The Archbishop of Montreal, Most Rev. Christian Lépine, invites us to pray for those affected by the floods, and announces a special collection to help meet both the spiritual and material needs of the victims by means of the parish network.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Archdiocese of Montreal,

Major flooding has affected different areas of Quebec, including the territory of the Diocese of Montreal. On the shores of the St. Lawrence, the des Prairies River, the Milles-Îles River, and the lakes and rivers that border the Island of Montreal, particularly in the West Island municipalities, in Laval, in Charlemagne, from Repentigny to Saint-Sulpice, and from Le Gardeur to l'Assomption, many roads have become impassable and dangerous and numerous homes are affected by flooding and unsanitary conditions.

Families are at risk of losing everything, and difficult situations lead to great insecurity. First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of these terrible conditions. May God give you peace of heart and the fortitude to move forward, taking into consideration the safety and well-being of your loved ones. Great effort is required to overcome this wave that has struck you, but the Lord is with you. You can count on His presence in your hearts. Do not hesitate to ask the civil authorities for help. They are dedicated to dealing with the various needs and emergencies.

If you are being told to leave your home, the place where you live, the focal point of your memories and of your history, for an indefinite period of time, then comply with this request - as it is aimed at ensuring your safety and that of the population.  It is very difficult, especially because you don't know what you will be able to recover, but it's important.

I also pray for those involved in emergency response support who are giving it their all; may your arms and your legs remain strong and keep pace with your heartfelt desire to be there for the victims and to rescue them.

I pray for the population so that we take all the time that is needed to show our solidarity through prayer and other means of support. Let us lend a resolute helping hand.

I pray for the Christian communities, so that they may open their hearts and their doors to this assistance effort. Jesus invites us to make ourselves available to those living in times of distress. We may feel overwhelmed by the events. We may feel as though our resources are greatly insufficient. But solidarity begins with a small gesture that multiplies. Let's break from our daily routine and take the time to reach out and give our support, with the grace of Jesus Christ. We always receive something in return when we give freely of ourselves.

I pray for the parish communities that are particularly affected by these events, for their faithful, their pastoral teams and their pastors. May your prayer be a source of strength and support in the assistance you provide to the population.

I encourage you all to accompany your prayers with a monetary contribution through a special collection or donation, which you can send to the Archdiocese of Montreal, made payable to CACRM, indicating that it is for the "flooding" (2000 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, H3H 1G4).  We will send a receipt for income tax purposes to the donors and will establish a "Flood Solidarity Fund" with the fruit of your generosity. This will allow us to help meet the spiritual and material needs of the victims, by means of the network of parishes. We will thus help the affected parishes in the spirit of solidarity, and also provide support to the parishes that have suffered material damages. In helping a parish, we help the people and families belonging to it.

I invoke Our Lady of Good Help so that by her intercession the Lord Jesus may provide balm for the hearts of the victims in this chaos. the victims in this turbulence. 


† Christian Lépine
Archbishop of Montreal

Read the Vicars general's message adressed to the 14 parishes affected by the floods

List of the parishes:

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Sainte-Geneviève
Saint-Raphael-Archange
Sainte-Suzanne
Sainte-Famille-de-Bordeaux-Cartierville
Saint Thomas à Becket
Corpus Christi
Saint John Fisher
Holy Name of Jesus
Sainte-Dorothée
Saint-Maxime
Saint-Léopold
Jésus Lumière du Monde
Saint-Théophile