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EWTN documents Church’s history in this land
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Photo courtesy Martyrs’ Shrine
Francis Denis created his new 10-part documentary Catholic Canada, which recently debuted on EWTN, to highlight the people and stories shaping the Catholic Church in Canada.
“It's really designed to present the life of the faith in Canada and how the grace of Jesus Christ is shining and deploying right now,” he said. “But to understand that, you need to see how it happened before.”
The Montreal-based host and producer began his quest to present the heart and soul of the Canadian Catholic Church by exploring the roots of the faith in his home province of Quebec in episode one.
Denis examined the four centuries of Catholicism in La Belle Province and showcased the spiritual landmarks. There is a feature segment devoted to the shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, located 20 minutes outside of Quebec City. Many sick and disabled people have attested to being cured of their maladies because of the graces they received at this site of devotion. The debut episode also features an interview with Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, the Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada, about the Church’s mission in today’s world.
Even amid the Quebec government’s push to increasingly embrace secularism in the civil square — punctuated by Bill 9, which would ban collective prayer in public spaces — Denis came away with the impression of a Quebec Church in renewal after years of decline.
“I think the collapse happened, and now we are starting to see a renewal,” said Denis. “It is less of an institutional approach and is more being (driven) by personal spirituality. The Church today is really personalized, and people are coming back to have a personal experience of the Catholic faith and how it can sustain their life — and I think it's really beautiful to see.”
Episode two centred on Catholicism in Canada’s most populous province, Ontario. Denis profiled “the visionaries, settlers and saints who first planted seeds of the faith across Ontario’s vast landscape.”
Naturally, a section was devoted to the Canadian Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, which attracts over 100,000 annual visitors, to properly present this narrative. Toronto Cardinal Frank Leo was the interviewee for this installment. He spoke about the mission to ensure the continued vitality of the Church in the world today.
The most recently released episode delved into Catholicism in Western Canada. Denis’ travels took him to the Seminary of Christ the King in Vancouver to examine how priestly formation melds with Benedictine monastic life.
Denis also ventured to Bruno, a small, quiet town in central Saskatchewan — population 600 — that has emerged as a significant hub of spirituality. Along with profiling the St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission, a centre offering faith formation and retreat programming, he interviewed artist Tianna Williams about her sacred art. She has rendered paintings of Jesus Christ, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Josephine Bakhita and many more.
Episode four, debuting on March 22, takes viewers to the Maritimes. Along with showcasing the history of Catholicism in the region, Denis interviews Bishop Christian Riesbeck of Saint John, N.B., and highlights the cross-country evangelization work of National Evangelization Teams (NET) Canada.
Examining the English-language Church in Canada, Denis said “it remains vibrant,” but the “renewal is not as visible as in Quebec” in his estimation because there was “not a rupture or a before and after like the (1960s) Quiet Revolution in Quebec.”
The centrepiece of each of the remaining six episodes is telling the story of a blessed figure or saint with a special tie to the Canadian Church. Blessed Frédéric Janssoone, St. André Bessette, St. Marguerite d’Youville, Blessed Marie-Catherine of St. Augustine, St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Marie of the Incarnation, the French Ursuline Nun whom Pope John Paul II called “the mother of the Church in Canada,” are profiled.
“We have an interview with the specialist of all the saints, and we did some reenactments of their lives with some amateur actors,” said Denis. “That is something that brings concrete incarnation to the series.”
Denis and his team also feature the Sisters of Life, the Catholic missions in Canada, Catholic Christian Outreach, the Divine Renovation, the Madonna House Apostolate, Opus Dei and the annual March for Life. Additional interviews take place with Montreal Archbishop Christian Lepine, 27-year-old composer of Catholic sacred music Tate Pumfrey and Bishop Scott McCaig of the Military Ordinariate of Canada.
“Our goal is to present as much as possible the life of the Church in Canada, but there were only like 30 (segments) available,” said Denis, “So, we tried to have religious orders, shrines, personalities and history, and summarize that in 10 episodes. That’s the goal, and hopefully we reached it. The spectator will be a better judge than I.”
After completing his trek all across the provinces and territories, Denis has embraced the conviction that the Canadian Catholic Church as a whole “is alive and it's also benefiting from the general quest for more spirituality.”
“I think we are entering a post-secular era,” he said. “And I think the Church is really well positioned.”
View the previously aired episodes at ewtn.com/programs/9827-catholic-canada. Each of the remaining six episodes, beginning with Wave of Faith in the Maritimes, airs on EWTN Canada on Sundays at 6 p.m. EST, Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and Fridays at 3 a.m. EST.
(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)
A version of this story appeared in the March 22, 2026, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "The Church in Canada: a nation of faith".
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