Canada Day History - Catholic Church in CANADA + LIST of Canadian SAINTS with Litany and PRAYER for Canada - a Nation Formed on July 1st 1867!

Canada Catholic Church
July 1st is the day that Canada became a nation in 1867 - it is celebrated as Canada Day! There are many stories of inspiring Saints from this country which can be found below. Also, at the bottom of this post you will find a Prayer for the Nation and a Litany.
Brief History - Jacques Cartier was accompanied by chaplains in 1535. Samuel de Champlain persuaded the French church to act on his pro-settlement campaign.  Supported by noble benefactors and the French clergy, members of the Récollet Franciscan order established themselves in Quebec in 1615, followed in 1625 by the Jesuits.

The missionaries went home to France during the English occupation of 1629-32, but then returned in force. This young Canadian church was devoted almost entirely to evangelizing Indigenous peoples. Without neglecting the increasing number of settlers in New France, the Jesuits (and later the Sulpicians) concentrated on living with the Indigenous people. The accounts of their labours, published in the Jesuit Relations, helped them to hold the interest of Catholics in France. Generous donations funded the Jesuit college (1635); the Sillery reserve (1637); the Ursuline Convent school (1639) run by Marie de l'Incarnation; the Hôtel-Dieu (1639); and Ville-Marie (1642), where the same institutions as those in Quebec were established.

The church supported the colony and was dominant even in politics, with the Jesuit superior often supplanting the governor. Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons: construction of the Jesuit mission, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, began in 1639. (courtesy Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons Historical Site) 

 In 1648-50 the Iroquois destroyed Huronia. Thereafter the Jesuits worked in scattered missions among the Indigenous peoples, and devoted  attention to the growing French population. The church received its first bishop in 1659. Though François de Laval was only vicar apostolic (i.e., acting bishop where no hierarchy exists), he co-ordinated the establishment of the necessary institutions, including the Séminaire de Québec. After New France's reorganization in 1663 as a royal colony, the church had to accept state intervention in joint questions (e.g., establishment of parishes) and purely religious ones (eg, regulation of religious communities); in return, it could count on state support, which included money. The first diocese was established in Quebec in 1674. (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)
The Saints and Blesseds of Canada 

A number of men and women have, in some particular way, shaped the life of the Church in Canada. Some gave their lives to ensure that the Good News be heard throughout North America. Others, out of steadfast faith and profound love dedicated their lives to the service of their brothers and sisters, whom very often were among the most underprivileged.

Declared saint, blessed or venerable by the Popes over the years, these extraordinary people are lights on the journey and examples of holiness and charity that Catholics can follow.
LINK: The North American Martyrs
St. Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649)
St. Noël Chabanel (1613–1649)
St. Anthony Daniel (1601–1648)
St. Charles Garnier (1605–1649)
St. Isaac Jogues (1602–1646)
St. Gabriel Lalemant (1610–1649)
St. René Goupil (1607–1642)
St. Jean de Lalande (????-1646)
The North American Martyrs were a group of six Jesuit priests and two associates who worked selflessly as missionaries to the Hurons in the colonial days of New France. Having been martyred for their faith, they were canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930. Their feast day is celebrated in Canada on September 26.
 
Marguerite Bourgeoys established the first school in Ville-Marie (present-day Montreal) and founded the Congregation of Notre Dame, an order of religious women, largely responsible for bringing Christian education to many areas of the New World. She worked tirelessly to ensure the rights and welfare of women and children in New France and to guarantee that young people received an education. Canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 31, 1982, her feast day is celebrated in Canada on January 12.
Marguerite d’Youville was instrumental in setting up hospitals in Montreal with the help of the Grey Nuns (Sisters of Charity), an order of religious women that she founded. She played a special role in caring for the poor, the elderly, orphans, invalids and the mentally challenged. Her congregation spread across Canada, setting up hospitals. Canonized by Pope John Paul II on December 9, 1990, her feast day is celebrated in Canada on October 16.
Link to the Canadian Martyr's Shrine 
Blessed Élisabeth Turgeon (1840-1881)
Link to the biography of Blessed Élisabeth Turgeon 
Link to the website of the Congregation for the beatification
Link to the video archives of the beatification
Link to the Education Teaching Centre of the Congregation (materials available in English, French and Spanish)
Shared from CCCB
PRAYER for Canada: 
Let us begin our prayer with the sign of our faith: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us pray. O God, you created the earth to be our dwelling as we journey toward our heavenly home. We praise you for the riches of this land that feeds and sustains us. We thank you for the kindness of those who welcomed the newcomers who settled here. We thank you for the faith of those who worked to build a just society that honours you. We ask you to send your Spirit upon our gathering this morning. Open our hearts with gratitude for your blessings; with repentance for our failures; and grant us an unshakeable hope, to build a future that glorifies you in all things. We ask you this through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord. Amen. 
LITANY OF CANADIAN SAINTS AND BLESSEDS
As Christians, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. These are people who went before us,
leading others by their holy example in building a more just society, and making the world a more
Godly place. They are the parents, grandparents, elders, aunts, uncles, coaches, teachers, priests,
religious and friends who watch and pray for us from heaven. The saints and blessed of Canada are part
of this cloud of witnesses. Let us turn to them, asking for their prayers, that we too might live as God’s
witnesses in Christ. The response is: Pray for us.
St. Jean de Brebeuf: Priest, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. Noël Chabanel: Priest, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. Anthony Daniel: Priest, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. Charles Garnier: Priest, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. Isaac Jogues: Priest, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. Gabriel Lalemant: Priest, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. René Goupil: Layperson, apostle to the Hurons and martyr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. Jean de Lalande: Layperson, apostle to the Hurons and maryr for the faith,
- Pray for us.
St. François de Laval: Bishop of Quebec,
 - Pray for us. 
St. Kateri Tekakwitha: Lily of the Mohawks,
 - Pray for us.
St. Marie of the Incarnation: Mother, religious and apostle to New France,
- Pray for us.
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys: Religious, educator and apostle to New France,
 Pray for us.
St. Marguerite d’Youville: Mother, religious, educator, hospital director,
- Pray for us.
Saint Brother André: Religious, tireless promoter of St. Joseph,
- Pray for us.
Blessed André Grasset: Priest and Québécois martyr of the French Revolution,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher: Religious and educator,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis: Religious and educator,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Louis-Zéphirin Moreau: Bishop of St-Hyacinthe,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Frédéric Janssoon: Priest,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine: Religious,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Dina Bélanger: Religious and educator,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin: Religious and educator,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Émilie Tavernier Gamelin: Mother, religious and apostle to the poor,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Nykyta Budka: Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of Winnipeg, defender of the faith,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Vasil Velychkovsky: Ukrainian Catholic Bishop, defender of the faith,
- Pray for us.
Blessed Élisabeth Turgeon: Religious and educator,
- Pray for us.
All you Holy Women and Men: - Pray for us.
St. Anne Mother of Our Lady
 - Pray for us.
Our Lady of the Cape Notre Dame du Cap
 - Pray for us.
St. Joseph Patron of Canada
- Pray for us.

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