François Thibodeau, C.I.M., (July 27, 1939 – June 26, 2023) was a Canadian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

and member of the

Congregation of Jesus and Mary The Congregation of Jesus and Mary (), abbreviated CIM also known as the Eudists (Latin: ''Congregatio Eudistarum''), is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church. It was established in March 25, 1643 by Sain ...

(C.I.M.), also known as the

Eudists The Congregation of Jesus and Mary (), abbreviated CIM also known as the Eudists (Latin: ''Congregatio Eudistarum''), is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church. It was established in March 25, 1643 by Sain ...

. He served as the fifth Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Edmundston The Diocese of Edmundston, ( la, Dioecesis Edmundstonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in New Brunswick, Canada. The diocese was erected 16 December 1944. The Diocese of Edmundston is a suffragan d ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

from his appointment on October 20, 1993, by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

until his retirement in 2009. Thibodeau was born on July 27, 1939, in

Saint-Odilon-de-Cranbourne, Quebec Saint-Odilon-de-Cranbourne is a parish municipality in Beauce-Centre Regional County Municipality the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada. Its population is 1,407 as of the Canada 2021 Census. The parish's name honours Reverend Pierre- ...

. He studied philosophy at the Sacré-Coeur Seminary in Charlesbourg,

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, and Catholic

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at St. Jean-Eudes Scholasticate in Pointe-Gatineau. Thibodeau was ordained a Catholic priest on May 8, 1965, by Bishop

Joseph-Aurèle Plourde Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, (January 12, 1915 – January 5, 2013) was a Canadians, Canadian Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa, Ontario. Early years Archbishop Plourde was born in Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick to Antoine Plourde a ...

of Ottawa. He then received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

from

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxemb ...

. In 1971, Thibodeau was appointed Director of Social Affairs for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec The Archdiocese of Québec ( la, Archidiœcesis Quebecensis; french: Archidiocèse de Québec) is a Catholicism, Catholic archdiocese in Quebec, Canada. Being the first Episcopal see, see in the New World north of Mexico, the Archdiocese of Québ ...

, which he held from 1971 to 1986. He then served as editor-in-chief of '' Pastorale-Québec'', the official publication of the Archdiocese of Quebec, from 1986 until 1990. Thibodeau was appointed the fifth Bishop of the

on October 20, 1993, and consecrated on January 9, 1994, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...

. Bishop Emeritus François Thibodeau died at the Résidence Domaine Mahonia in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, on June 26, 2023, at the age of 83. He was buried in the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thibodeau, Francois 1939 births 2023 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Edmundston Eudist bishops Eudists Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Université Laval alumni People from Chaudière-Appalaches People from Edmundston French Quebecers