The oldest Roman Catholic Bishop in Canada, Most Reverend Albert Sanschagrin, O.M.I., Bishop emeritus of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, died on April 2, 2009 at the age of 97. Born on August 5, 1911 in Saint-Tite, Quebec, Bishop Sanschagrin was ordained to the priesthood on May 24, 1936, as a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. In 1947, at the request of the Bishops of Chile, Bishop Sanschagrin traveled there to assist with the Young Christian Workers movement. While in Latin America, he founded Oblate missions in Chile, Bolivia and Surinam.
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After returning to Canada in 1953, he was named Provincial Superior for the Oblates of Eastern Canada, a position he held until his appointment on August 14, 1959 as Coadjutor Bishop of Amos. He subsequently participated in the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Bishop Sanschagrin was named the ninth Bishop of St. Hyacinthe on June 13, 1967. He became Bishop emeritus of St. Hyacinthe on July 18, 1979.
Our headquarters are based in Rougemont, Quebec, which is part of the Diocese of St. Hyacinthe. It is Bishop Sanschagrin who gave us the permission to keep the Blessed Sacrament in the chapels of our two houses. He even came to celebrate the first Holy Mass himself in the chapel of the House of the Immaculate in 1976. (Photo on the left.) He also gave us invaluable advice. We thank him, and we pray to him to continue to watch over his diocese, all the clergy and the faithful. May he rest in peace!
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