Restorations by their very nature sometimes reserve discoveries that are both unexpected and impossible to fully explain.
Such is the case with the restoration of one of Saint Clement’s side altars. Work being carried out on the altar dedicated to Saint Joseph has uncovered an early ex voto offering hidden behind the fabric lining tabernacle when it was removed for cleaning. How and why it came to be there is a mystery.
The ex voto consists of a donor card in gold lettering signed “Donné par L. Joseph Fauteux Ecr” and is accompanied by a heart-shaped silver votive medal surrounded by palm branches carrying the inscription “Sister Anne Marie, November 13th 1916.”
We don’t know the identities of either Joseph Fauteux or Sister Anne Marie and it is unlikely that we ever will. What we can be sure of however is that the votive offering was so important to Mr. Fauteux that he took pains to ensure that the card identifying him as the donor was done in gold lettering embellished with scroll work before placing it where, together with the silver memento carrying Sister Anne Marie’s name, it would be next to Our Lord in His tabernacle.
If Sister Anne Marie’s identity, like Mr. Fauteux’s, is unknown, so too is the significance of the date of November 13th, 1916. Was it her date of birth or that of her death? Was it perhaps the date the young woman entered religious life? We simply don’t know. All we know is that over one hundred years ago, both objects were entrusted to the safekeeping of Saint Joseph and carefully placed out of sight in the tabernacle.
The saint will continue to watch over them for once the restoration is complete, the votive offering will remain attached to his altar, enclosed in a secure frame accompanied by an explanatory note documenting its discovery.
While it is likely to be some time yet before it is completed, the restoration work of the side altars has begun to reveal their original decorative treatment.
The careful restoration work involved in the removal of successive layers of paint applied over the years to both Our Lady’s altar and the one dedicated to Saint Joseph currently undertaken by Atelier Plantagenêt means that the original stenciling is once again visible. Hidden until now, the stencil motifs being revealed are very similar to those found on the high altar and clearly demonstrate that while the side altars may differ somewhat from the principal one, all three were designed as complimentary elements of the same commission and meant to be seen in a common setting.
Like the high altar, the side altars were designed and built in 1898 by the same artists; church architect and decorator, Canon Georges Bouillon (1841-1932) together with one of his long-time collaborators, Flavien Rochon (1824-1902) and all three delivered to the monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood then located in New Edinburg.
The expert attention required to restore the side altars has been budgeted at $24, 800 (plus applicable taxes). To date $ 1, 825.00 has been contributed to the cost of the restoration project.
St. Clement Parish acquired, through the donation of a generous donor, a statue of St. Philomena. The journey was quite eventful so we would like to share the story with you. A video of the restoration of the statue can be found below. Fr. Breton had obtained the statue at the Shrine of St. Philomena in Mugnano, Italy (featured above). The statue looked like this in the shop:
Much to our dismay, while in the hands of the Italian postal service, she ended up arriving like this :
The Italian postal service did not respond to our request for assistance and/or reimbursement.
Unsure of what to do next in what seemed to be an impossible circumstance, we contacted Pauline Furmanczyk-Winogron at Brushworks Ottawa (https://www.statuerestorers.com/), who began a restoration process — we were totally amazed:
We were pleased with the result :
A video of the whole restoration process can be found below:
St. Philomena is the patron saint of children, youth, babies, infants, priests, sterility, virgins, and apparently, lost causes. Let us include her in our prayers — she will certainly pull together the pieces of the puzzle when things seem in disarray !
Below you will find a video describing the work which took place for the restoration of our adoring angels. Many thanks to Steve and Pauline Winogron for making this possible !
Fr. Deprey has asks that all families consider praying the 15 decades of the rosary every day as a means to obtain a positive resolution to our current coronavirus crisis.
To many of you this may seem daunting ? If your days are quite busy, consider praying a morning rosary for your morning prayers, then a 2nd rosary spread throughout the day (i.e. pausing from your activities to pray a decade each hour), closing with a family rosary in the evening. This can be done.
I would also encourage you all to wear the Miraculous Medal of St. Catherine Labouré which was first produced by the Daughters of Charity. During the cholera outbreak in Paris in 1832, which claimed 20,000 lives, the first medals were being produced. The sisters started to distribute the first 2,000 of them, especially to infected people who filled the hospitals. The healings increased, including a lessening of emotional distress. So great was the effect that the people began to call it the “miraculous medal”. We need all the help we can get !
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee ! Amen.
In this troubling time, you should know that God and His Church have not abandoned you. Even with the prohibition of public Mass and Communion Services, there are still many sources of grace which are open to you. I would like to discuss two of them here – Spiritual Communions and the General Fruits of the Mass.
Following the teachings of the Catechism of the Council of Trent(1), also known as the Roman Catechism, there are three ways in which one can receive Communion: (1) Sacramentally-only; (2) Sacramentally-and-Spiritually; and (3) Spiritually-only.
Those who receive Communion while knowing they are in a state of Mortal Sin are said to receive Sacramentally-only. This is because, while they truly receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine, they do not receive any spiritual benefits. On the contrary, they incur an additional sin.
Those who receive Communion Sacramentally-and-Spiritually receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine and do receive spiritual benefits.
Those who receive Communion Spiritually-only receive the spiritual benefits of Communion without receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.
The Catechism goes on to explain that those who receive Spiritually-only “are those who, inflamed with a lively faith which worketh by charity (Gal. 5:6), partake in, wish and desire of that celestial bread.” There are several things that should be noted from this passage.
The first is that in order to receive Spiritually-only, one must be in a state of grace, as the theological virtue of charity and Sanctifying Grace always exist together. So, one must have Sanctifying Grace, or be in a state of grace, in order to make a Spiritual Communion. If you are not in a state of grace, receive sacramental absolution as soon as you can (and be praying Acts of Contrition in the meantime). Editor’s Note: Even in the absence of public Masses, many parishes are still offering Confessions. Check with your parish for details.
Next, it is important to note that a Spiritual Communion must include a wish and desire to receive Sacramentally-and-Spiritually even though such a reception at the current time is not possible. It would be enough, then, when beginning to make a Spiritual Communion to pray, “Lord, I wish to receive You in a sacramental and fruitful Communion, but, as I can’t right now, I wish to receive You spiritually,” and then continue to pray as you would when receiving Sacramentally-and-Spiritually. There are prayers which are recommended by the Church for making a Spiritual Communion (Editor’s Note: St. Alphonsus Liguori’s version is included at the end). They do not necessarily need to be used, and one can draw phrases and ideas from them, based on one’s own dispositions, to prepare one’s own.
Spiritual Communions can be made at any time during the day or night, and as many times as one wants. One does not need to be in a church, in front of the Tabernacle, or even in front of a holy image. Spiritual Communions can be made anywhere, although clearly, it would be unfitting to make them in places ill-suited for virtue.
Spiritual Communion offers us many graces, even if we cannot receive Our Lord sacramentally (Corpus Christi at FSSP Dallas)
We should not worry that our sanctification is in some way impeded by receiving Spiritually-only and not Sacramentally-and-Spiritually during this time. As the Catechism states, those who receive Spiritually-only “receive, if not the entire [spiritual benefit of a Sacramental-and-Spiritual Communion], at least very great fruits.” So, the graces received from Spiritual-only Communions can be as great as the graces received in a Sacramental-and-Spiritual Communion.
But, in order to receive as many graces and fruits from a Spiritual Communion as one can, or even from a Sacramental-and-Spiritual Communion, one must be properly disposed. The better disposed one is, the more graces one is able to receive. To properly dispose oneself, one should pray preparatory prayers before receiving Sacramentally-and-Spiritually. These prayers can be found in hand Missals and elsewhere, or one could pray using one’s own words. How long one should spend praying such prayers will depend on the other duties one has to fulfill. This is why it is important to arrive with time before the start of Mass so that one can pray these prayers, if one is planning on receiving (remember that one is only required to receive Communion sacramentally once a year from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday in these United States). One could also pray these prayers at home before departing for the church if doing them at the church would be difficult. To make a Spiritual Communion fruitful, one should dispose oneself in the same manner, adjusting the texts of the prayers as necessary. Preparations before receiving either Sacramentally-and-Spiritually or Spiritually-only should include some form of an Act of Contrition.
We know, however, that we attend Mass for more than just receiving Communion. When we attend Mass, we give God the worship due to Him as our Creator and our Redeemer by offering up to Him in an unbloody manner the bloody Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The two-fold Consecration of the bread and wine makes the Sacrifice of the Cross sacramentally present. As Christ’s Sacrifice is present, the fruits from that Sacrifice are made available to the faithful. These fruits are placed in four groups – (1) Ministerial Fruits, (2) Very Special Fruits, (3) Special Fruits, and (4) General Fruits.
The Ministerial Fruits are those fruits which are offered to those on whose behalf the Priest is celebrating the Mass. The intention listed in the bulletin for the Mass, for example, would be the recipient of these fruits (if the intention is one who can receive them).
The Very Special Fruits are those which are offered to the celebrating Priest Himself. As he is offering the Sacrifice of the Mass in persona Christi for others and for himself, these fruits are made available to him.
Special Fruits are for those who participate in
or contribute to the Mass (Holy Thursday at
FSSP Minneapolis)
The Special Fruits are those offered to those who are cooperating in offering up the Sacrifice of the Mass by any external act (besides the Priest). This cooperation includes being physically present at Mass, but also by contributing materially to the celebration of the Mass. Those who have donated flowers, candles, vestments, liturgical vessels, and other such things being used in a Mass – including the church building itself – are all offered Special Fruits from that Mass. The amount of fruit offered to each is proportional “to their closeness of cooperation”(2) to the Sacrifice. So, the Altar Server in the Sanctuary will be offered more Special Fruits than that which will be offered to those in the pews.
Note, however, that there is a difference between the fruits being offered and the fruits received. The amount that is received is dependent upon one’s disposition. So, while the Altar Server might be offered more fruits, he may receive less than some in the pews as they, while offered less, were better disposed and thus actually received more than the Server. This is why, again, prayers of preparation before Mass are so important, not just for the reception of Communion, but also for receiving the fruits that will be made available and for worthily offering the Sacrifice of the Mass through the hands of the Priest.
Be sure to avail yourself of the General Fruits produced by all Masses (FSSP Philadelphia)
Lastly there are the General Fruits. These fruits are offered to all members of the Church, and even to those outside of the Church for their conversion. In order to gain these fruits, again, one must be properly disposed. This is why morning prayers and offerings are so important and why one should include in one’s morning prayers words to the effect of “Lord, during the course of this day, bestow upon me any Indulgences whose requirements I may fulfill and all fruits available to me flowing from all of the Masses said throughout the world today.” As Masses will continue to be said privately during this time, you should avail yourselves of these General Fruits which are produced. Additionally, if you feel that you qualify for Special Fruits due to any contributions you may have made, be sure to ask for those fruits also.
Hopefully you are able to see that the practices explained above are not to be used only during this unhappy time. These lessons should be integrated into the spiritual life of every Christian so that each may draw from all of the abundant sources of grace available to him. +
Spiritual Communion by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
(1) Part II: The Sacraments – The Eucharist
(2) O’Connell, The Celebration of the Mass (1964), p. 39, n. 6.
You may access the photos of our recent Pontifical Mass for Confirmations by opening the link below. We wish to thank Archbishop Prendergast, S.J., for making this mass possible. 44 were confirmed this year ! Deo Gratias !
With strong support from parishioners present at a general meeting held August 11th and the approval of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa, Saint Clement Parish is set to reunite two historic Lower Town landmarks. Indeed, as of September 30, 2019, the parish will assume ownership of the former rectory of Saint Anne parish until very recently the headquarters of the National House of Prayer for a purchase price of $1,700,000.
The slideshow used at our parish meeting can be viewed in the links below (Power Point or PDF Formats):
Built in 1921 to replace the original rectory of Saint Anne Parish founded in 1873, the Beaux Arts style building designed by W.E. Noffke (1878 ̶ 1964), a prolific and important Ottawa architect, served to house parish clergy and offices until the early 1980s. The exterior envelope as well as the main floor and a small portion of one of the upper stories of the former rectory were designated Heritage property by the City in 2015.
Plans currently in development call for the parish to undertake necessary repairs to the former rectory’s exterior which will remain intact. The one concession to be made to contemporary needs however will be making entry to the building itself and its upper levels universally accessible.
The ground floor interior which displays a high degree of craftsmanship largely unchanged since the building was constructed in 1921, will return to its original primary vocation and be dedicated to housing parish offices and meeting spaces.
With the help of engineers and in consultation with all of the relevant civic authorities, including Heritage, the parish intends to convert those portions of the upper stories not designated Heritage into a parish conference/banquet room. A video of the concept can be viewed below:
As custodian of the patrimony embodied by Saint Anne Church first of all and now very soon the former rectory only a few feet away, Saint Clement Parish reunites two important visual and historic landmarks until recent memory at the centre of the religious, social and cultural life in the Lower Town East community.
Special thanks to His Grace, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, s.j., for ordaining Fr. Poirier and to Monsignor Berniquez, rector, for welcoming us and assisting us in the sacristy work. Many thanks as well to the servers, choir, organist, seminarians, visiting priests, and all those “behind the scenes” who contributed to such a beautiful Mass. May God reward you !
In what is surely a providential gesture, two statues of the guardian angels which originally stood sentry to the high altar in the former Monastery of the Precious Blood on Echo Drive have at long last been reunited with their charge as the result of a very generous gift made to the parish during its 50th anniversary year.
The angels have been reunited with the high altar thanks to the generosity of Darlene Lagasse and Denis Orbay, members of the Saint Clement Union of the Precious Blood.
When the Sisters Adorers were constrained in 1984 to bring their sanctuary into line with post-conciliar norms, the statues of the two angels, part of a larger company which had adorned the monastery chapel since 1923, were taken over by the Union of the Precious Blood. It was also at that time that Ottawa’s Latin Congregation assumed custody of the monastery’s three altars. Both angels and high altar remained separated for 34 years until this July 1st, feast of the Precious Blood, when they were at last once more brought together.
Wonderful report on the FSSP, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, and our new CD — broadcast nov. 27th at the flagship news program of American public television network PBS:
