For the readings and prayers of today’s mass, go to
https://www.livingwithchrist.ca/images/article_images/pdf/May_6_Pages_from_LWC_May2020-lowres-3.pdf
“O God, eternal shepherd of the faithful, who sent Saint François de Laval as Bishop to extend the dominion of Christ to the people of Canada, grant, through his intercession, that we may strive always to keep and to put into practice the faith which, with unquenchable zeal, he strove to proclaim.”
The quote above is part of the Collect of the mass that is celebrated today in Canada as we honour St. Francois de Laval, the Patron saint of the bishops of Canada, and the first bishop of our nation.
Laval was born in 1623 in France. By the age of 24 he had been ordained a priest, and at 35 was ordained a bishop. In his early years he was trained under the Jesuits and thus became quite aware of the Jesuit missions to the New World and the heroic efforts of the Jesuit martyrs like Jean de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues. He greatly desired to serve in the New World, and in early 1659 he arrived at his posting in Quebec City. Despite numerous difficulties with the governors of New France as well as church authorities who were already there in Quebec, he quickly moved to expand the work of the church in the New World,. He also established a Seminary in 1663 which became the forerunner of the first university of our nation, which is now named Laval University in his honour.
After his death in 1708, he was honoured with the title “pere de la partrie”, that is, father of the homeland. He was beatified by St. John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.
In the Collect prayer above, there is a phrase which includes a word we rarely use anymore. That word is zeal. Zeal is a fierce and unquenchable desire to do something. Some years ago I had a conversation with Fr. Michael Knox, S.J., who is the director of Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, ON. When I asked him about why so many priests and religious had this desire to leave country and family behind and work in a New World where conditions were challenging, dangers were ever present and often few rewards of their ministry were to be found, Fr. Knox mentioned one word: Zeal. He said they had a ferocious zeal for living our faith and sharing our faith with all whom they encountered, no matter the cost. And Bishop Laval was one of those persons of such zeal.
When I read the stories of people of the early missionaries to our country like Laval, Brebeuf, or Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine whose feast day is May 8th, I always feel humbled by their example, but I also feel awe regarding their zeal. Thi prompts me to then ask, where is the zeal for the faith in my life, my ministry? How much do I desire to share the faith like they did? And what about you? How much zela is their in your flfe when it comes to our faith. In this time of pandemic nobody is leaving this country travelling elsewhere to serve as missionaries of the faith. But every single one of you is called to do your part in living the faith, loving the faith, and sharing the faith, with as much zeal as you can muster.
On this day it is only appropriate, then, to pray, St. Francois de Laval, pray for us.
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There is plenty to be found on the internet about St. Francois de Laval. Below are a few links to consider:
http://www.francoisdelaval.com/english/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_de_Laval
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/francois-de-laval