New Joint Diocese in Quebec as Diocese of Mont-Laurier united to Diocese of Saint-Jérôme “in persona episcopi”

Diocese of Mont-Laurier united to Diocese of Saint-Jérôme “in persona episcopi” – appointment of the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson as Bishop of Mont-Laurier
Monday, June 01 2020
Mgr PoissonOttawa – Today, his Holiness Pope Francis united the Diocese of Mont-Laurier with the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme “in persona episcopi” (that is in the person of the Bishop) and has appointed the Most Reverend Raymond Poisson, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme, as Bishop of Mont-Laurier. He will now serve both dioceses as their Bishop. He succeeds the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher who was appointed by the Holy Father as Apostolic Administrator of Mont-Laurier on 9 July 2019.

Born in Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Rouville, Québec, on 30 April 1958, Bishop Poisson was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil on 9 December 1983. On 1 May 2012, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme and ordained as Bishop on 15 June 2012. On 7 September 2015, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Joliette and installed on 4 November 2015. On 18 May 2018, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme, and assumed the pastoral governance of the Diocese on 20 May 2019, succeeding its former Bishop the Most Reverend Pierre Morissette. Bishop Poisson also currently serves as the Vice President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Diocese of Mont-Laurier has 16 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 77,965 served by 23 diocesan priests, three priests and five Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life, two permanent deacons, as well as ten lay pastoral assistants.


The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is the national assembly of the Bishops of Canada. It was founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948.

Source: Press Release CCCB