Some hard years for outgoing bishop, but no regrets

Leading the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie for nearly 29 years has had its ups and downs, but Jean-Louis Plouffe said it's been mostly a wonderful experience.

Plouffe has resigned as bishop upon reaching the age of 75, as required by church policy, although he remains the administrator of the diocese until January, when his successor arrives and is installed.

That successor is the fluently bilingual, 52-year-old Bishop Marcel Damphousse, who is originally from Manitoba. Damphousse moved to the Cornwall area three years ago to become Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall.

The Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, which spans 1,200 kilometres, serves the districts of West Nipissing, Sudbury, Manitoulin Island and Algoma.

“I never thought I would have been called to be a bishop when I was a priest, but I would say to any other brother bishop that comes after me, if you want to become a bishop, this is the diocese to be in,” Plouffe said.

“The hard times, they hurt. They always leave something — there's scars there. It makes you pull together more closely and to be more focused on what you stand for.”

Some of the hard times he's referring to is the sexual abuse that's occurred throughout the Catholic church and even within the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, although prior to Plouffe's arrival.

“It hurts the bishop, the priests, all the people — people who have established a close connection with the church and the people who have distanced themselves from the church,” he said.

He said the church now stresses proper behaviour, and has a strict screening process for not only priests, but laypeople.

It was also during Plouffe's term that the tragedy of abuse at Indian Residential Schools came to light. These schools, in many cases, were run by the Roman Catholic church and other Christian churches.

Plouffe said the church has worked hard to improve its relationship with the aboriginal population, and to respect their culture. “We've learned quite a bit, growing in a more trusting relationship,” he said.

It's also the case that because less people are attending church now, Plouffe has presided over several church closures, and the amalgamation of parishes.

He said he hopes the changes he made were ultimately for the better, and have allowed the church to become more focused.

But it won't just be the difficult times that Plouffe remembers. He said he loves the spirit of Northern Ontario, and the way people work together to make great things happen.

One of the happiest events of Plouffe's term was a jubilee held on Easter in the year 2000 at the Sudbury Arena.

“We packed the arena,” he said. “We celebrated this beautiful Easter celebration ... Not too many dioceses would have had this, but it was possible in Sudbury. It was great.”

So what does Plouffe plan to do in his retirement? He said he'll move back to Ottawa, where he was born and raised, and has family, although he doesn't discount the possibility of eventually returning to Sudbury.

He said because he's been here for nearly 29 years, it's best for him to move away for awhile and give his successor the space he needs. “It's best for me to disappear for a little while,” he said.