to commemorate the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed a Jubilee Year to the Apostle Paul: from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009.
Year for Priests "Faithfulness of Christ, the faithfulness of priests" is the theme of the Year for Priests announced on March 16, 2009, by the Holy Father. The Pope inaugurated the Year on June 19, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, presiding at Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica where the relics of the saintly 'Cure of Ars' were brought for the occasion by Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, France. He will close the year on June 19, 2010, at a "World Meeting of Priests" in St. Peter's Square.
Pope Benedict XVI has announced a special “Year of Faith,” dedicated to rousing a “new impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead men out of the desert in which they often find themselves, to the place of life, of friendship with Christ.”
The Year of Faith will begin on October 11, 2012: a date that marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II. Pope Benedict notes that the date is also the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which he describes as “a precious and indispensable tool” for the task of evangelization. The special observance will end on November 24, 2013: the feast of Christ the King.
YEAR OF MERCY the Door of Mercy was blessed by Archbishop Prendergast during a diocesan celebration held on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 and officially opened by him on December 13, 2015. Since then, thousands of pilgrims have made the Jubilee Year pilgrimage through the Door of Mercy at Notre Dame Cathedral. As the Year of Mercy draws to an end, the Archbishop will close the Door of Mercy before the 7:30 pm Mass on November 13th at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica. Solemn Vespers will be celebrated on November 19th at 7:00 pm to officially celebrate the end of the Year of Mercy.
Celebrating Consecrated Life Begins on the first Sunday of Advent, this past Nov. 30, and will conclude on the World Day of Consecrated Life, Feb. 2, 2016.
By Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan -February 12, 2015
Year of Saint Joseph March 18, 2021
Archbishop Damphousse has announced that the new Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall will be under the primary patronage of St. Joseph (the former primary patron of Ottawa). The Immaculate Heart of Mary will be our secondary patroness (the former primary patroness of Alexandria-Cornwall). This is a great opportunity for us to call upon their intercession and protection throughout the year, not just on their feast days. Let us pray often for the intercession of the patron saints of our Archdiocese