(CCCB) On the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops joins the Canadian Religious Conference in inviting you to a Mass of Thanksgiving, September 17, 2015, at 10:30 a.m., at Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal.

The Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau and President of the CCCB, will preside at the Mass along with all the Catholic Bishops of Canada. Fr. Eugene King, O.M.I. will deliver the homily. This celebration will take place during the annual meeting of the Plenary Assembly of the CCCB, which will take place in Cornwall, Ontario.

In his January 2015 message to the persons in consecrated life, Archbishop Durocher recalled how "consecrated men and women have been, are now, and will be a gift to the whole Church in Canada and, indeed, to all of Canadian society. May this Year of Consecrated Life help us all remember, celebrate and renew this most precious gift", said the CCCB's President on behalf of his brother Bishops, and in the name of all the faithful of the country.

Announced in November 2013 by Pope Francis, the celebrations of the Year of Consecrated Life started on November 29, 2014 and they will end at the World Day for Consecrated Life, February 2, 2016. To celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life in Canada, the CCCB, with the CRC, has set up a Joint Committee. The Mass on September 17 is one of the initiatives of the Committee.

The Mass will also be broadcast live on Salt + Light TV. A live streaming of the celebration will also be available online.

Read our dossier on the Year of Consecrated Life