Bl. Frédéric Janssoone

Frédéric Janssoone was born in 1838 at Ghyvelde in northern France, into a farming family. His father died when he was nine, and he left school to support his mother, becoming a successful travelling salesman. After her death he finished his studies and in 1864 joined the Franciscans. He was ordained a priest in 1870.

From 1878 to 1888 he worked in the Holy Land. There he revived the Way of the Cross in the streets of Jerusalem and directed the building of a church in Bethlehem. He also revised the rules shared by Latin, Greek and Armenian Christians for the holy sites.

In 1888 he settled in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. He promoted the pilgrimage at Cap-de-la-Madeleine and went door to door selling his books, using the money to help found religious communities. He prepared the way for the Franciscans' return to Canada. He died in Montreal in 1916, and John Paul II beatified him in 1988.

The Church has declared Frédéric Janssoone Blessed.

Beatification allows public veneration, usually in a particular region or religious family. Canonization extends it to the whole Church.