FATHER LIONEL BOUVIER

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FATHER LIONEL BOUVIER 1927 - 2011 Father Lionel has fulfilled the purpose of his life: One thing I ask of the Lord: this I seek to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life Psalm 27, v.4. During his 59 years of priest-hood, serving God in the Catholic Church, Father Lionel worked to bring to the Lord all those to whom he ministered. His wish was to help all those he contacted attain the same dream he lived: to know, to love and to serve God and be in his House for all eternity. He was born in 1927 in St. Boniface, son of Albert Bouvier and Diane Huberdeau. His sister Stella and brother René preceded him in the House of our Father. He leaves to mourn his niece and four nephews, and especially Jacqueline Champagne, his sister in the Lord. All his education took place in St. Boniface and in French, which he was very proud. Ordained a priest in 1952 by Archbishop Cabana, Father Lionel began his ministry at Holy Cross, then in 1953 was loaned to the Saskatoon diocese where he ministered at Vonda and St. Denis parishes. Recalled by Archbishop Baudoux to be the Director of Catholic Action of the diocese which brought him in contact with all the schools in the diocese, teachers and most catholic organizations. In 1960, he was called to St. Emile Parish in St. Vital. That same year, he founded St. Emile Catholic School to enable the children to know and love God to obtain a place in the House of our Father. He chose for the school motto Laudate Pueri Dominum May the children praise the Lord . His Jesuit formation is visible in his motto. Confronted by the grave injustice, unknown by the majority of Manitobans, that unlike the public school students, the students of private schools were not entitled to schoolbooks or rides on the buses. Based on the principle that you change a situation not by taking but by creating a situation that demands a solution. To force the government to act, to inform the citizens of this grave injustice in 1963-1964, Father Lionel encouraged six families and 21 students who chose to go on strike for three and one-half months (the greatest student strike in the history of the North America) to obtain transportation and books for all the students of Manitoba. History proves that it is their heroic actions that facilitated the passage in the Legislature of the Shared Services Act . All the private schools must know and remember what they owe to these 21 of St. Emile. Assigned as pastor of St. Pierre Parish, he dedicated 20 years of his priest-hood. His priority and ideal was to lead God's people to the meeting with HIM. From 1989 to 2009, six months a year, he was at the service of the St. Bonaventure Church in Huntington Beach, California. Father Bruce Patterson, the pastor wrote in the parish bulletin: When I think of Father Lionel, I think of someone who has a passion for Christ, the Church and the Eucharist... his actions were motivated by a deep longing that everyone experience the Eucharist as the most profound intimate encounter possible with the Lord. As he is fond of saying, mass is a meeting with Jesus . Father Lionel claimed that he had four tickets to heaven: weak heart, Hepatitis C, abdominal aneurysm, and pancreatic cancer. His last ticket was cashed in on January 12, 2011. The family would like to thank the staff and doctors at the St. Boniface Hospital Palliative Care Unit for their compassion and care shown to Father Lionel. Prayers were said at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 16 at the St. Emile Roman Catholic Church, 556 St. Anne's Road. Funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 17 at the St. Boniface Cathedral with Msgr. Albert LeGatt presiding. Interment to follow at the St. Boniface Cathedral Cemetery. Condolences may be made to www.desjardinsfuneralchapel.ca. DESJARDINS 233-4949 1-888-233-4949

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 17, 2011