This weekend in churches throughout the Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese, parishioners were read a letter from their bishop, Marcel Damphousse, formally announcing the anticipated changes scheduled for June 30th. 18 churches and 14 priests are affected. For the health of priests and parishes, priests are generally re-assigned every six years, although there are exceptions. Priests who were moved recently to replace retiring colleagues were not moved again. Priests nearing retirement age were not re-assigned. Fr. Laurier Rivet (44 years of service) and Msgr Rejean Lebrun (52 years of service) will be retiring.
Some upcoming milestone anniversaries include a 25th for Fr. Bob McDonald (May 6), a 20th for Fr. Allan MacDonald (May 14) and a 25th for Fr. Doug Lucia (May 20). MacDonald hails from this diocese and now serves with the Companions of the Cross as Vocations Director. Lucia, incardinated and serving in the Ogdensburg Diocese, served at St. Columban for a time. Both men still have prayer partners here.
ALEXANDRIA-CORNWALL DIOCESE PRIEST ASSIGNMENTS
PARISH | UNTIL JUNE 30 | AS OF JUNE 30 |
Cornwall English Parishes (4) | ||
St. Columban | Fr. Dan VanDelst, Pastor | Fr. Jerome Pastores, Parochial Admin |
St. Peter | Fr. Kevin Maloney, Pastor | Fr. Matthew Brunet, Pastor |
Blessed Sacrament | Fr. Claude Thibault, Pastor | Fr. Jacques Labelle, Pastor |
St. Francis | Fr. Jerome Pastores, Parochial Admin | Fr. Kevin Maloney, Pastor |
Cornwall French Parishes (4 becoming one plus three affiliated) | ||
St. Theresa | Fr. Marc Piche, Pastor | Fr. Claude Thibault, Pastor |
St. Felix | Fr. Jean Muakadi Kabantu, Pastor | Fr. Jean Muakadi Kabantu, Pastor;
Fr. Cyriaque Balla, Asst Pastor |
Holy Cross | Msgr. Rejean Lebrun, Pastor | |
Nativity | Fr. Laurier Rivet, Rector | |
Rural English Churches (13 including twinned churches) | ||
O.L of Grace, InglesideSt. Pius X, Long SaultSt. Bernard, Finch | Fr. Matthew Brunet, Pastor | Fr. Polycarp Chukwu, Temp Paroch Admin; Fr. Cyprian Ihedoro, Paroch Admin as of 18 Oct |
St. Alexander, Lochiel St. Martin, Glen Robertson |
Fr. Cyriaque Balla, Pastor | Last Mass June 1 |
comb w/Alexandria & Green Valley | ||
St. Andrew | Fr. Sean Shallow, Pastor | No change |
St. Anthony, Apple HillSt. James, MaxvilleSt. Michael’s Chapel Monkland | Fr. Louis Groetelaars, Pastor | No change |
St. Finnan Cathedral, AlexandriaSt. Catherine of Sienna, Greenfield | Fr. Kelvin Maloney, Pastor | No change |
St. Mary, WilliamstownSt. William, Martintown | Fr. Bob McDonald, Pastor | No change |
Rural with both English and French Masses (6 as twinned churches) | ||
O.L. of the Angels, Moose CreekO.L. of the Rosary, Crysler | Fr. Eric Robichaud, Pastor | No change |
Precious Blood, Glen WalterSt. Joseph, Lancaster | Fr. Jacques Labelle, Pastor | Fr. Marc Piche, Pastor |
St. RaphaelSt. Margaret, Glen Nevis | Fr. Celestine Agwu, Parochial Admin | No change |
Rural French Churches (2) | ||
Sacred Heart, Alexandria O.L. of the Assumption, Green Valley |
Fr. Denis Vaillancourt, Pastor | Fr. Denis Vaillancourt, Pastor; Fr. Alphonse Yema, s.c.j., Asst Pastor; Now also resp. for St. Martin. |