2022 Messages

Archbishop’s Christmas Message 2022

Dear faithful of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall,
The season of Christmas is once again upon us.  How we decide to welcome it and celebrate it is of utter importance. Many in our world today live under the many pressures of society, of work and family obligations and, of course, of personal challenges. The “busyness” of our lives can easily overwhelm us and steer us off course. So, in what space will you be when Christmas arrives?
Obviously, we remain attentive to upcoming events if they mean something for us. If they are of little importance, or if they are likely not going to change anything in my life, chances are I will let them pass by without notice. We therefore need to ask ourselves if celebrating Christmas really matters or not. Another question relates to the understanding we have of Christmas. What is Christmas really all about? In order to cut through all the glitter and traditions around Christmas, it is essential to seek understanding by going back to the source.
Holy Scriptures, during the Christmas liturgies, relate to us the day Jesus was born in Bethlehem. His birth is presented to us as a gift from God to humanity. Let us hear once again the message of the angel: “good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). The celebration of the nativity of the Saviour is therefore an invitation for us to welcome in our personal lives a divine gift that has life-changing consequences.
Opening our hearts to Jesus the Christ is allowing ourselves to enter into the Light where healing Love and lasting Peace reign. It is about dying to earthly things and choosing Eternal Life. It is giving ourselves a chance to experience profound Joy and Hope. It is our way of answering God’s call and giving the best of ourselves in accomplishing his will.
This gift, received in faith, transforms human lives. This is why it has such a huge impact. This is why Christmas takes on meaning and is truly celebrated. In welcoming the Gift, we become the Gift to others around us. The more we share the Gift of Christ, the more our world resembles the Kingdom of God.
It is therefore my prayer that you may all celebrate Christmas this year with great expectation.

Christmas blessings to you all!

✠ Marcel Damphousse
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall

We join the sorrow of many throughout Canada and the world who mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Many will fondly remember the dedication, faith, and dignity with which she served as our monarch for over seventy years.

May we join together in offering our prayers for the repose of her soul and condolences to her family who mourn her loss.

✠ Marcel Damphousse
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In 2015 Pope Francis established the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation to “offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” It is celebrated on September 1st .

Today, we are at a crucial juncture, and we are asked to continue working to protect and respect one another and our common home from further abuse and degradation.

Inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical letter entitled Laudato Sí, you are invited to reflect on your personal lifestyle decisions and choices to address the seven objectives proposed by the Laudato Sí Action Plan. Parishes are also asked to discern how they can include Care for Creation into their larger Missional plan. To begin this period of discernment, I am inviting all parishes to host a Care for Creation Mass to celebrate the Season for Creation (September 1st to October 4th). We encourage you to choose a date near St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day if possible.

Following this encounter with Christ, the Archdiocese, in collaboration with the current Laudato Sí leaders, will gain insights from parishes willing to engage in concrete ways to answer this call. A general plan about the opportunities available to you in your parish will be shared to work toward the goals with the common understanding that they serve to meet Jesus in our everyday lives, by serving others and protecting our Creation.

✠Marcel Damphousse Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall
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Please note that Mireille Church is the coordinator of this project. Any questions or comments can be sent to her at the following address: creationcare@archottawa.ca

OTTAWA, ON — Today, the Vatican officially announced that Pope Francis will travel to Canada from 24 to 29 July 2022 to meet with Indigenous Peoples of this land on a pilgrimage of healing, reconciliation, and hope.

With this announcement, the Vatican confirmed the Holy Father will make three stops during his visit to Canada: Edmonton, Québec, and Iqaluit. These locations were chosen to limit travel for the Pope given his health, while still allowing for both intimate and public gatherings with Indigenous Peoples from everywhere in the country.

Archbishop Marcel Damphousse of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall warmly welcomes the announcement of the Holy Father’s visit.

“I believe the Holy Father’s visit will do a lot of good for Indigenous Peoples as well as all the faithful Catholics in Canada. Since his mission consists in pursuing a journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples of this country, Pope Francis will be able to provide a momentum of hope,” said the Archbishop.

The complete itinerary for the visit will be shared a bit later to prepare the program in close cooperation with Indigenous partners at the local and national levels. During his journey, the Pope is expected to visit a site of a former residential school as well as other locations having particular significance.

People willing to have further information about the papal visit in Canada can find the latest updates at the following address: www.papalvisit.ca Also visit https://en.archoc.ca/papal-visit for regular updates about the related activities within the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall.

March 17, 2022

Pope Francis’s appointment of Father Yvan Mathieu, S.M., as my auxiliary bishop is an answer to my prayers and to the prayers of many faithful our diocese. I welcome him with joy and gratitude for his generous yes and his willingness to serve the Church he loves. I am well aware the great sacrifice he made by leaving his religious community without their provincial superior. I wish to personally thank the Marist Fathers for generously accepting his nomination as a bishop. His formation and spirituality he has received through the many years with you will be a gift to our local and universal Church.  I pray the Lord may guide you in the weeks and months ahead and grant you many new vocations.

Bishop Mathieu is not a stranger to Ottawa. Even though he is originally from Québec City, he has spent many years here for studies and now, currently, as a professor at Saint Paul’s University. Many permanent deacons and priests had the pleasure of hearing him on pastoral days, formation in Holy Scripture and retreats. I truly believe Bishop Mathieu will settle in quickly and familiarize himself with his new responsibilities. He will be a welcomed addition to our pastoral team as we continue our journey in becoming a missionary Church. Fluent in many languages, he will gladly share the joy of the Gospel to all those he will meet and serve.   
The planning for the ordination of Bishop Mathieu is under way. A date has not yet been determined but we hope to announce it soon. It is our hope to welcome and introduce him to our archdiocese on April 12 at the Chrism Mass.

✠Marcel Damphousse
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall

March 13, 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27 from the 2nd Sunday of Lent)

I pray your Lenten journey has begun well as we enter this time of penance and conversion in
preparation for the celebration of Easter.

We continue to watch with horror and grief the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the suffering of Ukrainians as the humanitarian crisis worsens forcing so many to flee as refugees.
I know many Catholics have been offering their prayers and fasting for the people of Ukraine.
Materially, many have donated to help ease the suffering through the Catholic Near East
Welfare Association (CNEWA), Development and Peace, the Red Cross, or another agency.

I am asking pastors to designate this Sunday’s celebration of the Eucharist on March 12th, the
Second Sunday of Lent, as a day of prayer for an end to the invasion and for the well-being of
the people of Ukraine as a sign of our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Please add an intention to the Prayers of the Faithful for the Ukraine. I know many parishes are already doing this, but I encourage this petition during the current crisis.

Throughout this Lenten period, I encourage any efforts to pray for an end to this injustice that is resulting in so much suffering and death in Ukraine. Let us offer personal prayers, the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, a favorite Litany, Eucharistic adoration or other prayers as well as our fasts, for peace in Ukraine. Let us intensify our pleas to the Lord for an end to senseless act of war and for the assistance of the Ukrainian people.

May our Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede for the people of Ukraine.

✠Marcel Damphousse
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall

A Lent of Great Importance

Peace be with you.

The Church will begin the forty holy days of Lent on March 2nd, a day when we will not only be marked with ashes but invited to seriously enter into an attitude of conversion. How will we live the next few weeks leading up to Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross and his glorious victory over death and evil?

We will accomplish this only if we keep our focus on the Lord who will guide us. Through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, Christians around the world will be empowered to be more attentive to God and to the needs of their neighbors. 

Is this important to us? 

The climate in which we find ourselves these days is troubling. In the midst of the  complexities of our world, it is easy to become distracted, to lose patience, to become gripped by fear, and to undermine the dignity of the human being next to us or at a distance. We have just experienced an intense time in the nation's capital following a long pandemic that has tested us in many ways. This experience has been felt in many ways in our families, our parishes and our workplaces. The accumulated frustrations have manifested themselves in different ways, leaving us with people who are wounded, misunderstood, vulnerable and in search of profound peace.

What can we say about our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are shaken these days by the
unjustified Russian invasion of their country? I count myself among those who are concerned about the serious consequences of a war that could take on global dimensions. Let us pray for peace and a just resolution to this international crisis.

To establish peace around us and in our world, we first must have divine peace in our hearts. True peace can only take shape and transform our actions through an intentional and lasting communion with our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we will find the Way, the Truth and the Life. In Him alone will we discover the merciful love that heals, forgives and transforms even the most wounded of hearts. Our hope rests in Him alone who remains faithful to His Father and who promises us eternal life. It will therefore be essential to make this Lenten season a sincere time of conversion in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. As our churches reopen to full capacity for the liturgies and devotions of our rich tradition, thanks to changes in the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, let us take advantage of this grace to renew our faith and our religious practice. Let us pray intentionally for peace in our personal and community devotions.

Let us adopt the daily practice of listening to the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts and who
unites us to the Father and the Son. This is the spirit in which we are invited to live the synodal process launched by Pope Francis. It is an invitation to all members of the Church to listen to the Holy Spirit in order to be more united in our efforts to build the Kingdom of God. This learning to listen to one another throughout this synodal process is the way in which the Holy Father wishes to unite the diversity within our Church that tends to divide our great family. This is one of 5 key principles of our diocesan synodal process (this document will soon be posted on Synod 2021-2023 - Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall - Cornwall, Ontario (archoc.ca)). While giving everyone a chance to freely express their thoughts and desires for our Church, this spiritual exercise should seek to unite and revitalize our Church, not divide it.

Let us support one another in prayer and charity throughout this Lenten season.

✠Marcel Damphousse

February 18, 2022

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We have all been praying for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and for the need to have preventive health care measures in place. It appears we are coming out of the worst of the current wave of the pandemic and that as Lent is approaching, life may be closer to returning to what we knew before we ever heard the words ‘covid’ or ‘pandemic’.

I am pleased to announce that as the provincial government moves to relax restrictions, I am repealing the mandatory mask policy (issued January 14 2022).

Beginning March 1st, people with a valid medical exemption from wearing a mask will be able to participate in person without having to wear a mask. Unfortunately, because some have claimed to have a valid medical exemption who do not, pastors have the discretionary right to ask for proof of a medical exemption. Legally, in our churches, we are allowed to ask for proof but many who do have a legitimate medical exemption are already well known to their pastors. I leave it therefore to the discretion of the pastor and their team to determine if verification is necessary.

To clarify, for now, masks are still required indoors for those without a valid medical exemption. As long as the provincial and local health authorities require masks while indoors, we will continue to require them for attendance at Mass, other liturgies or parish functions as mandated by the government.

I want to thank everyone once more for the sacrifices you have made and the work you have done to keep our parishes as safe as possible so we could remain open. I know the latest mandatory mask policy was difficult and I am relieved to repeal it.

I pray you have a fruitful Lent and a blessed celebration of Holy Week culminating in the most important moment in history – the Resurrection of Christ our Lord!

May God bless you.

✠Marcel Damphousse
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall