It is with pleasure that we announce the appointment of Father Bernard Antoine, CSC, as Rector of Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. His installation will be formalized in a ceremony to be held on Sunday, December 1, 2024. 

This Mass will be presided over by Father Claude Grou, CSC, the Provincial Superior of the Canadian Province of the Religious of Holy Cross. 

Father Antoine is the 16th member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to hold this leadership position since the sanctuary’s founding in the fall of 1904. 

In his role as rector, he will oversee the sanctuary’s mission, management, and development. “Over the past seven years, his quiet yet radiant presence, attentive listening, and welcoming spirit have earned him the trust and warmth of pilgrims, staff, and fellow brothers,” stated Father Claude Grou, CSC. Father Antoine succeeds Father Michael M. DeLaney, CSC, with whom he collaborated as Vice-Rector for Pastoral Services over the past four years. 

“I accept this responsibility with the joy of serving the Oratory, its mission, its dedicated team, and its devoted pilgrims,” stated Father Antoine, who is well acquainted with Saint Joseph’s Oratory, having worked there since 2017. “We all share a deep, indescribable joy to be in this blessed place, following in the footsteps of Saint Brother André, welcoming visitors from all languages and cultures with a spirit of openness, faith, and compassion.” 

The team and the board of directors of the Oratory thank Father Michael DeLaney, C.S.C., whose tenure as rector was marked by the exceptional circumstances of a global pandemic, as well as by a special year dedicated to Saint Joseph and inspiring pastoral themes on hope and peace—values that are dear to him. 

Brief notes on Father Bernard Antoine, CSC

Born in Dondon, Haiti, Bernard Antoine was baptized on March 19, also the feast of Saint Joseph. At the age of 20, he joined the Congregation of Holy Cross and was ordained as a priest on December 19, 1993. 

From 1993 to 2000, he taught at the Collège Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Cap-Haïtien, where he was later entrusted with various responsibilities in academic administration. He returned there from 2009 to 2017 as a psychology teacher and general director. Between these two roles, he pursued graduate studies in education in Paris and was appointed director of the Holy Cross seminarians' formation house in Haiti. To this extensive background, he also adds training as an engineer. 

From his native island to the Island of Montreal, where he arrived in 2017, Father Antoine’s journey is rich with experiences, knowledge, encounters, and commitments that he will undoubtedly be able to draw upon in his new role at the Oratory. 

About Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal - www.saint-joseph.org/en/

Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal is the largest shrine in the world dedicated to Saint Joseph, serving as guardian of a precious material and spiritual heritage. It receives some two million pilgrims and visitors each year, making it a unique spiritual and tourist destination and an unmistakable symbol of Montreal. Open to the world, it is a place of peace and unconditional welcoming. 

Source: https://www.saint-joseph.org/en/media/press-releases/