Louis-Albert Vachon, (February 4, 1912 – September 29, 2006) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

educator, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and Archbishop of

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 ...

. He became a cardinal on May 25, 1985.

History

Vachon was born and raised in Saint-Frédéric, Quebec, one of a family of six. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from the Minor Seminary of Quebec in 1934 and studied theology at the Major Seminary of Quebec before being ordained by Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Cardinal Villeneuve on June 11, 1938. He then attended

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...

, graduating in 1941 with a PhD in philosophy. He taught philosophy at Université Laval from 1941 to 1947, then began studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum ''Angelicum'' in

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where he was awarded a doctorate degree in

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 ...

in 1949 with a dissertation entitled "La vertu d'espérance et le péché de présomption : leur nature et leur opposition mutuelle." Father Vachon returned to Quebec in 1949 to take up the position of Professor of Theology, a position he held from 1949 to 1955. In that year he was nominated as Rector of the Grand Seminary of Quebec and vice-rector of the Université Laval. In 1958 he was appointed Domestic Prelate of His Holiness under

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

, a title that gave Vachon the rank and style of

monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

. In 1960 Vachon was asked to assume the position of rector of the University of Laval; he held this position until 1972. He served in various positions with the

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

until he was elected

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

Mesarfelta Mesarfelta was a Roman– Berber town in the province of Numidia. It was also a bishopric that is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 929 History The his ...

and appointed Auxiliary of Quebec on April 4, 1977. He was consecrated on May 14 of that year in Quebec. Vachon was elected Archbishop of Quebec on March 20, 1981, on the retirement of the previous archbishop, Maurice Cardinal Roy, and created Cardinal-Priest 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 ...

in the consistory of May 25, 1985. He received the red biretta and the title of '' San Paolo della Croce a Corviale'' on that day. Vachon resigned the pastoral government of the Archdiocese and became Archbishop Emeritus of Quebec on March 17, 1990. Following his retirement, he lived in Quebec City and later in

Beauport, Quebec Beauport is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River. Beauport is a northeastern suburb of Quebec City. Manufacturers include paint, construction materials, printers, and hospital supplies. Food transportation is impo ...

. He died on September 29, 2006, in Quebec City. He was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1969, and an Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...

in 1985.

References

Cardinal Vachon
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catholic-pages.com

Obituary of Cardinal Vachon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vachon, Louis Albert 1912 births 2006 deaths Roman Catholic archbishops of Quebec Canadian cardinals Officers of the National Order of Quebec Companions of the Order of Canada People from Beauce, Quebec 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada Université Laval alumni Burials at the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec Rectors of Université Laval Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Université Laval faculty