Episcopal Resignation and Appointment of a new Archbishop of Moncton

His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Valéry Vienneau as Archbishop of Moncton and has appointed Most Reverend Guy Desrochers, currently Bishop of Pembroke, as his successor.

Bishop Desrochers was born on 23 May 1956 in Hull, Gatineau, Quebec. After studying at Algonquin College in Ottawa, he obtained a Master’s degree in theology from Laval University in Quebec City.

Ordained to the priesthood on 7 January 1989 in the parish of Saint-Raymond, he added other functions to his ministry. He became evangelization animator in the Gaspésie region (1989-1996) and superior at the Redemptorist Fathers’ Monastery in Aylmer (1995-1998). He then became Minister-Economist for the Redemptorist community (1998-2005).

Bishop Guy Desrochers was superior of the community and retreat house in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (2005-2008), and was also director of the Revue Sainte-Anne for three years (2008-2011). He was then appointed rector of the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica (2011-2015) and vocational director of the Redemptorist community (2015-2018).

On 12 December 2018, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Desrochers as auxiliary bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall and titular bishop of Melzi. His episcopal ordination took place on 22 February 2019. A year later, on 6 May 2020, he became Bishop of the Diocese of Pembroke.

Bishop Guy Desrochers served on several commissions in 2020 and 2021. He was appointed as the Ontario regional representative on the National Council of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (CCODP), as well as a member of the CCCB Standing Committee for Relations with Movements and Associations.

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The Most Reverend Valéry Vienneau was born on 13 October 1947 in Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick. In 1968, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts majoring in philosophy, and another one in education. He continued his theological studies at the Dominican College in Ottawa, Ontario (1980).

On 29 August 1982, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Moncton, New Brunswick. Later (1987), he completed his Master of Divinity at the Dominican College. During his final years of study, he became vicar in Shediac (1982), parish priest in Saint-Paul-de-Kent and Adamsville (1984-1986), and in Saint-Ignace and Kouchibougac (1986-1989).

After his ordination to the priesthood, Archbishop Vienneau held a variety of other positions. He was serving at Sainte-Anne-de-Kent and chaplain at Stella Maris Hospital (1989-1990). During seven years, he served as pastor in Shédiac and Pointe-du-Chêne, and as chaplain at Villa Providence (1990-1997). He then spent a year at the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Cathedral in Moncton (1997-1998). He became the general vicar of the Archdiocese of Moncton (1997-2002), while also serving as chaplain at Moncton University and priest at Notre-Dame d’Acadie (1998-2000). He then became in charge of pastoral restructuring in the Archdiocese of Moncton, and priest-moderator of the pastoral unit of St-Bernard’s, Holy Family, Pointe-du-Chêne and the English-speaking communities of Dieppe and Lakeburn (2000-2002).

On 3 July 2002, His Holiness Pope Francis named him Bishop of Bathurst, and his episcopal ordination took place on 8 October 2002. He was appointed as Archbishop of Moncton on 12 June 2012, and officially installed on 29 August 2012.

The Most Reverend Valéry Vienneau has served on several CCCB commissions and committees, including the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications, the Episcopal Commission for Canon Law and Inter-Rites, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace and the Commission de la liturgie et des sacrements. He has served on the Permanent Council (2013-2017).