Another Francis of Assisi in Canada: A comparative & Spiritual approach of Francis of Assisi & Frederic Janssoone

• Sanctum Retreat Centre - Monday to Friday, May 4-8, 2026
• Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre - Monday to Friday, May 11-15, 2026 
  
  

​In 1888, when he arrived in Canada, Fr. Frédéric Janssoone already had a reputation of holiness. He was welcomed as the "saint from Holy Land". Soon, he was nicknamed the "Good Father Frederic" or the "other St. Francis". From the foundation of the national Shrine to Mary (Our Lady of the Cape) to the leadership he assumed on three continents (Europe, Holy Land and Canada), he manifested remarkable abilities, all in a humble and kind "package".

​On this Jubilee of St. Francis, five lesser-known episodes of his life will be presented and compared to others in the life of Good Father Frédéric. Surprisingly, the two friars minor appear as remarkably relevant for the present century. The canonization process of Blessed Father Frederic is fully active and is expected to reach a conclusion in the coming year.

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​Retreat begins on Monday at 6:30 pm with dinner and will end on the Friday with breakfast. You will need to bring your alb, stole, and breviary.  
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Register online now

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COST: $475.00. Please have your parish issue the cheque payable to the retreat centre you have registered with. 

• Please bring the parish cheque with you, do not mail it in. 
• No-show registrants will still be charged the full amount.​

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• Diocesan Priests
  Please be reminded of the Diocesan Policy (applicable to Diocesan Priests only); that you are required to attend an Annual Diocesan Retreat. To attend an annual retreat elsewhere requires the permission of the Bishop and notification to the Chancellor as to the date and place of such a retreat.
  
  
• Retired Diocesan Priests not in Parish Ministry 
  If registering for one of the retreats, please indicate on the form so that the cheque may be issued for your registration.
  
  
• Religious Priests
  ​Priests who are members of Religious Communities are also welcome to take advantage of these retreats. The Order is responsible for the registration fee of retired religious priests.

Retreat Master

Fr. Guylain Prince, OFM

• A friar in the "spiritual" or "contemplative" trend among the Friars minor. He practices the Jesus Prayer (hesychast), more commonly known among the monks of the Orthodox Church, and the Lectio Divina for more than 40 years. 
• A Bible "scholar": presently in his last year of redaction of a Doctoral Thesis (Ph.D., Laval University, QC). Specialist of the historical Jesus, Second Temple Judaism, and apocalyptic Jewish literature. His research is based on Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
• Retreat Master for more than 25 years. During that period, he developed 16 topics, almost all of them based on Scriptures. 
• A guide in Holy Land. For 20 years, he was the official one for the Commissary of Holy Land of Canada (Ottawa, ON).
• Rector of the shrine of Good Father Frederic (Trois-Rivières, QC), until July 2025.
• A member of the staff at Mount St. Francis (Cochrane, Alberta) as a retreat master.