{"id":7392,"date":"2022-10-18T14:05:24","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T18:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/sent-out-story-canada\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T16:15:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T20:15:36","slug":"sent-out-story-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/sent-out-story-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Sent Out: A Story from Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2016 Father Michael LeClerc, Pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, interned at Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for 6 months. He was sent by Bishop Thomas Dowd to learn and discover what programs and practices could be applied within the Montreal context.<\/p>\n\n

Instead, Father Michael experienced a complete transformation of his pastoral perspective.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe big thing that happened for me was at the Easter vigil when I saw them (Saint Benedict) have 6 or 7 people being baptized that day\u2026I called back to the secretary at the parish and asked her to look up the last time we did an adult baptism in the parish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Her response was \u201c1978.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cMy heart broke I knew we needed to repent of that.\u201d From that moment on things changed for Father Michael and he had a renewed pastoral vision. \u201cI had a dream of transforming my parish and hoping to make it somewhere where people couldn\u2019t help but invite other people into that same experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

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\"autre-photo\"<\/p>\n\n

The new sign installed at Saint Willibrord 2022 (Jon Eric Marababol)<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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After the internship, Father Michael entered into coaching with DR; under his leadership, St. Ignatius of Loyola changed its trajectory from maintenance to mission. Since then, the parish has not gone through a single Easter without having adults baptized. Father Michael has built up a strong Senior Leadership Team (SLT) with a focus on the primacy of evangelization, the power of the Holy Spirit and the best of leadership. The parish is thriving.<\/p>\n\n

But two weeks ago, Father Michael had 27 of his best leaders leave. Or more accurately, he sent them away to another Montreal parish, Saint Willibrord.<\/p>\n\n

Saint Willibrord, Pastored by Father Robert Assaly, is in the trendy neighborhood of Verdun. With its Wellington St. ranked \u201cCoolest Street in the World\u201d by Time Out Magazine. It is a neighbourhood undergoing gentrification and change.<\/p>\n\n

But the outlook for the Church there, is less than glossy. Father Robert states,\u201cSaint Willibrord, at one point in its history, was the largest English speaking Catholic parish in Canada.\u201d Now, less than 2-4% of the population attend Mass. Father Robert, along with pastoring neighbouring St. Thomas More Parish, became the Pastor of Saint Willibrord at the start of the pandemic. When Saint Willibrord reopened after COVID only 20 people came back to Mass.<\/p>\n\n

Father Robert is not a priest content with maintenance, or as he states in the case of Saint Willibrord, \u201cpalliative care.\u201d While the numbers are bleak \u201cin Verdun, it means the harvest is plenty.\u201d He continues, it is time to \u201csend the workers out into the into the vineyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

His conviction stems from a deep personal experience of transformation. In his twenties, Father Robert was working in a stock brokerage firm and a \u201cdevoted atheist.\u201d By secular standards he had made it in the business world. But young and a \u201cself-made millionaire\u201d (he chuckles and mutters \u2018if there is such a thing\u2019) he felt an ache in his soul. During an experience of \u201cthis amazing love of God\u201d he heard a distinct call to become a priest and met with an Anglican Bishop his father knew. He quit his job and followed a new path, became an Anglican priest, married his wife Nancy and had 6 kids. Decades later his path would fork out once again.<\/p>\n\n

While at McGill for grad studies he felt a call from the Holy Spirit to become Catholic. Nancy attended St. Ignatius of Loyola and volunteered as a leader with the youth before Father Mike\u2019s time; their two youngest children were confirmed there. Father Robert was occasionally drawn there as well. Eventually, he was able to be ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest \u2013 the only married Roman Catholic priest in Quebec.<\/p>\n\n

Father Robert and Father Michael are now engaged in another first for the Catholic Church in Canada: a missionary partnership.
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\"Pere<\/p>\n\n

Father Robert Assaly (Jon Eric Marababol) <\/p>\n\n

“We don’t want to be life support \u2013 we want to be life giving.” Father Michael LeClerc Tweet<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The more than 2 dozen people sent from St. Ignatius two weeks ago are being commissioned to join Saint Willibrord as part of their parish vision to send people out to grow the Church in their city and beyond. With the launch of the missionary partnership the group from St. Ignatius has become regular parishioners at Saint Willibrord, joining with the faithful remnant that is there. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be life support \u2013 we want to be life giving,\u201d  says Father Michael. Those that have remained at Saint Willibrord want the same thing and are equal partners with the new parishioners to make the church missional. The goal is to renew the parish and reach Verdun with the love of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n

It is a risk. There is no playbook. It might all fail. Father Robert states: \u201cit\u2019s either going make or break the parish.\u201d But the goal isn\u2019t just to survive. But rather, he says that \u201cwe would have signs of fruitfulness of faith\u201d at Saint Willibrord and \u201ca real commitment to servant leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The 1st phase of the missional partnership was divided into three stages over the past year:<\/p>\n\n