Previous prelate submitted his resignation on reaching age 75
OTTAWA (CCN)
On Feb. 1, Pope Francis appointed Father Robert Bourgon Bishop of the Diocese of Hearst and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Moosonee.
At the same time, he accepted the resignation of Bishop Vincent Cadieux, OMI, who had served as Moosonee bishop for the previous 24 years and Hearst bishop since 2007.
Bishop Cadieux had reached the age limit of 75 last year and offered his resignation then. He remains apostolic administrator of both dioceses until the bishop-elect takes canonical possession.
Since 2012, Bishop-elect Bourgon has been serving as vicar general of the Sault Ste-Marie diocese. Born in Sudbury, Ontario on March 10, 1956, he studied at Saint Paul University in Ottawa where he received a Master's of Divinity and a Doctorate in Canon Law. Ordained a priest to the Sault Ste-Marie diocese on May 8, 1981, he pastored several parishes before becoming the judicial vicar of the diocesan matrimonial tribunal in 1988. After completing his doctoral studies in 1998, Bishop-elect Bourgon returned to serve as the diocese's judicial vicar and as the Toronto Regional Matrimonial Tribunal's associate judicial vicar. In 2000, he became canonical affairs episcopal vicar in addition to his tribunal duties, and served three parishes in Levack, Cartier and Dowling.
Bishop Cadieux was born in Alfred, Ontario in 1940. He was ordained a priest of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1966. Appointed Moosonee bishop Dec. 5, 1991, Bishop Cadieux was named apostolic administrator of Hearst in 2006, after Bishop Andr‚ Vall‚e retired in 2005. He was named Hearst bishop in 2007.
As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Cadieux served on the former ecumenism commission, and the former evangelization of peoples commission. He chaired the latter commission from 2003 to 2008 as well as the former French sector Christian education commission. Bishop Cadieux also participated in the conference's programs and priorities committee.
The Hearst diocese serves a Catholic population of 31,790 in 28 parishes and missions with 23 diocesan priests, four religious sisters, two permanent deacons and 13 lay pastoral assistants. The Moosonee diocese serves a mostly indigenous Catholic population of 3,830 in 14 parishes and missions that are served by three religious priests, one permanent deacon, one religious brother, and three lay pastoral assistants.