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During the fifth novena (June 3-11) of the 54-Day Rosary novena, St. Francois de Laval and St. Marie of the Incarnation (Marie de l’Incarnation) are being honoured. 

St. Francois de Laval (1623-1708) spent 10 years at a Jesuit school. He had a great love for virtue and zeal for the missions and was ordained a priest at the age of 24.      

In 1659, the 36-year-old Francois landed in New France, modern-day Quebec. As the first bishop of the Quebec diocese, which included today’s Canada and most of the United States, he often travelled great distances to visit his people. 

Bishop Francois fostered devotions to the Holy Family and to St. Anne. He relied on Divine Providence and invoked the Holy Guardian Angels. For two decades he combatted the alcohol trade between the French and the Native Americans. In 1663, he founded the Seminary of Quebec. 

In his early sixties Bishop Francois resigned due to poor health. He died at the age of 85 after much suffering. He is known as the Father of the Church in Canada.

Marie of the Incarnation said that Bishop Francois lived “like a saint and an apostle.”

St. Marie of the Incarnation (1599-1672), described by St. John Paul II as “Mother of the Catholic Church in Canada,” was born in Tours, France. She was the fourth of eight children. Her parents arranged Marie’s marriage at 17 with Claude Martin, but at the age of 19 and with a six-month-old sone she became a widow.

At the age 20, Marie had a conversion experience during which she was given an exact knowledge of every sin, fault, and imperfection since childhood. She made a general confession and began a life of penance. She soon made a vow of chastity.

Marie had visions of the Trinity, of the Incarnation, and of Christ putting her heart into his. At 31, after entrusting her son to her sister’s care, she entered the Ursuline novitiate in Tours and received the name Marie of the Incarnation. In the convent she had two dreams of the rugged land where she would build a house for Jesus and Mary. A voice told her the land was Canada. 

At 39 Marie left for Canada, leading a group of religious sisters sent to establish the Ursuline order in New France. They founded the first school in Canada and established the Ursuline Monastery of Quebec.

Marie compiled catechisms and dictionaries in the Algonquin and Iroquois tongues. She wrote many letters and, at the request of her confessor, drew up an account of her life. Pope St. John Paul II called her the “Teresa of the New World.”  

On April 3, 2014, Pope Francis decreed that Marie of the Incarnation and Francois de Laval be honoured as saints. The Holy Father presented these saintly missionaries to the whole Church for imitation.  

Novena Prayer in honor of St. Francois de Laval and St. Marie of the Incarnation:

St. Francois de Laval and St. Marie de l’Incarnation, who during your lives on earth served faithfully the Catholic church as she developed within New France, providing education in the Faith and care for the sick and the poor; pray for us.  May God unite under a single purpose, the efforts of all clergy, religious communities and laity; that division, misunderstanding and apathy will not dilute the lived Gospel. Amen.

  

富聖德的傳教士來到加拿大                                                                   

目前，數千加拿大信眾，參加了54日玫瑰經九日敬禮，希望你們都到網址www.Canada54.com上登記，成為這次敬禮的共禱者。

第五個54日玫瑰經九日敬禮（6月3日至6月11日），恭敬聖方濟.拉伐神父和聖瑪莉.降生修女。

聖方濟.拉伐神父（1623-1708）在耶穌會辦的學校就讀了十年，他喜愛修德，熱衷成為傳教士。二十四歲時晉鐸。

1659年，三十六歲的方濟神父，被調派到新法國，成了魁北克省教區首任主教。是時的魁北克省教區地域遼闊：除本土加拿大外，還包括廣大今天的美國土地，致使方濟主教常需要長途跋涉探訪他的教友。

方濟主教培育對聖家及聖安納的敬禮，信賴天主聖意，經常向護守天使祈求。他費了二十年時間，設法阻止法國商人向土著銷售烈酒。1663年，他創建魁北克修道院。

達六旬多歲的方濟主教，因身弱多病辭去牧職。八十五歲死時，他的身體不好並受了很多苦。

聖瑪莉.降生給方濟主教的評語是：「他就如一位聖人和宗徒地生活。」

聖瑪莉.降生（1599-1672）被教宗聖若望保祿二世稱為「在加拿大的教會的母親」。她出生於法國的都爾，是家中八個孩子排行第四。十七歲時在父母安排下，下嫁克勞德.馬第；十九歲守寡時，育有六個月大的男嬰。

二十歲時，瑪莉深深領略到她以前所犯的罪過、失誤，非常後悔，遂進行一個大皈依；辦了一個總告解後，渡補贖的生活；不久，發了貞潔的願。

瑪莉在神視中見到了天主聖三，目睹道成肉身的奧蹟，甚至耶穌曾把她的心放進自己的聖心。三十一歲時，瑪莉加入吳甦樂女修會修道，取道名「瑪莉.降生」。在修院時，她夢了兩次，見到自己在同一片崎嶇的土地上，將為耶穌和瑪利亞興建了一座房子。有聲音告訴她這土地是加拿大。

三十九歲的瑪莉，果然被調派到加拿大來。她領著一群修女，在新法國建立吳甦樂女修會，又建立第一間學校和魁北克吳甦樂修會修道院。瑪莉更用阿岡喹和易洛魁兩種土語，編譯教會要理和字典，她並寫了很多信件。在她的神師要求下，寫出自己的生平。教宗聖若望保祿二世讚譽她是「新世界的德蘭」。

2014年4月3日，教宗方濟決定給予若瑟.鄧抒達（亦被稱為巴西的宗徒）、方濟.拉伐、與及瑪莉.降生聖人的敬禮，給教會聖善傳教士的典範。

向聖方濟.拉伐和聖瑪莉.降生的九日敬禮禱文:

聖方濟.拉伐和聖瑪莉.降生，你們在新法國初建的教會內，提供了信德的教育和對貧病者的護理，請為我們祈求。願天主團結所有聖職人員、修道者和平信徒的努力; 不要讓分裂，誤解和冷漠淡化生活的福音。亞孟。