For sheer numbers, there has never been a decade like the 2010s for saint-making. That’s because Pope Francis canonized over 800 in one go when he declared St. Antonio Primaldo and his 812 companions (martyred in 1480 by an invading Ottoman army in Oranto, southern Italy) saints on May 12, 2013.

Barely two weeks into a capital campaign to raise funds for the Archdiocese of Toronto’s newest church — named after Canada’s newest saint — about $150,000 has been collected, raising hopes shovels will be in the ground by the end of 2020.

OTTAWA – The founder of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, who opened the first hospital and bilingual school in 19th-century Bytown, has been placed on the road to sainthood by Pope Francis.

In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8, we look into The Catholic Register archive for a story of the first Canadian-born saint and founder of the Grey Nuns of Montreal, St. Marguerite d’Youville, born in Varennes, Que., in 1701. This story was published May 9, 1959, days after her beatification by Pope John XXIII. She was canonized in 1990.

As The Catholic Register marks its 125th year, we will dig into our archive to unearth interesting stories from the pages of the past. This week, we revisit St. André Bessette, the humble Holy Cross brother who was the prime mover in the building of St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal and is credited with countless healings through his devotion to St. Joseph. He died on Jan. 6, 1937 (his feast day is Jan. 7) at the age of 91 and was made a saint in 2010. The following article appeared in The Catholic Register on Aug. 25, 1927, shortly after Br. André turned 83 years old.