The Archdiocese of Gatineau is one of the 21 constituencies of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec (61 across Canada). Founded in 1963 by separation from the Archdiocese of Ottawa, it covers almost the entire administrative region of the Outaouais. It includes 51 places of worship, most of which are in French, some in English and two in Portuguese. (Note that Mass is also celebrated in Spanish at St. Joseph's Cathedral.) The items in this section will help you learn more about our reality.
The territory of the archdiocese of Gatineau includes the MRC of Papineau, the city of Gatineau and many surrounding municipalities.
The total population of this area is 262 814.
Of this total, 261 946 identify as Catholics (72%).
Parishes : | 45 |
| Priests serving 1 parish: | 13 |
Missions : | 6 |
| Priests serving 2 parishes: | 8 |
Public ass. of faithful : | 2 |
| Priests serving 3 parishes: | 4 |
Pastoral units: | 5 |
| Priests serving 4 parishes: | 3 |
French zones: | 4 |
| Priests serving 5 parishes: | 2 |
English zone: | 1 |
| Priests serving 6 parishes: | 1 |
Priests residing in the diocese: | 59 | ||
Diocesan priests: | 41 | ||
Religious priests : | 16 | ||
Priests from a secular institution: | 2 | ||
Diocesan priests in parish: | 20 | ||
Religious priests in parish: | 11 | ||
Retired diocesan priests: | 25 | ||
Diocesan priests – other responsibilities outside the parish: | 5 | ||
Priests incardinated in the archdiocese of Gatineau: | 21 | ||
| 17 | ||
Priests deceased during the year:
| 4 | ||
Permanent deacons: | 4 | ||
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In 2019, for all parishes and missions in the diocese of Gatineau, there were:
Baptisms: | 667 |
First Communions: | 381 |
Confirmations : | 388 |
Marriages : | 97 |
Funerals: | 1040 |
In parishes churches: | 727 |
At Jardins du Souvenir : | 313 |
Burials: | 1357 |
In parish graveyards: | 542 |
In the graveyards of Jardins du Souvenir | 856 |
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The cathedral is the proper church of the diocesan bishop. In this sense, it is the mother-church of the diocese, the gathering place for the major celebrations that mark diocesan life. It derives its name from the bishop's chair, known as the « cathedra ». This seat is a tangible sign of the the unity of the faithful in a given region who share the one faith taught by the bishop as shepherd of his flock. Saint Joseph is the titular saint of the cathedral of the archdiocese of Gatineau. It is situated at 245 boulevard St-Joseph in this same city. It is characterized by its unique layout (the pews surround the sanctuary from all sides) and its beautiful stained glass windows depicting the cycle of the Nativity, the cycle of the Paschal mystery and the patron saints of the archdiocese.
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Pope Paul VI used this expression in the promulgation of the encyclical Lumen Gentium: "It is therefore to the glory of the Blessed Virgin and to our comfort that we proclaim Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church. "At the closing address of the Second Vatican Council on 7 December 1965, Paul VI repeated the title "Mother of the Church". With this solemn act of the supreme magisterium, the Pope wanted to affirm "the maternal function wich the Virgin Mary exercises towards the Christian people. He thus wished, as the Council requested, to promote the "filial piety" of all the members of the Church towards the Mother of Jesus, who was givin to us as our mother when Jesus, on the cross, said to John: « Behold your mother ».
The perfect disciple of Jesus, and a living incarnation of the Beatitudes Mary is the perfect model of the disciple of the Lord: the disciple who builds up the earthly and temporal city while being a diligent pilgrim towards the heavenly and eternal city; the disciple who works for that justice which sets free the oppressed and for that charity which assists the needy; but above all, the disciple who is the active witness of that love which builds up Christ in people's hearts. (Paul VI, Marialis cultus, n. 37)
Mary, Mother of the Church, is the patroness of our diocese. It has been decided that her feast be celebrated on October 11 in the liturgical calendar of our diocese, even though this date remains a holiday in the universal calendar. A little bit of history can help explain this choice.
In 1931, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of the « Divine Maternity of Mary » in commemoration of the fifteen hundredth anniversary of the opening of the Council of Ephesus that had declared Mary to be the Mother of God. Pope John XXIII chose this same date to open the Second Vatican Council in 1962, placing the Council under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.
In 1974, when the liturgical calendar of the Universal Church was reorganized, Pope Paul VI moved the feast of the Maternity of Mary from October 11 to January 1, under the title «Mary, Mother of God», thus returning to an ancient Roman tradition.
In choosing to celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church on October 11, our diocese commemorates the opening of the Second Vatican Council, as well as its own foundation during this same Council, on April 27th, 1963. From the very beginning, our diocese has been shaped by the primary orientations of Vatican II which is for us an inalienable treasure and an always active source of life. Beyond all questions of structures or laws, Mary brings us back to the intimate and essential core of the Church, for she is our mother in the order of grace, of our relationship with Jesus, of faith, of hope and of love.
In 2018, Pope Francis instituted the Memory of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church on the first Monday after Pentecost. This decree was signed on February 11.
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church being our main patroness, we can celebrate Her Feast on October 11th, except when the it falls on a Sunday.
This first page on the history of our Church in Gatineau-Hull is meant as an exercise to awaken our collective memory, by retracing projects, facts, and events that marked the 35 years of the history of our Church. Reading this brochure may also reactivate your memory, and bring forward facts that could enrich the next edition. So please do not hesitate to communicate with us, and signal to us omissions, errors, or improvements you would like made the text.
“There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book.” (Jn 20, 25)
“Personally, when I was named Bishop of Hull, in the middle of the Vatican II Council, I immediately discerned in this call of the Lord – without vainglory, I hope – an “original” mission in its proper sense, i.e. a mission that would serve as a model. I didn’t see in it an act of pure luck or coincidence. Instead, I saw, in the faith in Christ and the Church that I love, the mission to be, without a doubt, the pastor of a new people; and also, the mission to be the bishop of a Church that had to be – more than any other Church – a Church of spring, a Church of renewal, a Church of well-understood traditions, a Church invited to courage, according to the words of Pope Paul VI.”
Bishop Paul-Émile Charbonneau
The Church of Hull 1963-1971, collection “The Church of Hull”, April 27th, 1971.
“My worry is that our Christians may become deaf and blind. At this moment, their salvation is in danger because, you see, the poor and the voiceless are the road to our salvation. But for that, we must love them, love them to the point of risking to lose our reputation. Love them enough to desire a dynamic change to our society, in order to better welcome them.”
Bishop Adolphe Proulx
A Voice for the Voiceless, Novalis Editions, p. 149, 1987.
“We are a people in movement. The day we will settle down, to no longer move, will be the day of our death.”
“We are inhabited by a powerful force. Since it is to us that the risen Jesus never ceases to say: “As my Father sent me, I too send you.” It’s on us that endlessly blows the breath of the Spirit of renewal and life.”
“We are on a mission; and the day we forget that, we`ll be turning around in circles. This mission, we also need to desire it again from season to season.”
“We are a people whose every member is called to “feel” his place, want it, and occupy it in the conscience of his dignity and his mission.”
Bishop Roger Ebacher
The Gospel for the Outaouais, September 1992.
Archidiocèse de Gatineau
180, boulevard du Mont-Bleu,
Gatineau (Québec) J8Z 3J5
info@diocesegatineau.org
Téléphone: 819 771-8391
Télécopieur: 819 778-8969
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