To thunderous applause, the Thanksgiving Mass celebrating the Most Rev. Christian Lépine’s 10th anniversary as Archbishop of Montreal commenced at 2:00 p.m. on March 20, 2022, at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral.

A rapid ascent

On the Feast of St. Patrick, March 17, 2012, Pedro López Quintana - then Apostolic Nuncio appointed to Canada by the Holy See - announced to Bishop Christian Lépine that he had been appointed Archbishop for the Archdiocese of Montreal. Only six months previously, he had been appointed Auxiliary Bishop by Pope Benedict XVI, in recognition of the latter’s confidence in him. The appointment was announced March 20, 2012.

A nod from heaven in Exodus 3:1-8a

The first reading, taken from the Book of Exodus, was a nod from heaven directed at Archbishop Lépine’s vocation. Through a burning bush, the Lord called upon Moses, entrusting to him a mission that would be fraught with difficulty: to undertake the salvation and leadership of God’s people. To this Moses replied, “Here I am.” This same response, “Here I am,” was also spoken by Christian Lépine when, 10 years ago, he was appointed Archbishop of Montreal.

We were surprised to see someone other than Archbishop Lépine advancing to the pulpit to give the homily. This was Fr. Dominic Richer, parish priest for Saint-Nazaire parish in LaSalle, who also oversees the Devotion of the Divine Mercy in Montreal (le Sanctuaire de la Miséricorde). On May 11, 2012, he had been the first priest to be ordained by the newly appointed Archbishop Christian Lépine. Fr. Dominic reminded us that God’s message to Moses recommends adopting an attitude of humility, and he encouraged us “not to look at ourselves,” not to concentrate only on our sins, so that we may be able to reach out more freely to our neighbour.

“Simon (…), do you love me?” John 21:16

In John 21, the Gospel reading for the occasion, we heard that remarkable exchange: “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” To this question Simon replies, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Thereupon Jesus says to him, “Tend my sheep.”

That question: “Do you love me?” which Jesus asks Peter is the Lord’s formal injunction to follow Him, to embark on the path. To follow Christ, we must embrace two fundamental pillars of our faith: the first being that we must accept the fact that, apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Thus Peter denies Christ three times before becoming the first bishop of Rome. The second pillar is that we must follow Christ while mutually supporting one another and praying for one another. Moses was accompanied by his brother Aaron in bringing the Chosen People out of Egypt. Jesus was accompanied by his disciples, apostles and many important women. Archbishop Lépine is similarly accompanied in guiding the Church of Montreal.

“I love you” - Archbishop Christian Lépine

In concluding this moving ceremony, the Most Reverend Ivan Jurkovič, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada since June 5, 2021, spoke praising Archbishop Lépine’s apostolic work and highlighting the brave leadership he showed in guiding the diocese through the long, bleak period of the pandemic.

In the moments before the conclusion of the ceremony, Archbishop Lépine voiced in front of those congregated his own personal answer to Christ’s question: “Do you love me?” His answer was, “I love you, you the Church, you the people of God.”