The Archbishop of the Diocese of Montreal, His Excellency Christian Lépine, celebrates the 40th anniversary of his priesthood in complete humility. His perseverance in his priestly commitment draws strength from a faith that is equal to any challenge.

by Benjamin Ntouo-Ngouoni 

There are some who go into the priesthood somewhat thoughtlessly, but they do not last long; even as a child, however, Msgr. Lépine was open to the dimension of faith, since he was raised in a family environment inspired with the Christian spirit. At the age of 25, he decided to enter the priesthood of Jesus Christ, recognizing the call to sanctity that he received at that time: “My deepest desire was really to give my life to the Lord and to make his Love known.” 

Msgr. Lépine has been constant in his devotion through the intervening 40 years since abandoning himself to God. He has spent much time meeting people, listening and sharing their hopes, their joys and their sorrows. Afterwards, he has always spoken with them about the Lord, leaving the Word of God to resonate in their hearts, instructing them and blessing their sacrifice by offering it upon the altar. His self-abandonment to God is deeply rooted in the conviction that leads him to affirm that God is always at work in the people’s hearts. 

Prayer at the heart of his vocation 

“Faithfulness to my vocation has been supported by faithfulness in prayer,” states Archbishop Lépine. His prayer life is a daily practice and reflects his desire to set aside time for the encounter with God. For him, then, the Eucharist and the Bible are two keys that opening the way to encounter the Lord. 

Over his 40 years of being a priest, Msgr. Lépine has taken the words spoken by Jesus at Gethsemane and made them his own, considering them to be the model for all prayers: “Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit, my priestly ministry and all those whom I encounter.” 

Throughout the vicissitudes of life, the Lord always answers, granting us strength and help, or giving us rest in which there is no fear or fatalistic or discouraging thoughts. All we need to do is to be genuine, allowing the will of God to work itself out and not go astray. 

Thinking of young people, Msgr. Lépine has always recognized in them the yearning for absolutes, truth, justice, peace, magnanimity, generosity, beauty and goodness. He invites the young to approach the Lord Jesus in their search for meaning in their vocations, whether it be to the priesthood, to marriage or to some other calling. 

A typical day for an Archbishop 

Archbishop Lépine’s day proceeds in time with the cadence of meaningful encounters, during which he will listen, perceiving solutions for the lives of people and the parishes. “I am always in encounter mode,” he says. 

For him, all encounters have an impact on what he will express in his homilies. The main point in these encounters is to get to the crux of what is being discussed, the events and the people involved, in the interests of improving the communication and talk about the subject in an informed way. “In an encounter, I cannot speak to people unless I have met them,” he reflects. 

Future perspectives 

God is the source; He is present today and never stops calling. He does not abandon us in our solitude. The priestly ideal comes from the priestly Messiah. In his role as mediator, the priest must guide the people of God and take on the responsibility of working for the salvation of his brothers and sisters. 

According to Msgr. Lépine, it is God alone who calls and who extends the vocation to the priesthood. The same is true of Jesus, who is present with all the generosity of his life and his love. “At every moment, in every instant, I turn to Him,” he says. 

Moreover, Msgr. Lépine encourages people to answer Jesus’ call to serve the people of God. He takes inspiration from the words of John the Baptist who said: “At the heart of your life is someone whom you do not know;” he tells people, “it is Jesus Christ, and He is waiting for you.” 

Archbishop Lépine is a great priest, and he fully intends to continue serving God’s people in complete abandonment to Him, come what may. His ministry is a pillar in the Church of Montreal.