Raymond O. Roussin was the
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 2004 to January 2009, when his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.
Curriculum vitae
Roussin was born on June 17, 1939, in
St. Boniface, Winnipeg
St. Boniface (or Saint Boniface) is a Ward (electoral subdivision), city ward and neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Along with being the centre of the Franco-Manitoban community, it ranks as the largest Francophone Canadian, francophone community in Wes ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
.
Religious Life and Priesthood
He entered the
religious institute
In the Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public religious vows, vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, a ...
of the
Society of Mary in 1961 in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. He taught at the Marianists'
Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis from 1960 to 1963, and in St. Anselme, Quebec, from 1963 to 1965. He did pre-seminary studies at
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
before enrolling at the
University of Fribourg
The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland.
The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...
in
Fribourg, Switzerland.He was ordained as a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
for the Marianists on March 21, 1970 in Fribourg shortly before completing his
Licentiate in Sacred Theology
Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...
.
He served as the Director of the Marianist community in Saint Boniface, 1971-1979 and 1987-1995, as well as Provincial Superior for the Marianists in Canada, 1980-1987. In the
Archdiocese of Saint Boniface, he served as the Director of Vocations, member of the Presbyteral Council, and Director of Saint Boniface Diocesan High School. He also served as a Member of the Presbyteral Council of the
Archdiocese of Winnipeg. From 1984 to 1986, he was President of the Western Conference of Religious.
Consecration
In 1995, Roussin was appointed by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
as
Bishop of Gravelbourg and in 1999, as
Bishop of Victoria. Raymond Roussin was appointed
Archbishop of Vancouver on January 10, 2004.
Roussin served as Vice President of the Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops and on the CCCB Permanent Council (1997-1999), as well as a member of the former Commission for Christian Education of the French Sector (1995-1999) and of its former Commission for Liturgy (1999-2003). He was also the CCCB liaison Bishop with Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry. In 1999, he was named by Pope John Paul II to participate in the European Synod of Bishops in Rome.
His request for early retirement (for reasons of health since he had been suffering from depression) was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on January 2, 2009.
He was open with his depression long before his resignation which is unusual for bishops and other high churchmen. Psychologists lauded his coming forward as heroic.
Legacy
Due to the declining Catholic population in the
Diocese of Gravelbourg,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
, Roussin was entrusted with dissolving the Diocese in 1995. On September 14, 1998, the Diocese reverted to the
Archdiocese of Regina and the
Diocese of Saskatoon.
[The Vancouver Sun - February 24, 2007](_blank)
/ref>
In 1998, Roussin became Bishop of Victoria in British Columbia. Because earlier questionable investments left the Diocese in financial trouble, Raymond Roussin reorganized its finances by selling off unused property and brought the situation under control.Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility (normally typeset as TELUS Mobility) is a Canadian Mobile network operator, wireless network operator and a division of Telus Communications which sells wireless services in Canada on its network. It operates 5G+, 5G, LTE (telecom ...
and to write to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...
to stop downloading of pornography onto cell phones. Roussin's call, whose story drew the attention of The New York Times and Bloomberg News, was key to Telus dropping its adult content offerings.
On July 7, 2008, James Wingle, Bishop of St. Catharines, and Roussin spoke out strongly against the decision to grant Dr. Henry Morgentaler
Henekh "Henry" Morgentaler (March 19, 1923 – May 29, 2013), was a Polish-born Canadian physician, and abortion rights advocate who fought numerous legal battles aimed at expanding abortion rights in Canada. As a Jewish youth during World War ...
the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
, and called for this award to be revoked.
On September 5, 2008, Roussin asked for support of Bill C-484, which would help protect the unborn as victims of crime. Presently, if a pregnant woman is attacked, and her unborn child is killed, the attacker is not charged with the murder of the child.The Catholic Register - September 5, 2008
/ref>
On January 2, 2009, he was succeeded by J. Michael Miller. Miller also succeeded Roussin as Grand Prior of the Canada-Vancouver Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
On April 24, 2015, he died in Winnipeg.
References
External links
Archdiocese of VancouverSt. Mary's University
Archdiocese of Vancouver former bishops
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roussin, Raymond
1939 births
2015 deaths
21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada
Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver
Marianists
People from St. Boniface, Winnipeg
Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II
Roman Catholic bishops of Victoria in Canada
Roman Catholic bishops of Saint Boniface
St. Mary's University, Texas alumni
Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre