New Bishop for Alexandria-Cornwall

(CCCB – Ottawa)… His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today named the Reverend Marcel Damphousse as Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall. At the time of his appointment, he was Rector of the Saint-Boniface Cathedral in Manitoba. The new Bishop succeeds the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher who was appointed Archbishop of Gatineau on October 12, 2011. Archbishop Durocher served as Diocesan Administrator of Alexandria-Cornwall until he was installed as Archbishop of Gatineau on November 30. Since then, the Reverend Kelvin Maloney has been Diocesan Administrator of Alexandria-Cornwall.
Born on March 19, 1963, in Saint-Joseph, Manitoba, Bishop-elect Damphousse was ordained a priest on June 28, 1991, for the Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface. He served in a number of parishes throughout the Archdiocese before being named Rector of the Cathedral in 2008. The Bishop-elect earned a Bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1984 at the University College of Saint Boniface, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in theology in 1989 from Saint Paul University, Ottawa. He received his formation for the priesthood at Saint Paul’s Seminary, Ottawa. In 2002 he earned a licentiate in spiritual theology from the Teresianum in Rome.
For a number of years, Bishop-elect Damphousse taught at the Manitoba Catholic School of Evangelization, and was vocations director for more than 12 years. Before being appointed Rector of the Cathedral, he was chaplain at St. Boniface Diocesan High School for five years. Currently, he is a member of the Diocesan Finance Committee and of the Diocesan Commission for Liturgy. He has also been the spiritual director of the TEC (To Encounter Christ) movement for the past eight years.
The Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall has 29 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 55,570, which is served by 29 diocesan priests, one priest who is member of a religious community, 25 Religious Sisters and Brothers, and 19 permanent deacons.