Pope Francis has appointed Father Claude Hamelin as auxiliary bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, Quebec.
At the time of his appointment, the bishop-elect was vicar general of the same diocese.
Along with Auxiliary Bishop Louis Dicaire, he will assist Bishop Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., who is also currently the vice president of the Canadian episcopal conference.
Claude Hamelin was born July 10, 1951, in Sherrington, Quebec, and was educated at the Collège Saint-Jean-Vianney in Montreal. He did his theological formation at the Université de Montréal, from which he obtained a Master's degree in Pastoral Theology in 1976. In 1982, he completed a licentiate in Moral Theology from the Alphonsianum Academy, which is part of the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. On December 3, 1977, he was ordained priest for the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil. He served as animator of pastoral care for high schools, 1975 to 1990, in Saint-Hubert, Boucherville and Saint-Lambert. From 1990 to 2000, he was Priest Moderator of Saint-Marc de Candiac Parish.
From 2000 to 2015, the new Bishop held several positions as part of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil: he was responsible for its committee for the ministry of priests and deacons, Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral regions, director of human resources, Moderator of the Diocesan Curia and since 2010, vicar general.
According to the CCCB 2015 Directory, the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil has 46 parishes and missions, with a population of 553,470 Catholics, served by 62 diocesan priests, 36 priests who are members of religious institutes, four permanent deacons, 332 religious Sisters and Brothers, and 90 lay pastoral workers.
