In thanksgiving for new Canadian Saints

On Thursday, April 3 of this year, His Holiness, Pope Francis inscribed three new names in the catalogue of Saints, thereby raising them to the Altar and granting permission for them to be venerated by the entire Church worldwide.  Two of these three new Saints have Canadian ties:  Saint François de Laval de Montmorency (commonly known as Saint François de Laval), who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Quebec (which was the first Roman Catholic Diocese to be founded on Canadian soil, and therefore is known as Canada's primacial See); and Saint Marie de l'Incarnation, OSU, who came from France to Canada and founded the first Ursuline convent in Canada.

On Sunday, October 12, 2014, Pope Francis will preside at a Mass of Thanksgiving for these two recently-appointed Saints.  The Mass will begin at 10:00am local time in Rome and will be celebrated in Saint Peter's Basilica.

His Eminence, Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, the current Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of the Church in Canada has also announced that a pilgrimage is being organized to coincide with the date of the Mass of Thanksgiving.  The pilgrimage will travel to various locations throughout France and Italy from October 5 to October 14 of this year in the footsteps of Saint François de Laval and Saint Marie de l'Incarnation.

The pilgrimage is being offered in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Quebec, the Séminaire de Quebec and the Canadian Union of Ursulines.  Beginning with visits to Paris, Montigny sur Aure, Chartres, La Flèche, Solesmes and Tours, pilgrims will travel to Rome for the Mass of Thanksgiving on October 12.  Cardinal Lacroix will accompany the pilgrimage.