News from the Maritimes and Beyond - 6
2nd May, 2024
Dear friends,
This newsletter has been published, up to now, every year and a half. We will keep this tradition and give you some news of the Catholic Faith in the Maritimes and beyond. The last issue was published on 7 October, 2022. It seems that it was yesterday. Once again, much has been going on everywhere.
Our existence is a mix of joy and suffering, as is normal in the valley of tears we live in, but we have to say that the blessings seem to exceed the trials and we are very thankful to God for his mercy on us sinners.
St Joseph Church – Stilesville, NB
In June 2023, we were blessed with the coming of two new vocations: Nicolas Carnogursky, from Ottawa, and Connor Reeder from Moncton. The summer was very busy with building a barn on the property. As you know, we keep a few small animals and are busy gardening during the summer, which allows us to eat, all year round, the products of our work. We try to dedicate ourselves to manual work, as it is something very good for the soul. Man is not only a mind, but also a body. In our modern days, too many people do not use their hands. As a result, the brain is sometimes not as down to earth as it should be…
Processing the two pigs
The year has been spent studying Ascetic and Mystic Theology, Holy Scripture and Latin. Obviously, we were also busy with prayer, liturgy and all kind of works. We are a parish, but I believe that God is giving us signs that he wants us most of all to prepare the future by providing good priests to continue and multiply the work of evangelization in Eastern Canada. It seems that we will have a few more seminarians next year, which will keep us busy.
On November 16th, 2023, His Excellency Bishop da Silva announced that he had made the decision to consecrate Father Altamira and myself Bishops in order to provide our respective country with pastors to establish more solidly the Catholic Faith in our regions. This was a big turning point for Eastern Canada. In January 2024, I went to Brazil with M. Reeder, seminarian, for the episcopal consecration. A long but beautiful trip which will remain in our memories for ever.
The fruits of this episcopal consecration were not long waited for. Sixty people have received or are due to receive Confirmation only in Canada, this year, and soon after the ceremony, a priest proposed his help to come and join us in working for the salvation of souls in our country. May God be blessed forever! Reverend Father Mello de Carvalho is now getting used to his new apostolate, while attending class also with our seminarians. This brings our small community to five people, with Sister Véronique-de-Jésus.
Mister Connor Reeder has taken the cassock on February 2nd. He is due to receive the tonsure while Nicolas Carnogursky should receive the cassock in the coming months and Sister Véronique-de-Jésus pronounce her first wows on 18 August.
Reverend Father Angelo Mello de Carvalho eating his first lobster ever
We have multiple projects in our church. First, we completed the arch that unites the two sides of the chapel. We worked hard on our library as well, refinishing the floor with new tiles and building bookcases all around the room. We also are in the process of establishing a cemetery, which will bear the name of St Anastasia, a great virgin martyr of the fourth century, who lived in Serbia, and whose relics are now kept in Croatia.
Building of the new arch
The new library
Quite a bit of landscaping has also been done behind the rectory. Our property is on a hillside. It is therefore difficult to have any flat surface to work on and we managed to flatten up some of it, which is going to be a big change.
Please pray daily for the Community of Our Lady of Joy Mission!
St Peter in Chains Mission – St-André, NB
Since the last issue of this newsletter, St Peter in Chains Mission in St-André, NB, has progressed tremendously. We have acquired the building we had in sight and God has allowed that this building be transferred to us for free, along with the Charity that owned the place. We changed the name of the Charity which is now called Chapelle Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens Inc. We also renovated the chapel entirely, thanks to your generous donations and the good work of the Faithful there.
The community of Faithful is stable and has about forty people. Some of the Faithful moved from Québec to Saint-André. St Peter in Chains Chapel is blessed with beautiful voices, and it is a delight to have song Masses in this place. Most people in St-André came from the Novus Ordo, and are very happy to have found Tradition.
This chapel has an apartment in the basement. We were able to find a good man to live there, take care of the chapel and help pay the expenses of the place. A very ideal set up! There is still room in the basement for a bedroom with a full bathroom, an office and a storage room for the visiting priest.
Building the sanctuary at St Peter in Chains Chapel
Our Lady of the Assumption Mission – Lower Onslow, NS
The Missions in Lower Onslow and Cape Breton have remained quite stable, although one family has moved to Stilesville. Mass is celebrated every third Sunday in a Community Center. We hope to increase our presence in Nova Scotia with the coming of Father Mello. Prospects have been made to acquire a small church in Nova Scotia, but with no result as of now. It will come in its time, God willing.
Lower Onslow is quite central and the Faithful can come from all over Nova Scotia: Amherst, New Glasgow, Annapolis Valley, Halifax. I have been visiting Nova Scotia for almost twelve years now… Time is really flying! Nova Scotia is a beautiful province of Canada, with beautiful landscapes and charming people. Pray that the Mission there might flourish with more Masses being celebrated.
Star of the Sea Mission – Charlottetown, PEI
Mass is still being celebrated every six weeks in Prince Edward Island in a private home. We are hoping to move the Mass on Saturdays in the near future, which might help this mission grow again. We are very happy that many people from Prince Edward Island moved to Stilesville, but what a blow for the Mission there! Still, the Faithful have not lost their joy and positive spirit. They are thankful for anything they can receive and see the mercy of God in having Mass, albeit not as often as they would want. It is always a joy to visit Charlottetown and we pray that they too can one day have their Sunday Mass again. The work is abundant, but the workers in the Lord’s vineyard very few.
Queen of Angels Mission – Saumarez / Bathurst, NB
In the northeast of New Brunswick, the mission has been split in two. There is Mass every six weeks for one of the Missions and Communion for the other one. We alternate between the two. There again, joy in all hearts at seeing the priest come and provide the true sacraments of the Church. We have in Bathurst a group of deaf and mute Faithful. I have had to learn some of the alphabet and sign language in order to communicate with them. This is always a fun game and these Faithful are very kind and patient to teach me how to speak their language. At my last visit, the interpret was absent. I made sure after Mass that they understood the sermon. They taught me how to say with signs: the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, to protect, etc… I wish I had more time to learn their beautiful language…
Our Lady of Compassion Mission – St John’s, NFL
Everything good in Newfoundland. Father Mello visited the Island for the first time last week. The Faithful have worked hard at making the altar and chapel as beautiful as possible and we are very thankful. Newfoundland needs a resident priest, no doubt about this. This province in itself is a huge territory. God knows it well, but He wants us to be patient. We are in the Passion of the Church, it is not supposed to be easy...
Newfoundland people are very welcoming. They have their own traditions and are proud of them. Father Ahern usually visits twice a year and altogether, they receive up to six visits a year.
The chapel in Newfoundland
St John the Baptist Mission – Québec and Ontario
Québec has two Missions: Lévis and Montréal. The number of the Faithful there seems to be ever growing with multiple families. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but if we could get a priest who speaks French fluently, having a priest in Lévis who would also serve Montréal and St-André would really be ideal. This in itself would keep a priest busy full time. In the meantime, we collaborate with Reverend Father Saunders, CMRI, to visit the Missions. With the coming of Reverend Father Mello, Lévis should see our visits increase to every third week, always depending on the will of God.
Ontario receives visits twice a year. Barry’s Bay and Brinston. There is no perspective of development for now in Ontario. But this province is blessed with the presence of Father Saunders. Still, a few Faithful are calling us for visits and are thankful to see us every time we go.
Mister Connor Reeder, seminarian
A turning point
It seems to me that Our Lady of Joy Mission is changing into a more stable apostolate. The first years were not easy. I have estimated the kilometers that I drove in the last eight years to at least 500 000. Pray for your priests on the road. Thank God, we are mostly on highways and the angels watch over us. Can you imagine the mileage covered by all traditional Catholic priests since Vatican II to visit the Faithful? Bishop Altamira would say : « Impressionnante! » God has been faithful to provide for the needs of those who remained attached to Him.
Let us pray daily for perseverance and salvation. Our Lady, Cause of our joy, good Saint Joseph come to our help! Let us remain united in holy Charity. We cannot afford any division. The enemy would profit from our stupid selfish infights. No, slowly but surely, God is building back a people agreeable to Him and we do not want to ruin His work.
Our gratitude to Bishop da Silva
As we conclude this letter, I would like to express the gratitude of Our Lady of Joy Mission to His Excellency Bishop Rodrigo Ribeiro da Silva. He has really been a tremendous help to us. I think Mgr Altamira and the Faithful of Columbia would say the same. Bishop da Silva has had to go through a lot since his Consecration by the late Bishop Dolan (RIP). Yet, he has remained steadfast in spite of criticism coming from all side. We at Our Lady of Joy Mission cannot thank him enough for what he has done for us. Please include him and his apostolate in your prayers. Life is difficult for whoever wants to serve God in this time of darkness.
To all of you, dear Faithful, I joyfully grant my episcopal blessing and insure you of my sincere affection. Each one of you has his own story with Our Lady of Joy Mission and whenever I visit one of the Missions, the words of St Paul resonate to my mind: « So desirous of you, we would gladly impart unto you not only the gospel of God, but also our own souls: because you were become most dear unto us.» I Thess. II, 8
Peace be unto you!
Bishop Pierre Roy