Frédéric Janssoone

Sent to the Holy Land in 1876, he became custodial vicar in 1878. He led important works there, such as the construction of the Church of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem and the restoration of the public Way of the Cross in Jerusalem. In 1888, he settled permanently in Canada, in Trois-Rivières, where he founded the Commissariat of the Holy Land. He played a key role in the development of the Notre-Dame-du-Cap shrine, being a witness to the "miracle of the eyes" in 1888, and worked actively for the re-establishment of the Order of Friars Minor in Canada.

Nicknamed the "Good Father Frédéric," he enjoyed an immense reputation for holiness during his lifetime. Exhausted by his privations, he died of stomach cancer on August 4, 1916, in Montreal. His body, interred in Trois-Rivières, was found to be exceptionally preserved when his tomb was opened in 1948. Pope John Paul II declared him venerable on March 21, 1985, paving the way for his official recognition by the Church.

On March 28, 1988, a miracle that occurred in Japan in 1948 through his intercession was officially recognized by the Holy See. Father Frédéric Janssoone was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. The cause for his canonization remains active, with a new file concerning an unexplained healing submitted to Rome in July 2021.

Marked by the ideal of Saint Francis of Assisi, his spirituality is based on radical poverty, humility, and intense contemplative prayer. A propagator of devotion to the Way of the Cross, he had three monumental paths erected in Quebec. His spiritual legacy remains very much alive in French Canada, notably in Trois-Rivières, where his tomb and a museum perpetuate his memory.