“Dead and loving it.” That was the tagline for a 1995 movie, a comedy spoof about Dracula staring Canada’s own funny man, Leslie Nielsen.

Without trying to be irreverent, we as Catholics should ponder this phrase in this month of November, that begins with All Saints on November 1st followed by All Souls the next day. November is the time when Catholics pay particular attention to the “dead,” remembering our ancestors in faith who have gone before us and asking them to pray with us and for us as we make our pilgrimage through this temporal (and temporary) world. We also pray for those who have died, that any sins from their earthly life will be purged (Purgatory) so they may enjoy the heavenly banquet. The word “catholic” means universal and this universality transcends time and space to include the living and the dead, grounded in the firm belief and hope of everlasting life for the dead and thus for ourselves when, one day inevitably, our mortal lives will end. Death is to many of course weighty, depressing and frightening. November invites us to not be afraid but to have faith and hope and to embrace the true universality of the Catholic Church;

“I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” - (Nicene Creed)

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55)

OCTOBER 28. It was on this feast of two apostles that Francis Libermann made the definitive decision to throw in his lot with his two friends, Le Vavasseur and Tisserant, in their project of the “Work for the Blacks.” It can be considered a kind of Foundation Day of the Society of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When all theology studies throughout the Congregation were done in Chevilly, France, this was ordination day for all; old chalices in the Congregation have this ordination date engraved on them.

On October 2 every year, the Spiritans remember a young seminarian, Claude-François Poullart des Places (1679-1709). Claude was not yet an ordained priest when he founded the Spiritans on Pentecost Sunday, 1703 but he had a deep calling to form a community of young men who would be dedicated to the Holy Spirit and who would minister to the poor and be willing go to where ever they were most needed by the Church.. Soon this little community flourished as more people were attracted to the simple lifestyle and the dedication of the Spiritans. By 1732, the first Spiritan was sent to Canada. The Spiritans invite you to join us in our novena of prayer from September 23 to October 1 as we prepare for Des Places Day. Novena to Claude Poullart des Places: English French Portuguese

From July 8th to 12th, the Spiritans of the TransCanada Province gathered at Queen of Apostles Retreat Centre in Mississauga, Ontario for a meeting known as a “Chapter.” Over 30 Spiritan confreres and Lay Spiritans attended, including our Superior General and his 1st Assistant from Rome (Fr. Alain Mayama, CSSp & Fr. Jeff Duaime, CSSp). Also in attendance, as observers, were the Provincial Superiors from both the USA & Quebec. The Chapter moderator was Fr. Michael Onwuemelie, CSSp, one of our Nigerian confreres working in California. This assembly takes place every four years and is a time of prayer, information sharing, discussion and discernment of our ministries. We try our best to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and see what changes we need to make to best respond to the needs of the people here in Canada. Are there ministries we are doing now that are no longer necessary or relevant? Are there new ministries to which we are being called? How will we best be able to carry out any new commitments? How will we make the most use of our resources, both material and personnel? These were among the questions we discussed during this important week of renewal. During the week, we also re-elected our present Provincial Superior, Fr. Oliver Iwuchukwu, CSSp and suggested appointments for our Provincial  Council. As we departed on the Friday afternoon, the mood and the spirit of the confreres and our Lay Spiritans was positive and we felt affirmed to go forward in the mission of our congregation. “Cor Unum et Anima Una” - One Heart & One Soul, the motto of our congregation. 

The Spiritans around the world celebrate with thanksgiving the life of the venerable Fr. Francis Libermann, CSSp, (1802-1852) who is considered to be “The Second Founder of the Spiritans.” By merging his missionary Society of the Holy Heart of Mary with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, he gave new life to the Spiritans and opened the way for a new wave of missionary evangelization.

Novena for Libermann Day (From Jan. 24 - Feb. 1, 2024)

For the first time since COVID, the TransCanada Spiritan confreres & Lay Spiritans were able to be together for our Advent retreat held at the Jesuit Manresa Retreat Centre in Pickering, ON. Later in the evening, the confreres and Lay Spiritans gathered with some of our staff, friends, and supporters at our annual Advent appreciation dinner held at St. Joseph’s church in Highland Creek, ON.

On Friday July 28th, 2023, the Spiritans were blessed with a visit by Archbishop Francis Leo, fairly recently appointed as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The visit was warm and informal as we gathered for a social followed by dinner. During his time at the Laval House community where we gathered, he got to meet each of us personally and he spoke of the wonderful contributions the Spiritans have made to the Archdiocese over the years. He highlighted the importance of having both missionary and Religious life represented in the Archdiocese and the witness we give drawn from our mission experience. He expressed gratitude and hope for a growth of the Spiritans here and in Canada. We are very grateful to Archbishop Francis for taking time from what must be a hectic schedule to spend the evening with us. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with the Archdiocese to bear witness to the Gospel. Our door is open and welcoming and we hope Archbishop Francis will visit us again and always feel at home.