Our founder

1904

Paul-Émile Léger is born on April 26 in Valleyfield, Quebec.

1925

He enters the Grand Séminaire de Montréal.

1929-1932

He is ordained to the priesthood by the Montréal Archbishop. Paul-Émile Léger then joins the Society of Saint-Sulpice, entering its novitiate in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. Blessed with great communication skills, he becomes professor at the Catholic Institute of Paris.

1933-1939

His dream of becoming a missionary is realized when his superiors send him to Japan to create a seminary. Within six months, he has mastered the language and delivers his first homilies in Japanese. He is only 29 years old.

1939

The Second World War breaks and Paul-Émile Léger must leave Japan.

1940-1947

Back in Canada, he is named Vicar General of the Valleyfield diocese.

1947-1950

Paul-Émile Léger returns to Europe where he works as Rector of the Pontifical Canadian College in Rome.

1948

Seeing how war had devastated Europe, he creates his first endeavour, The Gold Cross. Through its interventions, Italian, French and German children receive entire boatloads of food and other goods donated by Canadians.

1950

Paul-Émile Léger returns to Canada. Pope Pius XII names him Archbishop of Montréal. From that moment until 1967, he will host Le chapelet en famille, a radio program inviting families to pray the rosary that is broadcast on CKAC.

1953

He is the first bishop of Montreal to be named Cardinal. He pursues his many commitments to the most destitute. Using his ability to mobilize people, he creates La Grande corvée de Montréal to help build and renovate institutions that help the population.

1963

First stay in Africa, where he visits Canadian missions. Touched by the suffering of leprosy patients, he returns to Canada and raises funds to improve their care. This endeavour, which was then called Fame Pereo, will bring financial aid to 82 leprosaria in 22 African countries.

1967

Paul-Émile Léger does something unprecedented in the history of the Church: he renounces his Archbishop title to become missionary in Africa. On December 11, he leaves Montreal for Cameroon.

1967-1979

He works to develop clinics, hospitals, schools and orphanages in several African countries.

1979

Back in Montreal, he pursues his mission helping the disadvantaged, despite his fledging health. He visits his loyal partners who now work on three continents, and caters to the needs of the disadvantaged in Canada.

1991

Paul-Émile Léger dies on November 13, after a remarkable life dedicated to others, leaving three very active international endeavours, three endeavours in Quebec and one serving both the international and Quebec community. These endeavours will carry on his mission, fighting misery and promoting peace.

Medals and Honours :

Companion of the Order of Canada (1968)
www.gg.ca/honours
Honorary degrees (Law, Humane Letters or Theology) from several universities, among them:
The University of Alberta
Bishop’s University
Concordia University
Université Laval
McGill University
L’Université de Montréal
The University of Ottawa
L’Université de Sherbrooke
The University of Toronto
L’Université du Québec

Grand Officer of the Ordre national du Québec (1985)
www.ordre-national.gouv.qc.ca

Pearson Peace Medal, the very first one ever awarded by the United Nations Association in Canada (1979)
www.unac.org

For more information on Paul-Émile Léger:

Books (in French)
Coffret Paul-Émile Léger, Micheline Lachance, Les Éditions de l’Homme, 2000, ISBN
9782761916059.
This set contains two books:
Tome 1, Paul-Émile léger – Le Prince de l’Église (1904-1967)
Tome 2, Paul-Émile léger – Le dernier voyage (1967-1991)
www.edhomme.com

Websites (in French)
http://archives.radio-canada.ca
www.diocesemontreal.org