Its last two members, Father Serge Laverdure, C.Ss.R., and Brother Jacques Desjardins, C.Ss.R., left Montreal on September 23 to join the Redemptorist community in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

After the closure of Saint-Alphonse-d’Youville in 2010, the Redemptorists moved in 2011 to the large rectory of Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire Church, where they rented space. The rectory then became a community residence where at least thirteen confreres lived. The third floor of the rectory also served as a novitiate and scholasticate for the former Province of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. After moving into the rectory, the Redemptorists continued their pastoral presence in Montreal by ministering to the parish of Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire and its churches: Sainte-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus, Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand, Saint-Thomas-Apôtre, and Saint-Alphonse. Among the Redemptorists who have served in Montreal and its surrounding areas over the years are the last two members of this community, as well as Father Bernard Gauthier, C.Ss.R., Father Jean Carlo François, C.Ss.R., Father Pierre Tran Minh Bach, C.Ss.R., and Father Viller Constanvil, C.Ss.R. (currently pastor of a Redemptorist parish in Haiti), Father Paul-André Bouchard, C.Ss.R.†, Father Raymond Desjardins, C.Ss.R.†, Brother Gilles Marion, C.Ss.R.†, and Father Régis Pellerin.

In 2017, due to a reduction in staff, the community moved into the former rectory of Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand Church, located at 7950, rue Marquette.

During its final years, the community house in Montreal also served as a place of hospitality, welcoming primarily fellow brothers who were visiting the city or stopping there while traveling elsewhere, as well as anyone in need of a place to rest. As Father Laverdure explained in an email, the community’s intention was to make this house a welcoming place for everyone. Indeed, despite its small number of members, the community remained actively engaged in various forms of ministry. Brother Desjardins, a musician, played the organ on Sundays at two churches, while Father Laverdure assisted with pastoral ministry in French and Spanish and provided translation services for the court. Together, they also celebrated Mass on Saturdays at a retirement home in Laval.

The closure of the house on Marquette Street thus marks the end of an important chapter in the Redemptorists’ presence in Montreal, which has spanned more than 150 years. Although the community has now left the premises, the hospitality and pastoral care provided by our confreres will be remembered as an important aspect of the Redemptorists’ presence in the city.