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By the time you read this blog, the bells of the carillon and the consoles (keyboards and pedals) will have reached their destination, the Paccard foundry, in France.
Mr. Cyril Paccard, director of the design office at Paccard, was on site in early October to prepare the carillon for its departure. Over 10 tons of bells to be packed in boxes for transport on a container ship, from the Port of Montreal to Europe! Let us pray for a successful journey!
Our bells are not going to Rome…they are headed to France, more specifically to Annecy-le-Vieux. After 65 years of loyal service, they are returning home in a way, to where they were created. They are going to restore their beauty… 58 bells will be refurbished and three new ones will be cast. The C#3, weighing 1800 kg, will be cast on December 12, 2019. At the same time, two small bells, the B7 and C8, each weighing 9 and 8 kg, will be unmoulded. We are delighted and proud to be able to count on the Paccard foundry to restore our Carillon!
The Oratory carillon is the only carillon in Quebec. With the three new bells that will be cast, it will have 61 bells. Could we not dream of adding more over time? With 62 bells, it would be one of the two largest carillons (in terms of number of bells) in Canada. The one in Victoria, British Columbia, also has 62.
According to Mr. Cyril Paccard, the instrument and bells are expected to be returned for March 2021. As tradition would have it, a blessing is planned for the bells before they are placed in the new tower. If all goes well, we should be able to hear the new Carillon in the summer of 2021.
It is recounted that during his expedition to the Hurons in 1615, Samuel de Champlain was accompanied by the Franciscan Recollet, Father Joseph Le Caron, who celebrated the first mass in Huron country on August 12, 1615 and named this first mission, at Quienonascaran, after Saint Joseph. In 1624 (around July 16 through August 15), Father Le Caron entrusted this new colony to the care of Saint Joseph as he wrote in his memoirs: “Sixteen hundred and twenty-four, we made a great solemnity…, by a vow we made to Saint Joseph whom we chose as the patron saint of the country and protector of this nascent Church.” (Annales de Saint Joseph, 13ème Année, Janvier 1924, p. 11).
Brother André, a listening heart. A man of prayer and great simplicity, he embodied John the Baptist’s words to Jesus: “He must increase but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). His reputation as a miracle worker and saint spread quickly. Yet the humble religious man never even sought recognition, let alone glory. He never stopped calling himself “the instrument of Saint Joseph,” his companion in spiritual life.
Hope cannot be taken for granted. It’s easier to despair, to let ourselves fall into sadness or weariness. How many are discouraged? Consciously or not, we sometimes forget Hope and wonder: “What’s the point? What’s the point in going on?”