Ottawa – The Most Reverend André Gaumond, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke, died on 14 December 2019.

Archbishop Gaumond was born on 3 June 1936 in Saint-Thomas de Montmagny, Québec, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière on 27 May 1961 following the completion of his theological formation at Saint Paul Seminary, Ottawa. After pursuing further studies in philosophy at the Institut catholique de Paris in France, he taught apologetics and philosophy at the Collège Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière (1961-1969). Later he taught philosophy and then served in the office of adult education (Service de l’éducation aux adultes) at the Cégep de La Pocatière (1969-1980). Before being named Bishop, he served as the seasonal pastor at Lac-Trois-Saumons (1975-1981) and as pastor for the communities of Saint-Pamphile and Saint-Omer (1981-1985). On 31 May 1985, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and was ordained Bishop on 15 August 1985. On 16 February 1995, he was named Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke, and succeeded as Archbishop of Sherbrooke on 1 July 1996, where he served for 15 years until Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation 26 July 2011 upon his reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Archbishop Gaumond served as a member of the former Commission for Ministries and the Apostolate (1987-1991), the former Commission for Relations with Associations of Priests, Religious and Laity (1989-1993), the then Commission for Theology (1991-1995), the former Programs and Priorities Committee (1997-1999), the former Commission Associations of the Clergy, Consecrated Life and Laity (2001-2005), and the Committee for Canon Law (2008-2011). He also served one term as Chairman of the former Commission for the Evangelization of the Peoples, 1997-1999. He likewise served on the Permanent Council as a regional representative (1991-1995), and was then elected CCCB Co-Treasurer (1999-2003), Vice President (2003-2005) and President (2005-2007). For a number of years, beginning in 2009, Archbishop Gaumond represented the CCCB as its liaison with French-language seminaries and formation centres for priests. During his episcopacy, he also served in various capacities with the Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops (Assemblée des évêques catholiques du Québec), including as Vice President (1993-1995) and as President (1996-1997).

Archbishop Gaumond will lie in state at Saint-Michel Cathedral-Basilica, 130 Cathédrale Street in Sherbrooke, Thursday, 19 December, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., with a Liturgy of the Word at 8:00 p.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, 20 December at 11:00 a.m. in the Cathedral-Basilica which will be open to the public beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Ottawa – Today, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Most Reverend Wayne Kirkpatrick Bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish. At the time of his appointment, Bishop Kirkpatrick was serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Bishop Kirkpatrick will assume the pastoral governance of the Diocese from the Most Reverend Brian Dunn, who currently serves as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Antigonish and Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

Bishop Kirkpatrick was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, on 5 June 1957. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) from St. Jerome’s College at the University of Waterloo (1980) prior to entering St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto from which he obtained a Baccalaureate of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) and a Masters of Divinity (1984). He later obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law from Saint Paul University in 1990. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of St. Catharines on 1 September 1984 and, following his ordination, served as associate pastor and pastor for parishes within the diocese from 1984 to 2005. His pastoral ministry also included serving as Chaplain for the Niagara Detention Centre (1986-1988), Associate Judicial Vicar of the Toronto Regional Tribunal for the St. Catharines Branch (1990-1995), Diocesan Vice Chancellor (1990-1995) and Chancellor (1995-2012), Judicial Vicar of the St. Catharines Diocesan Tribunal (1995-2012), Diocesan Finance Officer (1995-2000), Diocesan Consultor (1995-2012), Moderator of the Curia (2005-2012), Diocesan Administrator (2010), and Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (2005-2012). He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto on 18 May 2012 and ordained Bishop at St. Catharines on 25 July 2012. As Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, Bishop Kirkpatrick served the pastoral needs of the faithful in the Northern Pastoral Region. He likewise served as the Episcopal Vicar for religious institutes of men and women for the Archdiocese and as Episcopal Vicar for the Francophone community.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Kirkpatrick currently serves as the CCCB episcopal representative with the National Christian Muslim Liaison Committee, Bishop ponens with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Canada (ACCUC) and member of the Roman Catholic-United Church of Canada Dialogue.

The Diocese of Antigonish has 94 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 117,860 served by 80 diocesan priests, seven priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 10 permanent deacons, and 161 Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life.

Toronto – The Anglican Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue of Canada (ARC-B) held its most recent meeting in the Toronto area from the 27th-29th of November, 2019. The annual meeting facilitates opportunities for the Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops to share, learn, and discuss about their respective pastoral activities, update one another on the news from our churches, and further the aims of Christian unity in Canada. The Bishops specifically discussed issues relating to ecumenism, freedom of religion and conscience in Canadian society, interfaith partnerships, and various challenges and opportunities in chaplaincy ministry in military, corrections, and medical contexts. The ARC-B members were also joined for part of the meeting by the Roman Catholic and Anglican co-chairs of the Anglican-Roman Catholic theological dialogue of Canada (ARC) to discuss ARC’s current focus on the operations of synodical consultation and decision making in the two traditions. For several years now, both ARC-B and ARC have worked closely with one another, mutually enriching one another’s work and reflections.

Throughout the meeting, Bishops planned and devoted a significant amount of time and reflection to the subject of their mutual and ongoing efforts of renewal and reconciliation with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This discussion was enriched and deepened by the generous participation of Archbishop Mark McDonald, the National Anglican Indigenous Archbishop, who was invited as a guest speaker to the meeting. In a spirit of dialogue and learning, the Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops identified many areas of current and potential collaboration in one another’s efforts towards reconciliation with the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples of Canada, in a spirit of humility and trust.

The ARC-B dialogue was formed in 1975 shortly after the Anglican- Roman Catholic theological dialogue in Canada (ARC). The dialogue is co-sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Anglican Church of Canada.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Lisa Gall, Communications Coordinator, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, communications@cccb.ca

Alice Namu, Communications Coordinator, Anglican Church of Canada,  anamu@national.anglican.ca

Ottawa – The annual visit of the Presidency of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to the Holy See will take place from 9-20 December 2019. This year’s delegation includes the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and CCCB President, the Most Reverend Raymond Poisson, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and CCCB Vice President, and Monsignor Frank Leo, Jr., CCCB General Secretary. A highlight of their visit will be a private audience with His Holiness Pope Francis on 12 December.

During the visit, the delegation will meet with numerous dicasteries (administrative departments) of the Holy See including its Secretariat of State, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Likewise, the CCCB delegation will meet with representatives of the Centre for Child Protection, Caritas Internationalis, the Délégation du Québec in Rome, as well as the Embassy of Canada to the Holy See.

The annual visit of the CCCB Presidency is an opportunity to provide the Holy Father and his collaborators information about the work of the Bishops of Canada and developments in the Church. The delegation will discuss the principal activities of the CCCB concerning questions of faith and doctrine, culture, ethical and moral issues, social justice, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, clergy and consecrated life, and catechesis and evangelization.

Ottawa – Today, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Father Martin Laliberté, P.M.É., Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Québec. At the time of his appointment, the Bishop-elect was serving as Superior General of the Société des Missions-Étrangères (SMÉ) for the province of Québec.

Bishop-elect Laliberté was born in Charlesbourg, Québec on 13 December 1964. He obtained a Bachelor of Theology and a diploma in Education from the Université Laval in 1987. He worked as lay missionary for two years in Haiti prior to joining the Société des Missions-Étrangères du Québec (Québec Foreign Mission Society) in 1990 as a youth missionary animator for the province of Québec. He then pursued additional studies and obtained a Master’s degree is Missiology from the University of Saint Paul. He was ordained to the priesthood on 28 October 1995 and, from 1996 until 2004, his pastoral ministry focused on missionary work in the Amazon region of Brazil. Upon his return to Canada in 2004, he served as Director for the Centre international de formation missionnaire (CIFM) of the Société des Missions Étrangères. In 2008, he became a member of the Central Council of the SMÉ as Vicar General. He was first elected Superior General in 2013 and was reelected for a second mandate in 2018.

The Archdiocese of Québec has 68 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 1,059,152 served by 333 diocesan priests, 216 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 79 permanent deacons, 124 Brothers and 1,909 Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life, as well as 76 lay pastoral agents.

Ottawa – Today, the Congregation for Eastern Churches announced that His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Most Reverend Bryan Bayda C.Ss.R., as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada while remaining Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy Saskatoon.

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada has 55 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 23,700 served by 62 diocesan priests, three priests and 18 Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life, as well as 16 permanent deacons.

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy Saskatoon has 69 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 5,800 served by 19 diocesan priests, seven priests and 15 Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life, as well as three permanent deacons.

Ottawa – His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., as Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, and today appointed his successor the Most Reverend Claude Hamelin. At the time of his appointment, Bishop Hamelin was Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil. Bishop Gendron has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil for the past nine years. He submitted his resignation to the Holy Father upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.

Bishop Hamelin was born on 10 July 1951 in Sherrington, Québec. He attended the Université de Montréal from which he obtained a Baccalaureate in Theology, followed by the completion of a Master of Pastoral Theology. On 3 December 1977, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Québec (later renamed the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil). He then obtained a Licentiate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Lateran University (Alphonsian Academy) in Rome. Following his ordination, he served in a number of diocesan ministries including that of pastoral animator at the secondary school level, pastor, head of the diocesan committee for the ministry of life of priests and deacons, Episcopal Vicar (for pastoral regions and human resources), Moderator of the diocesan curia, and Vicar General. On 22 December 2015, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and, on 18 March 2016, was ordained Bishop in the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-l’Évangéliste at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu by Bishop Gendron.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Hamelin was recently elected to the Permanent Council as the Québec regional representative for a two-year term (2019-2021).

Bishop Gendron is originally from Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick. After studying theology at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, he was ordained to the priesthood on 31 May 1969. Following a year of formation (1971-1972), he joined the Canadian Province of the Priests of Saint-Sulpice (the Sulpicians). With a Doctorate in Theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, he taught in Bogotá, Colombia, and at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, where he was Rector from 1987 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2007. He also served as Rector of Saint Joseph Seminary in Edmonton from 1990 to 1994, before being elected Provincial Superior of the Canadian Province of the Priests of Saint-Sulpice in 1994. He held this position until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Montréal in 2006. Following his episcopal ordination on 25 March 2006, he served in Montréal for four years in various roles, including as Episcopal Vicar for the formation of diocesan personnel. He was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil on 28 October 2010 and was installed on 27 December 2010.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Gendron served as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine (2008-2011), the Orthodox-Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue (2007-2012), and as the CCCB representative for Francophone seminaries and formation centres for priests. He also served as the CCCB Co-Treasurer (2011-2015), Vice President (2015-2017) and President (2017-2019). In October 2018, he was one of four delegates elected by the CCCB to the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. In February 2019, as CCCB President, he participated in the Holy See’s meeting on the protection of minors in the Church and most recently, in October 2019, he was appointed by Pope Francis to the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region on New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology.

The Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil has 45 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 615,479 served by 59 diocesan priests, 28 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, four permanent deacons, 68 Brothers and 241 Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life, as well as 77 lay pastoral assistants.

Today, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), through the Commission for Justice and Peace, and in consultation with Aid to the Church in Need Canada, is releasing a statement entitled In His Name: Statement on the Persecution of Christians in advance of Red Wednesday (20 November 2019), which is a day of solidarity and prayer dedicated to raising awareness about the persecution of Christians throughout the world. The information presented in the statement outlines various types of persecution experienced and the reality of individuals and communities who suffer because of their faith in Christ, most notably in countries where Christians are in the minority. Understanding that all Catholic faithful have a role to help alleviate the suffering of others, this statement offers possible suggestions of spiritual and material support for the millions of men, women and children for whom persecution is a daily reality.

Additional information : Persecuted and Forgotten: A report on Christians opressed for their faith 2017-19 (Aid to the Church in Need Canada)

Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle released a statement entitled “Message of support from Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle on the occasion of the United Nations 2019 Year of Indigenous Languages“. A Canadian Catholic coalition of Indigenous people, Bishops, clergy, members of lay movements and of men and women belonging to institutes of consecrated life, Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle seeks to renew and foster relations between the Catholic Church and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. This open Letter to all Canadians affirms the major significance of language in the revitalization of Indigenous cultures and expresses a commitment to finding ways to support this essential aspect of reconciliation. Following the conclusion of the Circle’s meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, the statement and a promotional video were previewed by the community at Sacred Heart parish of the First Peoples. To view the video and download the message of support, visit Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle’s website at https://ourladyofguadalupecircle.ca/. For more information, contact Tracy Blain at blain@cccb.ca.

Ottawa – The Most Reverend Dorylas Moreau, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda, died on 22 October 2019.

Bishop Moreau was born on 15 July 1947 in Kamouraska, Québec and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière on 20 May 1972 following the completion of his theological formation at the Grand séminaire de Québec. He then pursued further studies in liturgy at the Abbaye Saint-André de Bruges in Belgium, as well as the Institut de pastorale des Domincains in Montréal. He later completed a one-year internship in Biblical studies in Jerusalem. Before being appointed Bishop, he served as the Vice Chancellor and Secretary for the Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, and also served as the head of the Diocesan service for sacramental and liturgical pastoral care and diocesan response for charismatic renewal. He likewise served as pastor for parishes within the diocese over a period of 20 years. On 30 November 2001, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda and was ordained Bishop at Rouyn-Noranda on 2 March 2002. On 25 June 2019, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Moreau for health reasons.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), he served as a member of the Commission for Liturgy and Sacraments (French Sector) on two occasions from 2003-2004 and 2008-2011, as well as a term as Commission Chair from 2005-2008. He also served as a member of the Commission for Doctrine from 2011-2016. Bishop Moreau was also an active member of the Assemblée des évêques catholiques du Québec (AECQ) serving as a member on a number of committees throughout his episcopacy (2002-2019).

Visitation will be held at St-Joseph Cathedral, in Rouyn-Noranda on Sunday, 27 October from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., as well as Monday, 28 October from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday 28 October at 11:00 a.m. at St-Joseph Cathedral with the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau presiding.