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Apostolic Commissioner for the Servants of Jesus Mary
2023-10-27

Apostolic Commissioner for the Servants of Jesus Mary

On Thursday, October 26, a decree from the Dicastery for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life came into effect, appointing the Archbishop of Gatineau as Apostolic Commissioner for the Congregation of the Servantes de Jésus-Marie. With this decree, Archbishop Durocher assumes the competencies of the Superior General and the General Council of the Congregation. In short, Archbishop Durocher becomes responsible for the thirty nuns living at the monastery attached to the Diocesan Center on Mont-Bleu Boulevard in Gatineau.

This exceptional measure was taken in view of the decreasing number and advanced age of the sisters. There remain today only thirty sisters whose average age is over 80. Half of them are housed in the monastery infirmary and can no longer ensure the liturgical service that lies at the heart of the community's charism. The appointment of an Apostolic Commissioner ensures the continuation of the congregation for years to come.

Bishop Durocher must follow the Constitutions of the Congregation, which means that he does not govern alone. Some nuns are appointed community leaders or elected to the board of directors of the civil corporation. The Apostolic Commissioner will therefore need to consult and make decisions in agreement with the various councils that continue to exist within the Congregation.

In his homily for Mass on this day of transition, Archbishop Durocher reminded the Servantes that every community needs a structure to ensure its own vitality. Structure is to the community what the skeleton is to the body: it’s necessary for life, but it’s not the goal or the essence of life, it’s there to support it. He likened his role as Apostolic Commissioner to a walker, made necessary because bones and joints have aged, but useful for walking. He prays that he can simply be an instrument that will enable the Servantes de Jésus-Marie to continue to advance in their mission of prayer and adoration.

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Archidiocèse de Gatineau
180, boulevard du Mont-Bleu,
Gatineau (Québec) J8Z 3J5

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