Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM (1939–2015)
Date of Birth:
June 17, 1939, St. Boniface, Manitoba
Ordination:
March 21, 1970, in Fribourg, Switzerland
Episcopal Ordination:
June 14, 1995, by Bishop Noël Delaquis, Bishop of Gravelbourg, assisted by Archbishop Antoine Hacault, Archbishop of Saint-Boniface, and Bishop Paul Vollmar, SM, Auxiliary Bishop of Chur, Switzerland, in Winnipeg and installed as Bishop of Gravelbourg, Sask., July 25, 1995.
Archbishop of Vancouver:
2004–2009
Date of Death:
April 24, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Motto: Fortes in Fide. (Steadfast in faith.)
From 1960 to 1963, Archbishop Raymond Roussin, then known as Brother Ray, taught in St. Louis, Missouri, at Chaminade College Prep School, and in St. Anselme, Quebec, from 1963 to 1965. In preparation for seminary studies, Brother Ray studied philosophy at St. Louis University in St. Louis. In 1966, he began studies for the priesthood at the University of Fribourg in Fribourg, Switzerland, and was ordained in Fribourg on March 21, 1970, as a member of the Congregation of Marianists. That summer, he received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). He taught for many years in Quebec, Manitoba and the United States before becoming provincial superior of his order from 1980 to 1986. He was first named a bishop on June 14, 1995, when he was appointed bishop of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan, a position he held until the dissolution of that diocese in 1998. Archbishop Roussin was installed as bishop of Victoria on June 28, 1999; he had been coadjutor bishop of Victoria since September 14, 1998. He was appointed archbishop of Vancouver by Pope John Paul II on January 10, 2004. Archbishop Roussin has been active within the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), serving as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Christian Education (French Sector), the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy (English Sector), the Permanent Council and also as CCCB liaison bishop with Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry.