Patron Saint of Canada: St. Joseph and the Canadian Saints

The principal patron saint of Canada is St. Joseph, chosen by the first missionaries of New France in 1624 and honored ever since as the protector of the country; St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, is the patroness of Quebec, and the Jesuit martyrs of the seventeenth century, the Canadian Martyrs, were named secondary patrons of Canada by Pope Pius XII in 1940. Canada also has its own saints, among them St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, St. Marguerite d’Youville, St. François de Laval and St. André Bessette. St. Joseph’s feast, March 19, is the principal patronal feast of Canada. Below are the patrons of Canada, the Canadian saints, and prayers for Canada.

A short prayer for Canada, written for this page:

St. Joseph, patron of Canada, watch over our country from sea to sea.
Protect our families, guide our leaders, welcome the newcomer,
and keep the faith of the saints of Canada alive in us. Amen.

St. Joseph, principal patron of Canada

In 1624 the Récollet friars, the first missionaries in New France, placed the young colony under the protection of St. Joseph, and the Jesuits and Ursulines who followed them spread his devotion among the settlers and the First Nations. St. Joseph has been honored ever since as the principal patron of Canada, and the largest church in the country, St. Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal in Montreal, is dedicated to him. See the St. Joseph prayer and St. André Bessette.

St. Anne, patroness of Quebec

Breton sailors brought devotion to St. Anne to New France. In 1658 settlers began a chapel in her honor at Beaupré, near Quebec City; healings were soon reported there, and today the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré draws pilgrims from across North America, especially around her feast on July 26. Pope Pius IX declared her patroness of the province of Quebec in 1876. See the St. Anne prayer.

The Canadian Martyrs

Eight Jesuit priests and lay missionaries, among them St. Jean de Brébeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, were killed between 1642 and 1649 while bringing the Gospel to the Huron (Wendat) and Iroquois peoples. Pope Pius XI canonized them in 1930, and in 1940 Pius XII named them secondary patrons of Canada. In Canada their feast is September 26; in the United States they are honored as the North American Martyrs on October 19. Their shrine at Midland, Ontario, stands near the site of the Huron mission of Sainte-Marie.

Saints of Canada

St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), the Mohawk woman who died at Kahnawake, near Montreal, the first Indigenous saint of North America. See the St. Kateri Tekakwitha prayer.
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620–1700), founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame and the first schools of Montreal, Canada’s first woman saint (1982).
St. Marguerite d’Youville (1701–1771), founder of the Grey Nuns, the first saint born in Canada (1990).
St. Marie of the Incarnation (1599–1672), the Ursuline mystic and teacher of Quebec, and St. François de Laval (1623–1708), the first bishop of Quebec, both declared saints in 2014.
St. André Bessette (1845–1937), the humble doorkeeper who built St. Joseph’s Oratory. See St. André Bessette.

“From sea to sea”

Canada’s motto, A mari usque ad mare, is taken from the psalm of the Messiah’s kingdom (Psalm 71:8, Douay-Rheims; Psalm 72 in other numberings):

And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Prayers for Canada

Written for this page.

For Canada

Lord, bless Canada and all who call it home.
Through the prayers of St. Joseph, St. Anne and the Canadian Martyrs,
grant us peace, justice for First Nations peoples, care for the poor, and faith that does not grow cold. Amen.

For reconciliation

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for the Indigenous peoples of Canada,
and for healing, truth and reconciliation among all who share this land. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of Canada?

St. Joseph is the principal patron of Canada. St. Anne is patroness of Quebec, and the Canadian Martyrs are secondary patrons of the country.

Who are the Canadian saints?

They include St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, St. Marguerite d’Youville, St. Marie of the Incarnation, St. François de Laval, St. André Bessette and the Canadian Martyrs.

Patron Saint of Canada: St. Joseph, St. Anne, the Canadian Martyrs and the Saints of Canada