymond Poisson served first as Bishop and then as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Joliette for the past four years.

Ottawa - Today, His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Dorylas Moreau, Bishop of the Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda, for health reasons, and appointed the Most Reverend Gilles Lemay, Bishop of the Diocese of Amos, as the Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda.

Bishop Moreau is originally from Kamouraska, Québec. He was ordained to the priesthood on 20 May 1972 for the Diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière. On 30 November 2001, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda and ordained Bishop on 2 March 2002, where he served for 17 years.

On 13 June 2019, the Most Reverend Ken Nowakowski, Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop of New Westminster, was named Head of the Patriarchal Curia Pastoral Council for a three-year appointment by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The Most Reverend Gérard Dionne, Bishop Emeritus of Edmundston, will celebrate his 100th birthday on 19 June 2019. Born in Saint-Basile, New Brunswick, Bishop Dionne was ordained a priest 1 May 1948 following the completion of his theological formation at the Grand Séminaire Saint-Coeur de Marie in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He later pursued further studies in Canon Law at the Angelicum in Rome from which he obtained a Doctorate. Before being appointed Bishop, he served as vicar, and later pastor in the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs in Edmundston, New Brunswick. Among other pastoral functions, he also served as Chaplain for the Maison provinciale des SS. Maristes et des Servantes du Très-Saint-Sacrement (Edmundston) and the Scolasticat des Hospitalières de Saint-Joseph, in Saint-Basile.

CCCB Publications has announced that the English and French editions of the ORDO - Liturgical Calendar 2019-2020 are now available for ordering. The yearly ORDO provides complete liturgical information and explanatory notes for each day. The 2019-2020 Liturgical Year begins the First Sunday of Advent (1 December 2019) and ends 28 November 2020, the Saturday following the Solemnity of Christ the King. In addition to Pastoral Notes which assist and give direction for planning a variety of liturgical celebrations and occasions, the ORDO includes the references to the Roman Missal; the Lectionary (for Sundays and Solemnities; Weekdays); the Liturgy of the Hours; references to the Book of Gospels; and the Lectionary: Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses, Masses for the Dead. The 2019-2020 ORDO also includes references to Excerpts from the Roman Missal. Information is provided about the National Collections, the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of Canada, and special dates for pastoral planning in 2020, together with a Table of Moveable Dates.

Link to order copies

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) continues to post possible homily ideas and prayers of the faithful to help link the Sunday liturgy with the national pastoral initiative for life and family. The proposed texts for the month of June 2019 include suggestions from the Ascension of the Lord, 2 June to the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 30 June. As usual, the suggestions for homilies and prayers can be easily adapted for family prayer, as well as for personal prayer or for use with other groups or organizations. The texts for the month of June are available on the special Life and Family webpage, under the section "Documents and activities proposed by the CCCB".

Pentecost this year has a special emphasis with Pope Francis inviting all of us to live October 2019 as an Extraordinary Missionary Month. Throughout it we are invited to pray for a truly missionary conversion of the whole Church.

"We are not selling a product. We have a life to communicate: God, his divine life, his merciful love, his holiness! It is the Holy Spirit who sends us, accompanies us and inspires us. He is the source of our mission. It is he who guides the Church forward." (Pope Francis, address to the national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, 1 June 2018).

The 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be celebrated on 29 September 2019. The theme of Pope Francis' Message is "It is not just about migrants". In his Message, the Holy Father reminds us that "it is not only the cause of migrants that is at stake; it is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the 'signs of the times'. Through them, the Lord is calling us to conversion, to be set free from exclusivity, indifference and the throw-away culture. Through them, the Lord invites us to embrace fully our Christian life and to contribute, each according to his or her proper vocation, to the building up of a world that is more and more in accord with God's plan."

Link to the message

On 24 January 2019, the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists, the Holy See released the Holy Father's Message for the 53rd World Communications Day. The message is entitled "We are members of one another (Eph 4:25): From social network communities to the human community".

In his Message, Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of the word community: "A community is that much stronger if it is cohesive and supportive, if it is animated by feelings of trust, and pursues common objectives. The community as a network of solidarity requires mutual listening and dialogue, based on the responsible use of language."

In Canada, World Communications Day will be celebrated during 2 June 2019, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

Link to Message

Ottawa – His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Pierre Morissette as Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme, and today the Most Reverend Raymond Poisson assumes the pastoral governance of the Diocese. Until now, Bishop Poisson was the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Joliette and Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme. At the same time, the Most Reverend Louis Corriveau was named the Bishop of the Diocese of Joliette. Bishop Corriveau served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Québec for the past three years. Bishop Morissette has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme for the past 11 years.

Bishop Poisson was born in Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Rouville, Québec, on 30 April 1958. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil on 9 December 1983. On 1 May 2012, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme and ordained Auxiliary Bishop in Saint-Jérôme on 15 June 2012. On 7 September 2015, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Joliette and installed on 4 November 2015. On 18 May 2018, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme.

Bishop Corriveau was born in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Québec on 23 March 1964. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Québec on 16 June 1990. On 25 October 2016, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Québec and ordained Auxiliary Bishop in Québec on 8 December 2016.