The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Bonifacii) is a Latin archdiocese in part of the civil Province of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

in Canada. Despite having no suffragan dioceses, the archdiocese is nominally metropolitan and is an

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

by itself. It is currently led by Archbishop Albert LeGatt. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

of the archdiocese is a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Saint Boniface Cathedral Saint Boniface Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Boniface) is a Roman Catholic cathedral of Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is an important building in Winnipeg, and is the principal church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sai ...

, Winnipeg.

History

Cathédrale de Saint-Boniface au Manitoba BAnQ P748S1P2181

In 1817, settlers at the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

petitioned Joseph-Octave Plessis, Bishop of Quebec, for a resident priest. In 1818, Plessis sent Rev. Joseph-Norbert Provencher, Rev. Dumoulin and seminarian Guilaume Etienne Edge to open a mission on the Red River in present-day Manitoba, where the majority of settlers were Irish and Scottish Catholics. Lemieux, Lucien. "Provencher, Joseph-Norbert", ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003
/ref> Provencher's assignment was to convert the Indian nations and to "morally improve" the delinquent Christians who had "adopted the ways of the Indians." Arriving at

Fort Douglas Camp Douglas was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. I ...

in mid-July, they were given land on the east bank of the Red River by

Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas t ...

, of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

. They immediately set to work to build a house before winter. Part of the building served as a chapel, which Provencher dedicated to the missionary, Saint Boniface. The mission at Saint-Boniface was highly successful. In 1819, Provencher was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec with the titular title of Bishop of Juliopolis, and vicar general for the northwest. A second parish, St. François Xavier, was established in 1828 for a Métis community established by

Cuthbert Grant Cuthbert James Grant (1793 – July 15, 1854) was a prominent Métis people (Canada), Métis leader of the early 19th century. His father was also called Cuthbert Grant. Life Cuthbert James Grant was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblant, a North We ...

at White Horse Plains. Construction of Saint-Boniface Cathedral commenced in 1832 and was completed in 1839. In 1844, Bishop Provencher persuaded four sisters of the Grey Nuns of Montreal to come to Saint-Boniface. In 1845, the Vicariate Apostolic of the North West was formed with Provencher as ordinary. The area separated from Archdiocese of Québec comprised the entire territory west of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

and as far north as the Pole. In 1847, the North West Vicariate was raised to the status of diocese, suffragan to Québec. In June 1850, Oblate missioner

Alexandre-Antonin Taché Alexandre-Antonin Taché, O.M.I., (23 July 1823 – 22 June 1894) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, missionary of the Oblate order, author, and the first Archbishop of Saint Boniface in Manitoba, Canada. Early life Alexandre-Antonin ...

was named coadjutor bishop to Provencher, whom he succeeded upon Provencher's death in July 1853. The following year, the name of the diocese was changed from that of the Diocese of the North West to the Diocese of Saint-Boniface. On April 8, 1862 the Apostolic Vicariate of Athabaska Mackenzie was erected from territory split off from the Diocese of Saint-Boniface. On September 22, 1871 Saint-Boniface was raised to a metropolitan archdiocese, while at the same time, it lost territory with the establishment of the Diocese of Saint Albert. Taché became the first archbishop. In 1874, he brought the

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie) is a teaching religious institute founded at Longueuil, Québec, Canada, in 1843 by Blessed Mother Marie Rose Durocher for the Christian education of y ...

from Québec to teach at St. Mary's Academy (Winnipeg). The area of the Archdiocese was again reduced on July 11, 1882 as part of its contribution to the

Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke ( la, Dioecesis Pembrokensis) (erected 11 July 1882, as the Vicariate Apostolic of Pontiac) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ottawa. It was elevated as the Diocese of Pembroke on 4 May 1898. The Cathed ...

, but was increased in 1889 with the reassignment of some land from the Diocese of Saint Albert. Established On 4 June 1891, the Apostolic Vicariate of Saskatchewan was established from territory drawn from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface. In 1900, under Archbishop Adélard Langevin, Holy Ghost Parish was established in North Winnipeg to serve Polish Catholics. In 1904, St. Joseph's was founded for the German Catholics in the community. The French church of Sacré Coeur was dedicated in 1905 for former parishioners of St. Mary's. In 1898, Langevin asked the Soeurs de Misericorde from Montreal to assist unwed mothers. They opened, in 1900, a maternity hospital which later developed into

Misericordia Health Centre Misericordia Health Centre was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada by the Misericordia Sisters in 1898. Today, ownership of the hospital is the responsibility of the Misericordia Corporation within the Archdiocese of Winnipeg. The funding for ...

. The Diocese of Regina was erected on March 4, 1910 from Saint-Boniface, as was the Archdiocese of Winnipeg on December 4, 1915 and the Diocese of Fort William on April 29, 1952.

Cathédrale Saint-Boniface

The present cathedral stands on a site that has seen two churches and four cathedrals. The original log chapel was built by Provencher in 1818 and subsequently replaced by a larger structure. In 1832, Provencher, now a bishop, built the first cathedral which was destroyed by fire on December 14, 1860. In 1862, Bishop Alexandre Antonin Taché rebuilt the cathedral in stone. A larger building was completed in 1908 in French Romanesque style, and was designated a minor basilica in 1949. This sustained significant damage in a 1968 fire. The present Saint-Boniface incorporates some features of its predecessor, notably the impressive façade.Girard, David. "The Cathedrals of Saint-Boniface", ''Encyclopedia of French cultural Heritage in North America''
/ref>

Bishops

Diocesan Ordinaries

;''Apostolic Vicar of North-West'' * Joseph-Norbert Provencher (1844.04.16 – 1847.06.04 ''see below''),

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 ...

of Iuliopolis (1820.02.01 – 1847.06.04), earlier as Auxiliary Bishop of Québec (Canada) (1820.02.01 – 1844.04.16) ;''Suffragan Bishops of Saint-Boniface'' * Joseph-Norbert Provencher (''see above'' 1847.06.04 – death 1853.06.07) *

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

(O.M.I.) (1853.06.07 – 1871.09.22 ''see below''), succeeding as former Coadjutor Bishop of Saint-Boniface (1850.06.12 – 1853.06.07) and Titular Bishop of

Arathia Arathia was a city and bishopric in the late Roman province of Cappadocia Prima, Asia Minor, whose ecclesiastical metropolis was at Caesarea (modern Kayseri, Turkey).John Mason Neale, ''A History of the Holy Eastern Church'', I:75 London, 185ful ...

(1850.06.12 – 1853.06.07) ;''Archbishops of Saint-Boniface'' *

O.M.I. (''see above'' 1871.09.22 – death 1894.06.22) * Louis Philip Adélard Langevin (1895.01.08 – death 1915.06.15

* Arthur Béliveau (1915.11.09 – death 1955.09.14), succeeding as former Auxiliary Bishop of Saint-Boniface (1913.05.24 – 1915.11.09) and Titular Bishop of

Domitiopolis Dometiopolis ( grc, Δομετιούπολις) was a city of Cilicia Trachea, and in the later Roman province of Isauria in Asia Minor. Its ruins are found in the village of Katranlı, formerly Dindebul. History The city, whose previous name is ...

(1913.05.24 – 1915.11.09) *

Maurice Baudoux Maurice Baudoux (July 10, 1902 – July 1, 1988) was a Canadians, Canadian priest and the Archbishop of Saint Boniface, Manitoba, Canada. Born in La Louvière, Belgium, he came to Canada when he was nine. He studied at Collège universitaire ...

(1955.09.14 – retired 1974.09.07), previously Bishop of Saint-Paul (Alberta, Canada) (1948.08.12 – 1952.03.04), then

Titular Archbishop 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 an ...

Preslavus The modern Veliki Preslav or Great Preslav ( bg, Велики Преслав, ), former Preslav ( bg, link=no, Преслав; until 1993), is a city and the seat of government of the Veliki Preslav Municipality (Great Preslav Municipality, new ...

(1952.03.04 – 1955.09.14) as

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coad ...

of Saint-Boniface (1952.03.04 – succession 1955.09.14); died 1988 * Antoine Hacault (1974.09.07 – death 2000.04.13), previously Titular Bishop of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

(1964.07.30 – 1972.10.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Saint-Boniface (1964.07.30 – 1972.10.28), then Titular Archbishop of the same Media (1972.10.28 – 1974.09.07) as Coadjutor Archbishop of Saint-Boniface (1972.10.28 – succession 1974.09.07) *

Émilius Goulet Emilius Goulet, PSS (May 15, 1933) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Boniface in the Province of Manitoba, Canada. He was appointed Archbishop by Pope John Paul II on June 23, 2001 and was consecrated in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Boni ...

Sulpicians The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, ...

(P.S.S.) (2001.06.23 – retired 3 July 2009) * Albert LeGatt (3 July 2009 – ...), previously Bishop of

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

(Canada) (2001.07.26 – 2009.07.03).

Coadjutor bishops

Vital-Justin Grandin Vital-Justin Grandin (8 February 1829 – 3 June 1902) was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop known as a key architect of the Canadian Indian residential school system, which has been labeled an instrument of cultural genocide. In June 202 ...

, O.M.I. (1857-1871), became bishop of the Diocese of St Albert * Georges Cabana (1941-1952), became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Pierre-Emile-Jean-Baptiste-Marie Grouard, O.M.I. (priest here, 1862-1863), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Athabaska Mackenzie, Alberta in 1890 *

Léo Blais Léo is a proper noun in French, meaning lion". Its etymological root lies in the Latin word Leo. Léo is used as a diminutive or variant of the names Léon, Léonard, Léonardon, Leonardo, Léonid, ''Léonor'', '' Léonore'', ''Eléonore'', L ...

, appointed Bishop of Prince-Albert, Saskatchewan in 1952 * Aimé Décosse, appointed Bishop of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan in 1953 * Remi Joseph De Roo, appointed Bishop of Victoria, British Columbia in 1962 * Noël Delaquis, appointed Bishop of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan in 1973 (resigned that see in 1995; returned to this diocese in 2014) *

Raymond Roussin Raymond O. Roussin was the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 2004 to January 2009, when his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI. Curriculum vitae Born, Raymond Roussin, on June 17, 1939, in St. Vital, Winn ...

, Born In St Vital, Bishop of Gravelbourg 1995-1999, Bishop of Victoria 1999-2004, Archbishop of Vancouver 2004-2009 *

Marcel Damphousse Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian s ...

, appointed Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall, Ontario in 2012

Statistics and extent

The archdiocese covers much of the province south of

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...

and east of the Red River. It is a bilingual French and English archdiocese. Saint Boniface is a city ward of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

that sits on the east side of the Red River, and the area is a traditional home of

Franco-Manitobans Franco-Manitobans (french: Franco-Manitobains) are French Canadians or Canadian francophones living in the province of Manitoba. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 40,975 residents of the province stated that French was their mother tongue. In ...

. As of 2021, the archdiocese contains 87 parishes chaplaincies and missions, 59 diocesan priests, 23 religious priests, 5 seminarians and 135,309 Catholics. It also has 143 Women Religious, 8 Religious Brothers, and 19 permanent deacons. The archdiocese and the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg jointly operate a number of parochial schools in Winnipeg.

References

Sources - Bibliography

Sources and external links

Archdiocese of St. Boniface site

retrieved July 14, 2006
"And the Desert Shall Bloom" -200th Anniversary of the Catholic Church in Western Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Boniface, Roman Catholic Archdiocese Catholic Church in Manitoba Winnipeg dioceses Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Boniface