Ottawa – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) designated Ms.Kathleen-Rosebelle Diaz of Montréal, Québec, and Mr. Joseph San José of Burnaby, British Columbia, as Canada’s delegates to the recent International Youth Forum held in Rome from 19 to 22 June 2019. Ms. Diaz and Mr. San José were among the nearly 250 participants gathered as part of the follow-up and implementation phase of the ideas generated during the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment held in October 2018, as well as the recent World Youth Day in Panama held in January 2019.
Hosted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Forum, which first began in 1987 in association with World Youth Day, consisted of a four-day event featuring talks and panels on topics such as synodality, pastoral ministry, and vocational discernment. The agenda also included working group sessions during which participants considered how to apply the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit in local Church communities.
Ms. Diaz, a member of the Coordination Team of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Office for the Archdiocese of Montréal, and Mr. San José, a Team Leader with Catholic Christian Outreach, a university student movement dedicated to evangelization, were both honoured and excited to be selected as the CCCB delegates to the Forum and to represent young people from the Catholic Church in Canada.
“While busy juggling various roles, this [Forum] is the ‘now’ during which Pope Francis challenges us to take action,” began Ms. Diaz. “Despite not knowing what to expect, I placed my trust in the process of the Synod and was thrilled to be able to journey with the delegates and the organizers.”
Mr. San José added, “I felt the responsibility to, first, be a listening ear in order to have a better understanding of the state of young people in the global Church, but also to be a courageous voice as to the state of young people from the Church in Canada.”
As the Forum drew to a close, Ms. Diaz and Mr. San José identified some important learnings for all delegates. “The very act of the Synod, as well as Christus Vivit, shows that the Church is endeavouring to make large-scale efforts to really listen to young people around the world,” said Mr. San José. “The Church desires young people to really step into a central role because without them, the Church cannot fully be herself.”
The delegates also recognized that the role of young people as protagonists or advocates in the Church will be essential in order to implement the findings from Christus Vivit. “Think big, start small,” stated Ms. Diaz. “Aim to have a Church that is alive and start where young people already are: respond to those around you so that they can encounter Christ; show priests, Bishops and older generations that young people want to be formed and accompanied; take part in important decisions; be patient and inspired by Saints and Jesus who did not wait before challenging others; and be involved in politics.”
Ms. Diaz and Mr. San José will now determine how best to apply the experience of the International Youth Forum to their own environments working with young people. “I am very inspired to empower the young people in my care and in my local context in British Columbia,” began Mr. San José. “I feel the Lord calling me to take a chance on younger people and give them the opportunity to rise to the occasion.”
In Montréal, Ms. Diaz indicated that her initial step involves talking to young people. “The first step I intend to take is at a conversational level – creating space to talk about this incredible desire for a shift to happen in our Church by, first and foremost, listening and meeting young people where they are, going back to the roots of our faith and then, with time, asking them how this topic speaks to them, and challenging them to share their perspectives on how to take action.”
Both Ms. Diaz and Mr. San José will attend the CCCB’s 2019 Plenary Assembly taking place from 23-27 September 2019 in Cornwall, Ontario, to speak to the Bishops of Canada about their experience in Rome.
At the conclusion of the Forum, and to continue the focus on young people in the Church, the Holy Father announced the themes of the World Youth Day celebrations for the next three years:
2021 – “Arise! I have appointed you as a witness of what you have seen.” (Acts 26:16)
2022 – “Mary arose and went with haste.” (Luke 1:39)
World Youth Day is celebrated annually at the local diocesan / eparchial level and every two or three years at the international level. Pope Francis announced at the end of World Youth Day 2019 in Panama City, Panama, that the next international celebration of World Youth Day will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2022.
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.
Archbishop Durocher was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Sault-Ste-Marie in 1997 where he served for five years. In 2002, he was appointed Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall where he served for nine years prior to his appointment as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gatineau in 2011.
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.
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.
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 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.
As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Morissette served on a number of Commissions and Committees and as the CCCB’s Co-Treasurer, 2003 to 2007, Vice-President, 2007 to 2009, and then President of the Conference, 2009 to 2011.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and president of the Path to Peace Foundation, has announced that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will be the 2019 recipient of the Path to Peace Award.
It is with great sadness and sorrow that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) learned of the death of Jean Vanier yesterday, 7 May 2019.