A Franciscan joy at Mount Saint Francis

Those who have visited Mount Saint Francis Retreat Centre in Cochrane (The Mount) in recent months may have already encountered the joy of Fr. Guylain Prince, OFM.

Originally from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Fr. Guylain brings with him a deep love for Scripture, a gift for contemplative prayer, and a rich understanding of the world into which Jesus was born. With his bright smile, big laugh, and joyful Franciscan spirit, his presence at The Mount has been a blessing, especially in this special year of St. Francis of Assisi.
Over the last few months, I have seen him laugh wholeheartedly at his own jokes, delight in the sight of a squirrel scuttling about, preach deep and meaningful homilies, and sing beautifully during retreats. Last December, I had the privilege of sitting with him in the friary at The Mount and listening to the story that brought him here.
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We spoke about his life, his vocation, his move from Eastern Canada, and his hopes for this new mission at Mount Saint Francis Retreat Centre.

An encounter that changed everything

Fr. Guylain grew up in a Catholic family, but as a young teenager, he set his faith aside. His young mind was filled with physics, computer science, and music. As a young drummer, he loved being around instruments, and while in college, he remembers spending time near the campus ministry office, partly because of the beautiful room and the access to music. At that time, this was his limited contact with the faith.

Then, during an Easter weekend retreat in 1982, everything changed.

The retreat focused on the reenactment of the last days of Jesus. On that Saturday morning, Fr. Guylain had such a striking experience of God that faith became real, vivid, and impossible to ignore. He calls it “the experience of the obvious.”

For the next two years, he found himself hesitating between the Pentecostal, Evangelical, and Catholic Churches. In the end, his Baptism won. At the age of 19, he reintegrated into the Catholic Church and chose to live according to the beautiful heritage handed over to him at Baptism.

That same week, he received the Franciscan Tau, the T-shaped cross adopted by St. Francis of Assisi as a sign of conversion, penance, and the passion of Christ. Fr. Guylain took it as a sign that he was being called to Franciscan spirituality.

A Franciscan life rooted in Scripture and prayer

Fr. Guylain returned to Montreal and joined the Franciscans as a postulant while continuing to work for the Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay. As a novice, he spent an extraordinary year in formation and continued to grow in the Franciscan way of life.

He later worked for the Canadian Bible Society for more than 10 years, publishing books, organizing diocesan Bible gatherings across French Canada, and coordinating 15 to 22 biblical weekends each year.

Through it all, contemplative prayer remained at the centre of his life. Hermitages, silence, and the Jesus Prayer tradition became the backbone of his devotion and way of living.
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He later moved to the Diocese of Joliette, where he answered the call to the priesthood. Newly ordained, he moved to Trois-Rivières, where he served for 14 years as rector of the new shrine dedicated to Good Father Frédéric Janssoone.
There, Fr. Guylain became deeply involved in furthering the cause of canonization of Blessed Frédéric, a Franciscan priest whose life and mission remain very close to his heart.

The Holy Land and the world of Jesus

For many years, Fr. Guylain was asked by the Commissary of the Holy Land to lead tours there. He eventually agreed to go with a group almost 10 years ago. What began as an introductory trip grew into a deep love for the land walked by Jesus.
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He went on to spend six months in formation, studying Aramaic, the socio-cultural context of Galilee, archaeology, and geography. His time in the Holy Land eventually inspired him to begin doctoral studies.

In 2017, Fr. Guylain began his doctoral thesis in Scripture, focusing on the historical Jesus within Second Temple Judaism, the world in which Jesus was born, grew up, preached, suffered, died, and rose again.

He is set to complete his doctoral studies in the coming year and looks forward to sharing this knowledge with those who are interested. His love for Scripture also extends to the apocalyptic discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, as well as the books of Revelation and Daniel.
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For Fr. Guylain, this scholarship is not simply academic. It is part of a deeper desire to help people encounter the Word of God more fully, with both the mind and the heart.

A new mission at The Mount

At Mount Saint Francis Retreat Centre, Fr. Guylain is beginning a new mission of retreat ministry, prayer, and teaching.
He is passionate about breaking open the Word online and plans to do more of this through his new Facebook page, “From the Friars’ Hermitage.” Along with leading retreats, he also leads a contemplative prayer group every Tuesday evening at 7 pm at Mount Saint Francis Retreat Centre until the end of June.

He also hopes to share more about the life and witness of Good Father Frédéric Janssoone with the faithful here in Western Canada.

Blessed Frédéric was born in northern France in 1838 and entered the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in 1864. He was ordained a priest in 1870, served in the Holy Land for 12 years, and later became closely associated with the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap, Canada’s National Shrine to Our Lady of the Cape.

His legacy in the Holy Land is remarkable. After centuries in which public devotion along the Via Dolorosa had been forbidden, Good Father Frédéric helped re-establish the practice of praying the Stations of the Cross along this sacred route. That tradition continues to this day, with the Franciscans walking the route to the Holy Sepulchre every Friday afternoon.

In Canada, Good Father Frédéric helped increase devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary, revived the Third Order of St. Francis, supported the re-establishment of the Order of Friars Minor in Canada, and encouraged pilgrimages to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988, and the Church continues to pray for his canonization.
His simple apostolic prayer, “Let me bring to you, whoever comes to me,” continues to inspire Fr. Guylain and the Friars of the Holy Spirit Province.

Through his story, his learning, his contemplative prayer, and his love for Scripture, Fr. Guylain’s presence at Mount Saint Francis Retreat Centre is already enriching the life of The Mount and those who come there.
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In this jubilee year of St. Francis of Assisi, his life is a reminder of the joy, simplicity, prayer, and encounter at the heart of Franciscan life.

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Written by Cecilia DeMello for Faithfully.