A Word from Bishop Roy

Longanimitas

4 February 2025

Dear friends,

Where should I start after more than two months? I think this tells you how busy our life is in Stilesville… Busy and happy, to say the truth. There is a great joy in the religious life. Every day, we wake up early to gather for prayer in church. We love our Saint Joseph church! What a nice place! We have been blessed by the Lord to find this place. It looks like it was prepared for us, waiting for us on the top of the hill.

There is at the moment a wonderful complementarity between the members of the community, thank God! Each one, with his own talents, takes a part of the burden. Life is busy but happy.

Seminary life is going well. We have completed our History of Philosophy class, Introduction to Philosophy, Logics and Philosophy of Nature. We have now started Psychology. On top of that, seminarians have classes of Latin, Holy Scripture, Liturgy, Patrology and Gregorian chant. Teaching these classes is for me a wonderful occasion to review my studies. I am very grateful to God for this. You look at things in a very different manner after almost 15 years of priesthood... I wish seminarians could comprehend fully the reasons why we study each of these things. It is hard to make the connection between pastoral life and studies when you are at the seminary. I would say that our seminarians, although deprived of a normal seminary life in a large institution, are nevertheless blessed to be in contact with parish life. They see daily what the life of a priest is, they accompany the priests sometimes on the weekend to visit missions, etc. This seems to me a unique experience that will be profitable to develop in them a much needed experience.

We have started major renovations in the basement of the church in order to make some more bedrooms and be able to receive more vocations. We have a waiting list of young men who want to join… While doing the demolition, we discovered that we had mold in the basement, due to a crack under one of the windows. There is also quite a slope in the floor where we are preparing to make new bedrooms. All of this will take time, but it will be profitable to the Mission to be able to have some more bedrooms. Brother seems happy with the new project.

These last years, major figures of Catholic Tradition have gone to the next life (doctrinal disagreements aside) : Father Cekada, Bishop Daniel Dolan, Bishop Clarence Kelly, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais, Bishop Andres Morello, Father Collins, Father Guépin, many others, and now Bishop Richard Williamson. The old generation is going and we have to replace them as best as we can where the Lord has planted us. Pray for us. The Lord has given us a heavy load to carry! We know that God gives graces according to our needs.

Priests in the missions are working hard. Father Mbadugha continues his good work in Nigeria. Father Kemna is now in Trinidad where he evangelizes a new group of Faithful who are coming to the full truth regarding the crisis of the Church. Your prayers are needed.

We are expecting baby goats pretty soon. Probably next week. I have not set foot in the barn for probably a few months now. It is less tempting during winter and Sister is doing a good job. She is also getting ready for the next garden. Spring will come again!

We have at the moment a wonderful team of seamstresses. The work is progressing well. If any extra ladies would like to help, it won’t be too many. There is so much that needs to be done!

Persevere in prayer! Trust in the Lord! Keep patience! Pray for the sick and the dead! Keep Charity! Love one another! Wait for Life Eternal!

With my blessing,

Mgr Pierre Roy