Birth and Early Years
Born on November 8, 1916 at Saint-Rémi de Métis, Price, near Mont-Joli, Philippe was the eighth of a family of eighteen children. From an early age, he fostered the desire of becoming a priest, but he feared not being able to bring this project to fruition because of the growing number of mouths to feed. Providence was watching and with the help of a patron, he was able to undertake his classical studies at Chambly and then at the Rimouski Seminary. Finally, on June 29, 1942, he was ordained a priest.
Military Chaplain
It was wartime, and in the spring of 1944 Father Philippe Roy became a military chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces. He was sent first to Europe and then, a few years later, to Japan during the Korean War.
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Father Philippe Roy,
ordained on June 29,
1942, at Rimouski
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On more than one occasion, Padre
Philippe was decorated
for his loyal service.
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Those years of ministry with the Canadian Forces were years of blessings and the most enriching of experiences. On different occasions, “Padre Philippe”, as he was known, received a number of decorations for his loyal service.
In the Service of the Rimouski Diocese
Having returned to Canada, he began, in 1952, a ministry of seventeen years as chaplain in the Marine Institute in Rimouski. At the same time, he had other responsibilities: retreat master, organist at the cathedral, chaplain to the ambulance attendants, confessor to the Ursulines and to other communities, etc.
Unfortunately, as of 1957, a frail health caused him to be hospitalized frequently and, on two occasions, he received the sacrament of the sick. His sufferings were so intense that he asked to die, but the Lord had other plans for him.
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The Army of Mary, A Providential Work
At the beginning of 1972, having learned from a lady of the existence of the Army of Mary, Father Philippe became interested in this Work, the divine origin of which he quickly discerned. He gave himself completely to this Marian cause which he promoted in Rimouski.
“... The Sheep Follow Him...”
In the Army of Mary, a blessing is offered to those who desire it, accompanied by a holy picture drawn at random which impresses, through its timeliness or its symbolism, those who receive it. Thus it is that members of the Work become Sons or Daughters of Mary.
On May 1, 1972, Father Philippe received this blessing in a petition to heaven in order that “he may become the greatest Director and Defender of the Marian Work”. The holy card drawn at random was eloquent: set in an Italian decor, the Via Appia Antica, the sheep follow the Shepherd. The thought on the bottom was quite appropriate: “he goes before them, and they follow him because they know his voice”.
Director General of the Army of Mary
On November 4, 1972, he accepted the responsibility of “Director General” of the Work. He awakened hearts, elevated souls and drew them to God, under Mary’s banner. Many referred to him as “Father Philippe” because of his very paternal attitude towards all. The name would stick. He gave of himself without cease, giving catechism courses, first recorded and distributed on audio cassettes and then later on video cassettes.
He was often laid low by illness. “FIAT”, he would always say during the long days of sickness, for suffering exalted him, in the sense that he was happy to be able to suffer in all his being so as to redeem souls.
Father Philippe, Marian Father
Full of humor and endowed with a lovely simplicity, he gave himself completely to the Army of Mary in Quebec and elsewhere, leaving everywhere the image and memory of a holy man, as great as he thought himself little. In 1984, as part of the Pilgrimage of the Apocalypse, during a solemn ceremony of the Army of Mary in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, he was named “Marian Father” of Mary’s Work, a mystery, the grandeur of its mission only to be understood later.
But if he smiled a lot, he suffered still a lot more. Because of his health, yes, but more often because of the state of the world and religion. What suffering for this keenly sensitive priest face to face with so much moral and spiritual misery. What agony to see that the authorities of a Church he so dearly loved refused Mary’s Work, the benefits of which were manifest in souls and of which he could give witness.
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Father Philippe, Marian Father
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Despite a weakened health, he experienced the tremendous joy of participating in the first ceremony of ordination to the priesthood of nine Sons of Mary on May 30, 1987.
After a full life, he died suddenly on the morning of February 22, 1988, shortly after having celebrated Mass in honor of the Chair of Peter, the feast of the day.
A Radiant Human Being
The memories Father Philippe left behind strengthen the ardor of souls who wish to climb to the summits, for his radiant being allowed us to discover a soul through which God’s presence can be perceived.
The complex Spiri-Maria at Lac-Etchemin was inaugurated in the year 2000, a Center for perpetual adoration and spiritual retreats. Father Philippe’s memory is also perpetuated there through a little museum known as the “Philippe Roy Pavillon”, which reproduces his living quarters at the International Center of the Army of Mary in Quebec.
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A souvenir album, Père Philippe Roy, Père Marial [Father Philippe Roy, Marian Father] (Éditions La Famille des Fils et Filles de Marie, Quebec, 128 pages), gives an account of Father Philippe’s life. It contains more than 148 photos or drawings and is available (in French only at this time) through the store «Le Rosier d’Or» or by C.O.D. order.
All rights of reproduction, translation and adaptation reserved, for all countries.
© 1998 - MARIE-PAULE, VIE D’AMOUR INC., Quebec, Canada
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