105 years at the service of the Gospel!
1921 - 2026
Each February 2, the Quebec Foreign Mission Society (QFMS) celebrates the anniversary of its foundation (1921). These are 105 years of missionary history, lived as grateful remembrance, trusting prayer, and renewed missionary sending in the service of the mission ad gentes.
A mission born from the desire to proclaim the Gospel in China
The QFMS was founded with a clear horizon: to send priest missionaries to China. In response to the Church’s universal missionary call, Quebec took a bold and prophetic step.
In 1925, the first group of missionary priests was sent, marking the beginning of an evangelical journey shaped by faith, inculturation, and shared life.
From the very beginning, mission was understood as humble presence, authentic encounter, and walking alongside peoples, beyond verbal proclamation alone.
A shared mission: priests and lay missionaries sent together
Over time, the Society recognized that mission does not rest solely on ordained ministry. It therefore began to send lay missionaries as well, affirming that mission flows from baptism.
At first, missionaries were exclusively Canadian. Lived experience, however, transformed the understanding of mission. The QFMS gradually opened itself to an international dimension, welcoming candidates to the priesthood and lay missionaries from the countries where it was present.
Mission thus became increasingly shared, locally rooted, and deeply ecclesial.
A missionary presence throughout the world
Throughout its history, the Quebec Foreign Mission Society has been present in a wide variety of cultural, social, and religious contexts, responding to the calls of each era.
Countries where the QFMS has been present in the past:
Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Sudan, Thailand, mainland China, and Indonesia.
Countries where the QFMS is currently present:
Canada, Honduras, Brazil, Kenya, Cambodia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Japan.
In each of these places, mission has been lived as close service, pastoral accompaniment, interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and mutual learning, often in contexts marked by fragility and hope.
Giving thanks for a mission that transforms
This anniversary is an opportunity to give thanks for the life and witness of many missionaries, priests and lay people, Canadian and of other nationalities, who have given their lives with faithfulness and simplicity.
We also give thanks for the local communities who welcomed them, and for all those who support the mission through prayer, solidarity, and commitment.
Renewing the missionary call today
Celebrating February 2 means renewing the sending. In a world undergoing profound change, mission remains a place of encounter, fraternity, and service.
The QFMS is called to be a bridge between cultures and a sign of God’s love made present among peoples.
May this anniversary rekindle in all of us the desire to walk together, beyond borders, in the service of the mission that continues to give life, making our own the call of Jesus:
“Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.”(Mk 16:15)
