Pope Francis Leaves After Leading A Thanksgiving Mass For Canadian Saints
Pope Francis leaves after leading a thanksgiving mass for Canadian Saints in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, October 12, 2014. Reuters/Giampiero Sposito

Pope Francis held a thanksgiving Mass for the canonization of two missionaries. The 17th-century missionaries spread Roman Catholicism in the part of North America that is now known as Canada.

Francis said that Saint Marie of the Incarnation and Saint Francis de Laval, who were given the sainthood in April 2014, had spread Christianity "to the smallest and most remote." The pontiff welcomed the Canadian pilgrims for having travelled to Rome for his traditional Sunday blessing at St. Peter's Square, CTV News reported. Saint de Laval, known for defending Native Americans from exploitation, happens to be the first bishop from New France. Saint Marie was an Ursuline nun. She established a school and convent for providing equal education to the girl children of Native Americans and French settlers.

Quebec's archbishop Lacroix said he was hopeful that the canonization of the saints would remind Canada's relation to Catholicism. "When these two saints travelled from France to Nouvelle-France, with many other men and women, they were filled with a great desire to love the Lord, make him known to all people, and build a society on the values of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," he said, "We continue to believe that this is a proposal that our modern world, and our post-modern world, needs to navigate in the troubled waters of our times."

Did you know?

The full name of Saint de Laval was Saint Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval, M.E.P. He was born on April 30, 1623. Pope Alexander VII appointed him as the first Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec when he was 36. Saint de Laval was considered to be one of the most influential people during his era. He died on May 6, 1708. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1980. Pope Francis gave him the sainthood in April 2014 by "equivalent canonization."

Saint Marie of the Incarnation was born on October 28, 1599. She founded the oldest educational institution for females in North America. She was sent to New France as the leader of a group of nuns to establish the Ursuline Order in New France. She passed away on April 30, 1672. The Catholic Church has given her sainthood while the Anglican Church of Canada celebrates her work with a feast day.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au