Saint of the Month - August 2013: Blessed Frederic Janssoone

Bl. Frederic Janssoone

The "Good Priest"

Memorial: August 4th

Affectionately referred to as the “Bon Pere” (the “Good Father/Priest”) during his lifetime, Fr. Frederic Janssoone’s nickname was highly appropriate for this gentle missionary who lovingly ministered to the people of his adopted country of Canada.  Originally born in Ghyvelde, France, on November 19, 1838, he joined the Franciscans in Amiens in 1864 and was ordained a priest in 1870.  He worked in Paris until the year 1876, when he was assigned to work among his spiritual brethren in the Holy Land.

In 1881 Fr. Frederic returned to France only to sail, shortly after, to Canada on a fund-raising trip for the Franciscan Holy Land missions.  During this initial Canadian visit, he not only promoted his Order’s work in the Middle East, but he also preached several missions and conducted spiritual retreats that were all very popular.  He then returned to the Holy Land for a brief stay but then permanently returned to Canada towards the latter part of 1881.  Assigned in Quebec, good Fr. Frederic continued the work that he started during his earlier Canadian visit and became a well-respected preacher and spiritual director.  He endeared himself to many through his amiable nature and the excellent example he set through his evident life of simplicity and holiness.

Among Fr. Frederic’s accomplishments would be his exceptional success in promoting the Secular Franciscan Order, which through his personal effort and influence, experienced a record number of vocations in Canada.  His name also became synonymous with the now-famous Marian sanctuary of Cap de la Madeleine, which he helped to establish near Trois Rivieres, Quebec – it was in the shrine’s chapel in 1888, that Fr. Frederic and two others were privileged to witness a statue of the Blessed Virgin (left) miraculously move its eyes.  Today, the shrine in Cap de la Madeleine remains one of the most visited Marian sanctuaries in North America.

The “Good Priest” died in Montreal on August 4th, 1916, after succumbing to stomach cancer.  His passing left many devotees convinced that a Saint had just left them for Heaven and today his hallowed remains are venerated at the Sanctuary of Trois Rivieres.  Fr. Frederic Janssoone was declared a Blessed by the late Pope John Paul II on the 25th of September, 1988.

A Reflection
The Gospel Message of Christ takes root in our hearts and bears fruit in our souls... then best shared through our actions.

A Short Prayer
Lord, wherever your Divine Will leads us in this world, may we, like Bl. Frederic be messengers of the Good News to all our neighbors who are living in darkness.  Amen.