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During the fourth novena (May 25-June 3) of the 54-Day Rosary novena, Blessed Frederic Janssoone is being honoured.
Frederic Janssoone was born Nov. 19, 1838, in Ghyvelde, France. His parents were Pierre-Antoine and Marie-Isabelle. Marie-Isabelle gave birth to 13 children from two successive marriages. She consecrated all her children to the Blessed Virgin and earnestly desired her sons to become priests. The Archbishop of Cambrai met the family during a pastoral visit and said, “I did not think that such a profoundly devoted Christian family still existed in our day.”
In 1848, Pierre-Antoine Janssoone died of stomach cancer. Before he died, he whispered to his family, “May the Good God keep you!”
The 10-year-old Frederic told his mother that he wanted to become a priest. Even though studies were expensive, Marie-Isabelle was willing to make the sacrifice and Frederic began his high school studies. However, the illness of his mother forced him to leave school to find work.
After the death of his mother in 1861, Frederic resumed his studies alongside his work. In June 1864, he entered the Franciscan monastery in Amiens. He was ordained a priest in 1870 in Bourges at the age of 32.
In 1876, Father Frederick obtained permission to be sent to the Holy Land for six years. Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Father Frederic made a four-month long retreat at the convent of the Holy Sepulchre.
In the Holy Land, Father Frederic restored the practice of the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem. He also oversaw the building of the Church of St. Catherine of Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Saviour in Jerusalem.
In August 1881, Father Frederic travelled to Canada to preach Holy Land missions. In 1882, he helped Christians of various denominations to regulate the use of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
In April 1888 Father Frederic was made the Holy Land Commissioner of Canada. His mission was to find the necessary resources for the safekeeping and better functioning of the religious sites in the Holy Land. To that end, he would preach, collect offerings, and organize pilgrimages.
On June 22, 1888, Father Frederic enthroned a statue of Our Lady in a small church built in 1720 in Cap de la Madeleine on the bank of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. Father Frederic prophesied that “Our Lady of the Cape” would become the primary Marian shrine in Canada.
That same evening, around 7 p.m., three men entered the church to pray: Father Frederic, Father Désilets the parish priest, and Pierre Lacroix, a disabled man. They suddenly saw the eyes of the statue, which are normally lowered, open wide. The Virgin looked straight ahead with an expression of severity mixed with sadness. This miracle lasted five to 10 minutes. From that day on, Father Frederic became an ardent promoter of pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Cape.
The preaching of Father Frederic moved many faithful to confess their sins. Father Frederic went door to door to raise funds, to sell pious books, and above all to bring the Gospel to souls.
At the age of 72, he spent an entire month going from door to door 12 twelve hours a day. At night time he engaged in the apostolate of writing. Father Frederic also built three “Ways of the Cross” to develop this devotion in Canada.
In 1916, Father Frederic collapsed during a pilgrimage. He had advanced stomach cancer and died on Aug. 4, 1916. He was beatified by St. John Paul II on Sept. 25, 1988.
Novena Prayer in honour of Blessed Frederic Janssoone
Blessed Frederick Janssoone, who during your life on earth persuaded Canadians in their devotion to Mary, Our Lady of the Cape, and stirred up expectant faith in their hearts, pray for us. May God enkindle once again steadfast confidence in the intercessory power of the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, to bring about the triumph of her Immaculate Heart in our land. Amen.
熱心神父推廣敬禮海角聖母
數千加拿大信眾，參加了54日玫瑰經九日敬禮，他們在網址www.canada54.com上登記，成為這次敬禮的共禱者。
第四個九日敬禮（5月25日至6月3日），紀念真福菲特.楊搠奈神父。
1838年11月19日，菲特.楊搠奈出生法國的吉維爾德。父親伯鐸.安多尼，母親瑪利亞.依撒伯。兩次相繼成功的婚姻，瑪利亞.依撒伯共生育了十三個兒女，她把他們全都奉獻給聖母，並渴望她的兒子能成為神父。康布雷總主教牧訪了這家人後，嘗道：「在今天，我想很難找到如此熱心獻身的家庭了。」
1848年伯鐸.安多尼.楊搠奈因胃癌去世；死前用氣若游線的聲音向家人道別說：「願萬善的天主保守你們！」當時十歲的菲特.楊搠奈向母親表示，將來要當神父。
雖然上學的費用非常昂貴，但瑪利亞.依撒伯仍願意多犧牲，讓兒子菲特能有上學的機會。可惜瑪利亞因體弱多病，終於菲特要輟學謀生。
母親瑪利亞.依撒伯於1861年病逝，菲特.楊搠奈以半工讀的形式過活，在1864年6月，他進入位於阿緬的方濟會修院，1870年在布爾日晉鐸，年三十二歲。
1876年菲特神父獲准到聖地；甫抵步，他在聖墓修院做了四個月的退省。
在聖地期間，菲特.楊搠奈神父使耶路撒冷信眾，恢復拜苦路善功，監督建造伯冷的聖嘉琳堂和耶路撒冷的神聖救主堂。1881年8月，菲特神父來到加拿大，宣講聖地的教務。1882年，他協助不同的基督教派系，制定如何輪替使用耶路撒冷的聖墓大殿，和伯冷的聖誕大殿。
1888年4月，菲特.楊搠奈神父被委為駐加拿大的聖地專員，負責尋找所有需要的資源，以保障及改善在巴肋斯坦聖地的安全運作。他為此講道、收集捐獻，和組織朝聖活動。
1888年6月22日，菲特.楊搠奈神父為一尊聖母像加冕 ── 該尊聖母像被恭奉於一所建在1720年、位於聖羅倫斯河畔、瑪達琳海角的小堂；他當時預言瑪達琳海角聖母堂，會是加拿大聖母堂的朝聖熱點。
當天下午約七時，菲特.楊搠奈神父、本堂主任迪席力神父和行動不良的伯鐸. 勒罣神父在小堂內祈禱；突然看到聖母聖像原是下垂的雙目，抬高睜開直視他們，神情嚴肅及哀傷，維持了五至十分鐘。自此，熱心推動到瑪達琳海角聖母堂朝聖。
菲特.楊搠奈神父的宣講，觸動很多信友悔罪，辦修和聖事；他又逐家逐戶尋求捐款、出售聖書，設法把福音訊息帶到每一戶人家。達到七十二歲的他，一整個月每天花上十二小時作家訪。晚上還寫作文章。在加拿大，菲特.楊搠奈神父建造了三處苦路。
1916年，在一次朝聖活動中，菲特.楊搠奈神父暈倒，被證實患了胃癌；同年8月4日逝世。1988年9月25日，教宗聖若望保祿二世把他宣福。
九日敬禮恭敬真福菲特.楊搠奈經文：
真福菲特.楊搠奈，在世時，你曾極力推動對加拿大海角聖母的敬禮，喚起信眾內心期盼的信賴，請為我們祈求。願天主一再燃點我們持續對至聖玫瑰之后有力轉禱的信心，把無玷聖母聖心的勝利，帶到我們的國土。亞孟。