Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Yvan Mathieu, S.M., to the position of Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa-Cornwall.
“This appointment is an answer to my prayers and to the prayers of many faithful our diocese. I welcome him with joy and gratitude for his generous yes and his willingness to serve the Church he loves,” stated Archbishop Marcel Damphousse.
Fr. Yvan Mathieu, who is a Marist priest, was born in Québec City in 1961. He graduated from the Marist Fathers’ High School in Québec City in 1976. In 1979, he entered the novitiate of the Marist Fathers in Washington DC and made his first vows in 1980. He was ordained to the priesthood on August 15, 1987.
He studied Theology at Saint Paul University from 1980 to 1984. He worked at the Séminaire des Pères Maristes in Québec City from 1984 to 1989. From 1989 to 1993, he studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome where he graduated with an SSL. After two years of ministry in Québec City (1993-1995), he returned to Saint Paul University to work on his doctorate which he completed in 2000. His dissertation was entitled The Portrait of Peter in Luke-Acts and was published (in French) in 2004.
Fr. Mathieu, who had been teaching since 200, was a professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages in the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul University at the time of his appointment. In July 2014, he was named Dean of the Faculty of Theology, a position he held until December 2018. He was elected Provincial Superior of the Canadian Marist Fathers and has served in that capacity since January 1, 2019. Although he stepped down as Dean to serve his community as the Provincial Superior, he continued to teach as an associate professor in the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul University.
Fr. Mathieu also serves in parishes on weekends, preaches retreats, gives conferences, and collaborates with three homiletical reviews: Prions en Église, Vie liturgique and Feuillet biblique.
A date has not yet been determined for Bishop-elect Mathieu’s ordination. It is expected that he will be officially introduced to the archdiocese on April 12th at the Chrism Mass, which is scheduled for 10:30 am on April 12, 2022, at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
