On most papal visits abroad, the Holy Father allocates time to meet with those responsible for leading the national and local Church. Pope Francis’ visit to Canada is no exception, meeting with bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, religious women, and men, along with those who work in pastoral ministries for the Church. Those serving the Church from across Canada are in attendance.

Newsroom (27/07/2022 9:00 PM Gaudium Press)  The final liturgical action celebrated by the Pontiff in his Apostolic Journey to Canada included a gathering of all those serving the Church in Canada for Vespers at Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec. A short history of this Church can be found here.

Most of the members of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and their assistants in their respective dioceses were gathered in this historic Cathedral Church for the celebration of Evening Prayer, known as Vespers.

Clergy are required by Canon Law, the law of the Church, to pray several times throughout the day, from a compilation of the Psalms of the Old Testament. The evening hour of prayer is called Vespers. Vespers tends to be the most frequently done among religious communities communally at the end of the work day. Following this tradition, the Holy Father gathered with the clergy and lay pastoral workers of Canada, taking the opportunity to pray.

The Holy Father decided to forgo the Fiat this evening. He travelled via wheelchair the short distance to Notre Dame Cathedral in Quebec City, much to the delight of crowds nearby who saw him on the city streets.

As the Holy Father entered through the cathedral into the sanctuary, he was greeted by the majestic music of the St. Michael’s Choir School of Toronto. St. Michael’s Choir School was founded in 1937 by Monsignor John Edward Ronan to train choristers and provide liturgical music services to St. Michael’s Cathedral (Cathedral of Toronto and seat of Cardinal Thomas Collins). St. Michael’s Choir School trains choristers and musicians in classical and liturgical music through regular choral, music theory, and piano instruction, and optional lessons in music history, vocal, organ, classical guitar, and orchestral string instruments alongside all other academic subjects, athletics programs, and extracurricular activities. In 1955, the school was granted affiliation with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, Italy, becoming one of six choirs and choir schools worldwide to share this affiliation. The affiliation authorized St. Michael’s Choir School to grant the Bachelor of Sacred Music degree, specializing in Gregorian chant.

The organizers specially assembled a boys’ choir from St. Michael’s Choir School for this celebration. The boys sang a traditional antiphon in honour of the Pope, Tu es Petrus ‘You are Peter,’ in remembrance of the words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew when he declares Peter as his successor and Prince of the Apostles. Pope Francis is the 266th successor of St. Peter. The Pope stopped to shake hands and a few words to the religious sisters along the way to the sanctuary.

As the Pope took his place in front of the altar, he was greeted by the current President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Raymond Poisson of the Diocese of Saint-Jerome-Mont-Laurier, as well as the Cardinal Archbishop of Québec, Gerald Cyprien Lacroix. The Pope then began the ritual of Vespers.

The St. Michael’s Choir School boys assisted the gathered congregation in singing the chant of these psalms. It is customary that, when gathered for this prayer, the group divides into two parts and alternates back and forth between stanzas of the text as they chant.

The Holy Father then addressed all gathered about his observations, especially in light of this pilgrimage of healing, reconciliation, and hope. “Christian joy is about the experience of a peace that remains in our hearts, even when we are pelted by trials and afflictions, for then we know that we are not alone but accompanied by a God who is not indifferent to our lot.” “Secularization makes us reflect on the changes in society that influence the way people think about and organize their lives. So we realize that what is in crisis is not the faith, but some of the forms and ways in which we present it.”

The Pope got a standing ovation from religious orders seated behind the rows of cardinals and bishops, and He smiled in gracious acceptance. His smile turned to a bit of a frown when the clapping got louder, accompanied by cheering.

“God blesses our life, speaks well of us and our situation, and makes Himself incarnate in historical situations, not to condemn, but to give growth to the seed of the Kingdom in those places where darkness seems to triumph.” A full transcript of the sermon will be posted later on this site.

After general intentions and the Our Father in Latin, at the conclusion of the Vespers, the Holy Father offered his final blessing to all gathered.

Once again, the choir sang jubilantly in recognition of the dignity of the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ’s successor of St. Peter. The boys’ choir, its Choir Master and the organist were a credit to their teachers and a shining endorsement for St. Michael’s Choir School.

Pope Francis was then escorted by Cardinal Lacroix down the center aisle to venerate the remains of the first Bishop of Canada, St. François de Laval, through whose intercession and in whose honour the evening’s prayer was offered. There were loud chants of ‘Long Live the Pope” and clapping as this happened. The Holy Father and Cardinal Lacroix spent time in silent prayer at this location; one noticed the Pope rub his forehead and bite his thumb rather pensively. After a while, Cardinal Lacroix showed the Pope the other relics at the side of the remains of St. François de Laval, Francis continued to remain in prayerful silence.

Pope Francis canonized St. François de Laval in 2016 on the 350th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Quebec, which was at one time comprised nearly all of what is now modern North America. St. François was a missionary Bishop from France. He was renowned for his harmonious and peaceful relations with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.

Positioned next to the tomb of St. François are the relics of 18 additional Canadian Saints.

The Pope was again wheeled back to the front of the Church where all the bishops had lined up to shake his hand, the Pope was smiling warmly at each bishop who shook his hand. All the while, the organist showed off his virtuosity on the organ in an acoustically beautiful way.

The Holy Father was led to the sacristy, where he exited the cathedral on made his way back to the residence at Quebec.

by Raju Hasmukh