Fr. Yves Normandin
Update 2: SSPX Canada has published the following (Courtesy of SSPX.ca):
Defender of Tradition, Fr Yves Normandin, died peacefully today.
On this Wednesday, December 30th, in the Octave of the Nativity, Father Yves Normandin died fortified with the sacraments of the Church. Ordained in 1953, Father Normandin was removed from his post of parish priest in 1975 because of his refusal to celebrate the New Mass of Paul VI. Afterwards, he criss-crossed Canada offering the Mass of all time. The details of his funeral arrangements will be published soon. Requiescat in pace.
Update: Vox Cantoris has some additional information on Fr. Normandin.
It was Father Normandin, however, who was the lion. He travelled the entire country establishing chapels and offering the Mass in homes paving the way for both the Society of St. Pius X, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and other diocesan traditional Masses. Without Father Normandin and Mole and Gavigan, the Mass would have been lost entirely. There was a time, that there were only three priests in all of Canada offering the pre-modernist Latin Rite. This trinity of servants of God and his people are heroes. Source: Vox Cantoris
In addition Vox provided the following from Una Voce Canada:
The history of the Mass in Quebec is inseparably tied up with the history of Fr. Yves Normandin and Sainte-Yvett’s parish in Montréal. On 14th May 1975 Fr. Normandin decided to revert to the Mass of his ordination. On April 18, however, the CCCB had decreed that, effective 30th June 1975, only ill and elderly priests could thenceforth celebrate the traditional Mass, and only in private.
Oct. 27th 1975 in a meeting with Abp. Grégoire Fr. Normandin was told ‘I must demand your resignation because you stubbornly insist on celebrating the Mass of St. Pius V, contrary to the ordinance of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops…… You are to resign immediately. Otherwise, effective Nov. 5, you shall lose all jurisdiction in this diocese.”
Nov. 9th Abp. Lefebvre celebrates pontifical high Mass at Sainte-Yvette’s. Nov. 12th. Mgr. Grégoire published a letter which declared the Mass of all time is no longer the Mass of today, and that the cure of Sainte-Yvette’s is deserving of his removal by virtue of his unrepentant disobedience to the Church.
To cut a long story short the battle moves on to court, to the barricading of the rectory doors and the changing of locks; to Fr. Normandin having to leave the rectory, on Dec. 15th by stepladder from the balcony to escape notice of the guards and attend court. The rectory doors are broken down and Fr. Normadin starts a new phase in the ‘Traditional Latin Mass Movement’ in Canada.
This phase is what I would characterize as that of a wandering priest. Fr. Normandin ‘As a young man, I had dreamed of an apostolate as an itinerant missionary in the jungle, with the White Fathers of Africa. Now, at 52 years of age, I discover that Canada, thanks to our own post conciliar bishops, has become a missionary frontier, once again a spiritually barren land, offering itself to priests loyal to infallible and indestructible Tradition.
‘Every Sunday about 400 continue to attend the Traditional Latin Mass in spacious quarters in Montréal and we have found the means to expand our ministry, to Ottawa and to Northern New Brunswick, to Toronto, London and Stratford, to Winnipeg and to Vancouver and Victoria and even as far away as Florida.’
After the expulsion of Fr. Normandin there arose a movement under the leadership of Mr. Roman Bhattacharya. It is from this movement's fidelity to the traditional Roman Liturgy that formed primarily the faithful group, which is at the origin of the community Saint-Paul in Montreal. Their first "priest", providentially, was Fr. Normandin who for nine years after the expulsion from his Parish, led a heroic life of missionary activity providing access to the traditional liturgy across the Canada. It is at this point that Fr. Normandin visited Vancouver to offer the Mass.
Fr. Normandin was parish priest of the Latin Community Catholic St-Paul October 7, 1985, to January 1, 2010, i.e. for almost twenty-five years before finally retiring.
Tradicat: Since 2010, Fr. Normandin has been residing with the SSPX.
Original Article:
Fr. Normandin has passed away.
All Traditional Catholics in Canada (SSPX, FSSP et al) owe him a great debt and now we can help him with our prayers.
His journey started when he switched back from the Novus Ordo Missae (Modern Math) to the Tridentine Mass. This led to the conflict with his Bishop (no surprise) which resulting in his expulsion from his priory.
From there Fr. undertook a nation wide apostolate as abandoned Catholics clamoured for Fr. to say Mass for them across Canada.
My wife once saw his weekly itinerary and it started in Ontario (Thunder Bay I believe) from there it was hopscotching across western Canada with about 6 to 10 stops and then back again. Chronically late as he heard many confessions, I remember stories of his drivers racing to the airport or bus station with Father saying the rosary.
He made such sacrifices for us.
God Bless and keep Fr. Normandin.
Requiescat In Pace
P^3
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