ICCRS, FCCCA, CHARIS, does that mean anything to you? Probably not! And yet, it is worth being well informed about it, because a new entity created by Pope Francis has seen the light of day a few years ago and proposes to vivify and stimulate in depth the spiritual and

A few months after being ordained a priest, I began my ministry of confession in the great basilica of Sainte‐Anne‐de‐Beaupré during the summer season. It was and always will be one of the privileged places where priests can discover the inestimable value of this magnificent ministry and gift entrusted to

The day I started my second year at St-Raymond Elementary School in 1963, our lovely teacher, Mrs. Bérubé, walked through the rows and placed on the corner of our desks a strange little grey book with a rigid cover. When she had finished distributing it, she spoke and reminded us

Now and then, we all have moments of gloom or darkness that prevent us from seeing clearly and appreciating the blessings or the people around us. Years ago, I used to visit a priest friend from time to time when I was on a preaching tour in the United States

I would like to share with you a beautiful story I once heard from an American preacher who had been invited to preach the English novena at the shrine of Ste‐Anne‐de‐Beaupré several years ago. This story still resonates with me today because it gives us an enlightening teaching on the

Prayer nurtures and increases faith because praying is loving. In a previous chronicle, we have already had the opportunity to demonstrate how the prayer of intimacy with God enriches and increases our faith. Today, I present to you the rather unusual account of a providential encounter with an 18‐year‐ old

Allow me to go back in time by giving you a short episode in my life that has been one of the most significant in my spiritual journey. If you have already had the opportunity to read some of my previous chronicles, you will probably remember that at the very

In 1989, I presented to the superiors of my community a missionary project for the evangelization of those who were distant from the Church. The next day, to my great surprise, my superiors accepted the project and asked me to propose the choice of the three other members who would

It is interesting to note how Jesus, the most intelligent of the intelligent, the wisest of the wise, chose to instruct us using simple parables through which he always succeeds in conveying an important spiritual message. These allegorical stories or comparisons of astonishing simplicity are always intended to make us

Since my ordination to the priesthood in 1989, I have had the opportunity to meet and help many people in spiritual accompaniment or during confessions. In this ministry, I sometimes felt powerless in front of that person, because the sufferings or traumas that had scarred his life and broken his

“What exactly is faith? How do I know if I really have faith in God?” That was the question that a 16-year-old youth asked me about 15 years ago when he was speaking aloud in front of a dozen teenagers gathered in the house where one of them lived. For

Since our creation in our mother’s womb, our bodies have been subjected to a series of laws and necessities that are incumbent upon us for our survival. From the birth that we did not choose until the death that will inevitably follow, we need to eat, drink, sleep, and contribute

When I was a child, my mother taught me how to pray: through her teachings, through invocations, formulas, supplications thanksgiving and praise, she showed me the way to connect with God. At home, at school, in church, or privately, I had learned to recite words by heart that could be

To advance, to grow in holiness, to “possess God” as St. John the Evangelist says, we must fight to earn the reward that the Lamb will give to the victor who perseveres to the end (Rev 3:21). On several occasions, Saint Paul reminds us that we must “fight the good

You’d think COVID-19 would only infiltrate the lungs. But obviously it’s spreading far beyond that vital organ! First, in the head: it makes us extremely fearful and afraid of death and suffering; then in the heart: it creates feelings of anxiety, phobia, loneliness, even panic in some people. A little