Diocesan Pastoral Appointments for 2026

Pastoral Appointments Effective September 1, 2026

The Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., announces the following pastoral appointments, as well as certain pastoral changes and initiatives that will take effect on Sept. 1, 2026:

1) Father Mikely Jn Simon, C.S.C., is appointed Priest Administrator of the Sainte-Croix Pastoral Unit and will serve the parishes of Saint-Thomas and Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes. Following the consultation held on February 10, 2026, with the parishioners of Pré-d’en-Haut, this parish will officially close this fall and will be deconsecrated shortly after the official announcement. Father Mikely will remain responsible for the parish until the diocesan decree determines its definitive closure. He may also contribute, to a certain extent, to the ministerial responsibilities of the Marie-Reine-de-l’Acadie, in collaboration with Father Guy Legendre, Moderator of that pastoral unit.

2) Father Bazile Guerlin, C.S.C., is appointed Priest Administrator of the Providence Pastoral Unit. He will therefore serve the parishes of Saint-Joseph in Shediac, Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur in Scoudouc, and La Visitation in Grande-Digue, with the assistance of Deacon Louis Allard.

3) Father Saint-Julaire Bernadin, who comes to us from the Diocese of Fort-Liberté in Haiti and who has been assigned to us for six years as a Fidei Donum priest, is appointed Priest Administrator of the Saint-Benoît Pastoral Unit. He will therefore serve the parishes of Saint François-de-Sales in Rogersville, the Immaculée-Conception in Acadieville, and Notre-Dame de-Fatima in Collette. We extend to him a most cordial welcome to our Archdiocese.

4) Father Eguins Charles, who comes to us from the Diocese of Fort-Liberté in Haiti and who has been assigned to us for six years as a Fidei Donum priest, is appointed Priest Administrator of the Notre-Dame-des-Champs Pastoral Unit and the Saint-Jean XXIII Pastoral Unit. He will therefore serve the following parishes: Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel in Sainte-Marie, Saint- Paul in Saint-Paul-de-Kent, Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Bouctouche, and Sainte-Anne in Sainte Anne-de-Kent. We extend to him a most cordial welcome to our Archdiocese.

5) Father Modrince Dejour, who comes to us from the Diocese of Fort-Liberté in Haiti and who has been assigned to us for six years as a Fidei Donum priest, is appointed Assistant Priest in the Saint-Jean-Paul II Pastoral Unit in the City of Moncton. He will therefore serve the following parishes, all located within the City of Moncton: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de l’Assomption, Christ-Roi, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix, and Notre-Dame de-l’Acadie. We extend to him a most cordial welcome to our Archdiocese. 1

6) Father Carlos Jacinto is appointed Priest Administrator and Moderator of The Good Shepherd Pastoral Unit. He will therefore serve the parishes of St. Bernard's in Moncton, St. Vincent's in Sackville, and St. Clement's in Port Elgin.

7) Father Frank Quinn is appointed Assistant Priest to Father Carlos in The Good Shepherd Pastoral Unit. He will therefore serve the parishes of St. Bernard's in Moncton, St. Vincent's in Sackville, and St. Clement's in Port Elgin.

8) Father Damian Nwachukwu, SMMM, is appointed Chaplain to Moncton's two regional hospitals: the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre and the Moncton Hospital. He is also appointed Assistant Priest to Father Angus Johnston, Moderator of the parishes of St. Augustine's in Moncton, St. Lawrence O'Toole in Irishtown, and Our Lady of Mercy in Pointe-du-Chêne.

9) Father Jean Carlos François, C.Ss.R., is appointed Priest Administrator of the First Nations Pastoral Unit and the Our Lady of Hope Pastoral Unit. He will therefore serve the Indigenous parishes of St. Anne in Elsipogtog and St. Kateri on Indian Island, as well as the parishes of Immaculate Conception in Rexton and St. Peter's in South Branch. He succeeds Father Bernard Gauthier, C.Ss.R., who has recently been appointed Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Grande Prairie, Alberta. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Father Bernard for his many years of exemplary and devoted ministry to our Indigenous parishes and to the two English-speaking parishes entrusted to his pastoral care within our Archdiocese. We also extend a most cordial welcome to Father Jean Carlos François, C.Ss.R., to our Archdiocese.

10) Four of our beloved priests will be retiring simultaneously on September 1, 2026. They are:

a) Fr. Jean-Guy Dallaire, born in July 1951, former Vicar General and currently Pastor Moderator of Notre-Dame-des-Champs and Saint Jean XXIII Pastoral Units, will retire from this appointment effective September 1, 2026. Fr. Jean-Guy will nevertheless remain available to assist and replace fellow priests who may need to be absent from parish ministry from time to time. We warmly congratulate Fr. Jean-Guy for his many years of devoted service to the Archdiocese since his priestly ordination on June 10, 1979. We wish him a happy and well-deserved retirement! There is no doubt that his many years of pastoral ministry have left a profound mark on the hearts of countless parishioners and all those whom God placed along his path.

b) Fr. Arthur Bourgeois, born in December 1945, currently Pastor-Moderator of the Providence Pastoral Unit, will retire from this appointment effective September 1, 2026. Although retiring, he has generously agreed to remain available to assist or substitute in parish ministry whenever needed and as his health and circumstances permit. We congratulate Fr. Arthur for his many years of zeal and faithful service within the 2 Archdiocese since his priestly ordination in May 1971. We wish him a peaceful, restful, and richly deserved retirement, while hoping that he will always keep the wonderful sense of humour and genuine simplicity that have endeared him to us all. That is exactly how we have come to know and love him!

c) Fr. Jean Bourque, born in February 1941, currently Assistant Priest in the Marie-Reine de-l'Acadie Pastoral Unit, will retire from parish ministry effective September 1, 2026. Over the past year, Fr. Jean has experienced periods of declining health, yet his pastoral zeal and generous dedication have always prevailed. The time has now come for him to express his desire to step back from active parish ministry. We expect that, as his health permits, he will still be willing to help by providing occasional pastoral assistance when needed. We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for his many years of faithful service and dedication within the Archdiocese, and we give thanks to God for having entrusted us for so many years with such a devoted and faithful servant in the Church of Christ.

d) Fr. Emery Brien, C.S.C., born in 1939, currently Pastor-Moderator of the Ste-Croix Pastoral Unit, will retire from this appointment effective September 1, 2026. Our beloved white-haired "grandfather troubadour," who has inspired both people and birds alike to sing with his guitar and his generous heart, has always been ready to nourish with his faith those whom God placed along his path—to listen to them, counsel them, and comfort them with his contagious joy and unfailing optimism. To our dear Fr. Emery, who celebrated the 62nd anniversary of his priestly ordination on December 19, 2026, we extend our warmest wishes for a joyful and fulfilling retirement, with abundant opportunities to continue enjoying life to the fullest. His brother priests will undoubtedly continue to call upon him from time to time whenever they require assistance or someone to provide pastoral coverage. What a wonderful way to continue his priestly mission on an even broader scale!

11) Deacon Camille Johnson and his wife Annette joined our Archdiocese in June 2026, coming directly from the Diocese of Hamilton, where they faithfully served the Church for many years. Deacon Camille Johnson has been appointed to minister to the English speaking communities of Greater Moncton. According to pastoral needs, he will serve within the three pastoral units: The Good Shepherd, Queen of All Saints, and Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity. His principal responsibility will be to help develop the marriage preparation program Witness to Love, which first began several years ago within The Good Shepherd Pastoral Unit. From there, he will help expand this important apostolate throughout the Archdiocese.

12) Our two future permanent deacons, Mr. Claude-Henri Cormier and Mr. Emmanuel Yankey Koveo, who are scheduled to begin their formation for the Permanent Diaconate in January 2027, have generously agreed to begin serving the Archdiocese immediately by 3 helping to promote and develop the French-language Witness to Love marriage preparation program. They have also accepted to serve as Auditors for our Diocesan Marriage Tribunal, assisting Deacon Louis Allard while preparing for the day when, God willing, they may be ordained and officially incorporated into our Archdiocese as permanent deacons. In closing, I wish each and every one of you a well-deserved and restful summer vacation. Please be assured of my prayers and of my Apostolic Blessing upon all the works of evangelization that you will undertake, whether explicitly or implicitly, in your respective communities between now and the end of the year.

I also ask you to reserve the following important dates in your calendars:

• First, our annual Diocesan Pastoral Launch will take place on Wednesday, October 7, and Thursday, October 8, 2026. The first day, October 7, will be conducted in French at the Patrice LeBlanc Centre, located behind Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix church in Moncton. The second day, Thursday October 8, will be conducted in English at the Dan Bohan Centre, located beside Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Riverview.

• Second, our Chief Financial Officer will once again organize two annual meetings with all the parish Administrative secretaries (starting at 9:00am) and the Finance Committees of the Archdiocese (starting at 10:00am). The French session will take place on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at Place de la Cathédrale (Cathedral basement), while the English session will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at the same location. The meeting will end at 3:30pm. These are very important dates, dear brother priests, and I strongly encourage each of you to attend together with your parish Finance Committee. As the Code of Canon Law reminds us, you are the primary persons responsible for the administration of your parishes.

Thank you in advance for your valuable collaboration.

Mgr Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R. Metropolitan Archbishop of Moncton 4