History of the Mission Saint-Irénée de Lyon
The Mission, as such, was established by His Grace Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal, the 20th of June, 2014 to serve as the spiritual home for those faithful who wished to celebrate the holy liturgy of the Mass and the other Sacraments according to the liturgical books in vigour prior to the Second Vatican Council. The Mission is designed to be non-territorial and so, extends to the limits of the Diocese of Montreal, thereby providing a place for all the subjects of the Diocese who wish to participate in the ancient rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Nevertheless, other faithful from different dioceses in the surrounding area have also made the Mission their spiritual home whether by a regular Sunday assistance or to celebrate the Sacraments of great occasion (e.g. baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, marriages). Furthermore, the Mission is also attended by the residents of the neighbourhood who come to the only church in the sector of Saint-Henri (Sud-Ouest borough) in which Mass and offices are celebrated daily.
However, the Mission also finds its spiritual and material origins in the Communauté latine catholique St-Paul, erected by His Grace, the late Paul Grégoire, Archbishop of Montreal on the 7th of October, 1985, the feast-day of our Lady of the Holy Rosary. At that time Fr. Yves Normandin, former pastor of Sainte-Yvette, directed the Communauté with the help of Fr. J. Réal Bleau as assistant. The Communauté would have their liturgies in the churches of Sainte-Cunégonde, Notre-Dame de la Garde and Saint‑Irénée. When Fr. Normandin retired in 2009, Fr. Bleau was named director of the Communauté on January 1, 2010 and ministered assiduously for the care of souls and to assure the continuation of the Communauté, requesting that the Diocese of Montreal invite a community of priests mandated for the celebration of the ancient rites of the liturgy.
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) sent a priest in 2013 to begin working with Fr. Bleau, who then took over for Fr. Bleau when he retired in November of 2015. As of the 29th of June, 2016, Archbishop Lépine confided the Mission to the priests of the FSSP.
The Mission Saint-Irénée-de-Lyon owes a debt of great gratitude to the works of Fr. Normandin and Fr. Bleau, who worked tirelessly for the sanctification of its members and families and likewise to all of the families and faithful who worked to build a Christian community founded upon the Catholic faith in the divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ and upon the supernatural bonds of fraternal charity.
Our Church
The church was built in 1912 according to the architectural concept of Ludger Lemieux and J. H. McDuff. The interior was the design of T. X. Renaud with the paintings of Charles-Albert Chabauty. The organ was constructed by the Frères Casavant in 1913.
