Fr. Lionel Gendron appointed an auxiliary bishop in Montreal

Fr. Lionel Gendron

By BILL GLEN
WCR Staff Writer
Montreal

The appointment of former St. Joseph's Seminary rector Father Lionel Gendron as one of three auxiliary bishops in Montreal is a natural progression for his ministry, says Father Shayne Craig.

"Father Lionel is a man of the universal Church," said Craig, current rector of the seminary. "His background is in Trinitarian theology.

Family of God

His notion of the Church is as the family of God. It is very strong within him. He has a great respect for people."

Pope Benedict XVI made the appointment Feb. 11. Gendron's ordination will take place March 25 in Montreal.

"He has an ability to draw people to work together," Craig said. "As a bishop, he is a blessing for the Church in Montreal."

Along with current Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Mancini and Bishop-elect Andre Gazaille, Gendron, 61, will assist Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte in the Montreal Archdiocese. Mancini has served as auxiliary bishop for almost seven years.

They replace Bishop Jude Saint-Antoine, who held the position for nearly 25 years. Saint-Antoine formally requested retirement following his 75th birthday on Oct. 29, 2005.

Craig was in his final year of formation at the seminary in 1990 when he met Gendron who was part of the first team of Sulpicians to serve at the seminary.

Two years later, Gendron asked Craig to join the Sulpicians and to work in the seminary.

Gendron served as rector of St. Joseph's Seminary from 1990-1994, returning to the position temporarily in 2002.

He is the third former rector of the seminary to be named a bishop in the last five years. In 2001, Father (now Cardinal) Marc Ouellet was named a bishop, eventually becoming archbishop of Quebec, and Father Luc Bouchard was appointed bishop of St. Paul.

In Vietnam

Gendron is currently away in Vietnam and could not be reached for comment.

"I came with (Cardinal) Father Marc Ouellet and Father Paul Terrio," Craig said. "Father Lionel had just been named provincial superior of the Sulpicians."

Gendron was born in Saint-Quentin, N.B., on June 12, 1944. After studies in theology at the Grand Seminaire of Montreal, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 31, 1969.

Gendron served at Saint-Marc Parish in Montreal from 1969-1970. He then joined the Canadian Province of the Priests of St. Sulpice.

With a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, Gendron taught in Colombia and at Montreal's Grand Seminaire, where he was rector from 1987-1990 and again in 2004-2005.

He was elected superior of the Canadian Province of the Priests of Saint-Sulpice in 1994, a position he held until his appointment.

Craig returned from Montreal recently after electing the new superior.

"Father is an Acadian so he has been in and around Montreal for many years. He knows the local churches and many of the young priests who will be ordained from the seminary.

"In terms of his ministry as bishop, I think he will be a great servant."

Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 -- Western Catholic Reporter