Raymond O. Roussin SM was the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 2004 to January 2009, when his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.


Raymond Roussin

Archbishop of Vancouver
ProvinceBritish Columbia
SeeVancouver
Installed2004
Term ended2009
PredecessorAdam Exner
SuccessorJ. Michael Miller
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationMarch 21, 1970
ConsecrationJune 14, 1995
Personal details
Born
Raymond Roussin

(1939-06-17)June 17, 1939
DiedApril 24, 2015(2015-04-24) (aged 75)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DenominationRoman Catholic
Alma materSt. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas
University of Manitoba
St. Louis University
University of Fribourg, Switzerland
MottoFortes in Fide
(English: Steadfast in Faith)
Coat of armsRaymond Roussin's coat of arms
Ordination history of
Raymond Roussin
History
Priestly ordination
DateMarch 21, 1970
PlaceFribourg, Switzerland
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorNoël Delaquis
Co-consecratorsAntoine Hacault
Paul Vollmar
DateJune 14, 1995
PlaceWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Raymond Roussin as principal consecrator
Richard GagnonJuly 20, 2004
Gary GordonMarch 22, 2006
Source(s):[1]
Styles of
Raymond Roussin
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleYour Excellency

Curriculum vitae

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Born, Raymond Roussin, on June 17, 1939, in St. Vital, Winnipeg, Canada.

Ordination

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Raymond Roussin entered the religious institute of the Society of Mary in 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri and was ordained as a priest in 1970.

Consecration

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In 1995, Raymond Roussin was appointed Bishop of Gravelbourg and in 1999, Bishop of Victoria. Raymond Roussin was appointed Archbishop of Vancouver on January 10, 2004. His request for early retirement (for reasons of health since he had been suffering from depression) was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on January 2, 2009.

He was open with his depression long before his resignation which is unusual for bishops and other high churchmen. Psychologists lauded his coming forward as heroic.[2]

Legacy

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Due to the declining Catholic population in the Diocese of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan, Raymond Roussin was entrusted with dissolving the Diocese in 1995. On September 14, 1998, the Diocese reverted to the Archdiocese of Regina and the Diocese of Saskatoon.[3]

In 1998, Raymond Roussin became Bishop of Victoria, British Columbia. Because earlier questionable investments left the Diocese of Victoria in financial trouble, Raymond Roussin reorganized its finances by selling off unused property and brought the situation under control.[3]

In February 2007, Archbishop Raymond Roussin called for pornography-free mobile service.[4] The call was for Catholics & non-Catholics to divest from Telus Mobility and to write to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to stop downloading of pornography onto cell phones. Roussin's call, whose story drew the attention of The New York Times and Bloomberg News, was key to Telus dropping its adult content offerings.[5]

On July 7, 2008, James Wingle, Bishop of St. Catharines and Raymond Roussin, Archbishop of Vancouver, spoke out strongly against the decision to grant Dr. Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada, and called for this award to be revoked.[6]

On September 5, 2008, Raymond Roussin, asked for support of Bill C-484, which would help protect the unborn as victims of crime. Presently, if a pregnant woman is attacked, and her unborn child is killed, the attacker is not charged with the murder of the child.[7]

On January 2, 2009, he was succeeded by J. Michael Miller.

On April 24, 2015, he died in Winnipeg.

Other positions

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  • member of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)
  • member of the Episcopal Commission for Christian Education (French Sector)
  • member of Episcopal Commission for Liturgy (English Sector)

References

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  1. ^ "Archbishop Emeritus Raymond Roussin, SM". RCAV.org. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. ^ "Bishop Battles Depression–and itItstigma". 11 May 2007.
  3. ^ a b The Vancouver Sun - February 24, 2007
  4. ^ Podcast on pornography-free mobile service
  5. ^ The Vancouver Sun - February 24, 2007
  6. ^ Press releases: Bishop James Wingle and Archbishop Raymond Roussin
  7. ^ The Catholic Register - September 5, 2008
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Gravelbourg
1995–1998
Diocese dissolved
Preceded by Bishop of Victoria
1998–2004
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Vancouver
2004–2009
Succeeded by
  NODES
Note 1