On April 23, the bishops of Canada and the U.S. announced they would consecrate their two nations to the Blessed Virgin Mary on May 1. Canada was last consecrated to Mary in 2017, the 150th anniversary of Confederation, and our country was first consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 22, 1947.
During this current extraordinary time of pandemic we’re in, Dennis and Angelina Girard, who have been promoting Our Lady of the Cape and Canada’s National Marian Shrine, together with Bishop Tremblay and Fr. Roger Vandenakker, Superior General of the Companions of the Cross, are asking Canadians to join together in a 54-day national Rosary novena called Canada54. It starts on Tuesday, April 28, and is comprised of six nine-day novenas to win back Canada for Our Lady.
Please visit Canada54.com to learn more about the 54-days Novena (from April 28 to June 20). The organizers are hoping that 10,000 Canadians will sign up to pray the Novena for Canada.
The 54 days Novena originated in Naples in 1884. Fortuna Agrelli was ill with three separate incurable diseases and doctors had given up on her case. In desperation, the young girl and her family began a novena of Rosaries on Feb. 16, 1884.
On March 3, Our Lady appeared to the girl. Mary was sitting upon a high throne, holding the Child Jesus on her lap, and in her hand a rosary.
The girl said to Our Lady, “Queen of the Holy Rosary, be gracious to me, restore me to health! I have already prayed to you in a novena, O Mary, but have not yet experienced your aid. I am so anxious to be cured!”
Our Lady responded, “Child, you have invoked me by various titles and have always obtained favours from me. Now, since you have called me by that title so pleasing to me, ‘Queen of the Holy Rosary,’ I can no longer refuse the favour of your petition; for this name is most precious and dear to me. Make three novenas, and you shall obtain all.”
Later Our Lady appeared to Fortuna again and said, “Whoever desires to obtain favours from me should make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary, and three novenas in thanksgiving.”
The novena consists of five decades of the Rosary each day for 27 days in petition, then immediately five decades each day for 27 days in thanksgiving.
During the upcoming 54 Days Novena for Canada, different saints will be honoured in each of the six nine-day novenas.
April 28 is the memorial of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, who was deeply devoted to Our Lady and promoted true devotion and total consecration to her. The first nine-day novena (April 28-May 6) will honour him.
During the second nine-day novena (May 7-May 15) Saint Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks, will be honoured. At the age of 4, Kateri lost her parents and brother in a smallpox epidemic. The epidemic also brought about lifelong physical limitations to Kateri. Her face was permanently disfigured and her eyes left so pained by strong light that she would always shade her face with a blanket. Through the intercession of St. Kateri, may God deliver us from the epidemic of the coronavirus.
During the third nine-day novena (May 16-May 24) devotees will commemorate Blessed Marie Leonie Paradis, who was present at the 1904 Canonical Crowning of the statue of Our Lady of the Cape, the only crowned Madonna in Canada and crowned under the authority of Pope Pius X. It is the only crowned Madonna in Canada. Bl. Marie Leonie Paradis served priests with great charity and dedication and also received healing through the intercession of Our Lady.
The fourth nine-day novena (May 25-June 2) will be devoted to commemorate Blessed Frederic Janssoone, who saw the statue of Our Lady of the Cape open its eyes on June 22, 1888. He was the first pilgrimage director at Our Lady of the Cape.
During the fifth nine-day novena (June 3-June 11) St. Francois de Laval (the first bishop of the Diocese of Quebec) and St. Marie of the Incarnation, who contributed to the growth of Catholicism in Canada and is regarded as Mother of the Catholic Church in Canada) will be honoured. They were declared saints by Pope Francis on April 3, 2014.
The sixth and final nine-day novena (June 12-June 20) will be devoted to commemorate the Canadian Martyrs who bore witness to the Gospel with their blood.
May the intercessory power of the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary bring about the triumph of her Immaculate Heart in our land.
參加Canada54讓加拿大投回聖母的懷抱
魁北克省的岬樸聖母像是加拿大唯一受加冕的聖母像。加拿大在1947年6月22日被奉獻給無玷聖母聖心。
一向積極推動敬禮這岬樸聖母的丹尼斯和安哲蓮娜.吉拉德夫婦，處於目前流行疫症期間，連同特倫布萊主教，及伙伴聖架會總會長羅傑.范德納克神父，呼籲所有加拿大信眾，參加「五十四日玫瑰經」敬禮，稱為Canada54。由4月28日開始至6月20日，向聖母連做六個九日敬禮，祈求讓加拿大重投聖母懷抱。詳情可到www.canada54.com網頁細看；組織者希望至少有一萬位加拿大信眾登記參加這敬禮，為加拿大祈禱。
這五十四日（六個九日敬禮）聖母敬禮，源自1884年，在那不勒斯的傅圖納.阿格里利。她是一位司令官的女兒，患了三種不能治癒的病，群醫束手無策。在絕望中，這女孩和家人在1884年2月16日開始一個玫瑰經敬禮。
3月3日聖母給女孩顯現：只見聖母高坐在寶座上，手執玫瑰唸珠，耶穌聖嬰坐在她的膝上。女孩向聖母說：「至聖玫瑰之后，請恩賜我，恢復我的健康吧！噢瑪利亞，我已向妳作九日祈求，但我還未感到妳的幫助。我真渴望能夠痊癒！」
聖母回答說：「孩子，你以不同的名銜來呼求我，並時常從我得到恩惠。現在你既以我喜歡的《至聖玫瑰之后》的名銜來呼求我，我不能拒絕你所求，因為這名銜為我是最寶貴和親愛的。你做三個九日敬禮吧，你會得到一切所求的。」
後來，聖母再一次向女孩顯現，說：「任何人想從我獲得恩許，應做三個玫瑰經九日敬禮，再做三個感恩九日敬禮。」五十四天的敬禮，包括連續二十七天、每天為求恩而恭唸五端玫瑰經，之後的連續二十七天，每天為感恩而恭唸五端玫瑰經。
加拿大五十四天敬禮，每個六個九日敬禮都分別向不同聖人敬禮。4月28日至5月6日第一個九日敬禮，會紀念聖類斯. 瑪利亞.蒙福，他特別敬愛聖母、積極推動敬禮聖母，和終身奉獻給聖母。
5月7日至5月15日第二個九日敬禮，會紀念莫霍克族土箸百合、聖嘉德莉。聖嘉德莉四歲時，因天花疫症，失去了雙親和弟弟，自己一生亦因此受到一定程度的殘缺，臉面受毀，眼睛抵受不了強光，當要掩面。希望藉聖嘉德莉的轉禱，加拿大得以從新冠肺炎疫症喘過來。
5月16日至5月24日第三個九日敬禮，會紀念真福瑪利亞.萊妮.帕肋娣，她曾出席岬樸聖母像加冕典禮，也曾得到聖母轉求而得痊癒。她一生以愛心專注於為司鐸服務。
5月25日至6月2日第四個九日敬禮，會紀念真福弗雷德里克.詹森，他在1888年6月22日，目睹岬樸聖母像張開眼睛。他是首位岬樸聖母像的朝聖主任。
6月3日至6月11日第五個九日敬禮，會紀念聖方濟.拉伐，他是魁北克教區首任主教，和被稱為在加拿大天主教之母的降孕聖瑪莉；他們在2014年4月3日被教宗方濟宣聖。
6月12日至6月20日第六個九日敬禮，會紀念加拿大殉道聖人，他們以傾流熱血為福音作見證。
願至聖玫瑰之后有力的轉禱，讓她的無玷聖心在我們的國土上得勝！