Sarah Pruys
Come Aug. 1, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church will have a new priest after Fr. Victor De Gagné, who was born and raised in Fort Frances, was appointed to serve here.
He currently is the associate pastor at St. Dominic Parish in Thunder Bay,
Fr. De Gagné, who is in his early 30s, began serving through involvement in St. Mary’s during his youth.
“I’d always been involved in my home parish as an altar server and in other capacities, so faith has always been a part of my life,” he noted.
“I went to St. Michael’s and St. Francis schools, and Fort Frances High School,” Fr. De Gagné added.
“St. Mary’s was my home parish, and that’s were I’m going back to.”
Fr. De Gagné said he was about 16 when he really felt called to the priesthood.
“It was when my first nephew was born, and just to hold him for the first time and see the new life that was there,” he recalled.
“And to know that, at that point in his life, he could go anywhere and do anything really challenged me to see what I was doing with my life and what I was being called to.
“So that’s when I really started to look at priesthood seriously and see what I was called to do with my life.”
After leaving Fort Frances, Fr. De Gagné went to St. Francis Xavier university in Antigonish, N.S., where he did his undergrad studies in philosophy and theology.
“I graduated from there in 2003 and then in the same year, I entered St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont. to do my Master’s of Divinity in my studies for priesthood,” he noted.
Seven years later, he graduated with his degree.
“It takes anywhere from five to 14 years,” Fr. De Gagné said. “There’s two components: there’s the academic side and there’s the pastoral ‘hands-on’ application.
“When it comes to the academic side, it’s a regular university degree with classes, tests, and papers,” he explained.
“On the pastoral side, we’re placed in parishes and we do different ministries in the church, like helping with baptism preparation, or with marriages, or visiting hospitals and nursing homes.
“It’s really a holistic approach to ministry because a lot of what we do is people-based and you need good people skills, and you need to know how to relate and communicate with people,” he stressed.
“You need to have the book smarts, but you also have to have a good sense of people and a good heart.
“During that time, you’ll really figure out if that’s what you’re being called to,” Fr. De Gagné added.
“When I entered in my first year, my class was 23 people, and then after the seven years we were a class of eight.”
His next step in life led him to Thunder Bay.
“On June 4, 2010, I was ordained here at the cathedral in Thunder Bay as priest by Bishop Colli,” Fr. De Gagné said. “My first appointment was here at St. Dominic’s Italian Parish in Thunder Bay.”
He then explained what changes made Fort Frances his next appointment just three years after being ordained.
“There was a big transfer of priests; there were a lot of priests who were retiring, or who were on loan to us from other places and they were being called back home,” he remarked.
“So that opened up various transfers that took place and I was asked to go to St. Mary’s in Fort Frances by Bishop Colli.
Fr. De Gagné said he’s excited about the transfer but, at the same time, admitted it’s a different dynamic because normally a priest is not sent back to his home parish.
“I know everyone [at St. Mary’s] on a personal level, so it’s going to be an interesting change,” he conceded. “I know the people, I know the town.
“I’ve always been in contact with people back home, so I know the issues and what’s happening,” Fr. De Gagné continued. “I know the struggles people are facing, especially with the uncertainty of the mill.
“I think I can speak to those issues because I have family that are affected.
“Sometimes it’s good to have someone that you can relate to and that you can know and that you can trust, that you can feel comfortable with, and that you can talk to,” he reasoned.
“I’m looking forward to coming home. It’s where my family is.”
But right before he starts here, Fr. De Gagné is off to Brazil.
“[On] July 17-30, I’m leading a group of [university-aged] youth to World Youth Day,” he noted.
“World Youth Day is an international gathering of Catholic youth from around the world, and it happens every two or three years.
“The Pope is present, and there are different meetings, workshops, times for prayer, and things like that,” Fr. De Gagné explained.
“It’s been a really great way to evangelize the youth, and give them a sense that they are part of the church and that they contribute to the life of the church.
“We get a lot of vocations for priesthood, and for the religious life, like nuns, that come from World Youth Day,” he added.
“There are a lot of fruits that come from it.
Fr. De Gagné said what’s exciting about this World Youth Day is that it’s going to be the first international visit of Pope Francis since he was elected to succeed Pope Benedict.
“It’s going to be interesting since it will be his first time back to South America since he’s been elected,” he said.
“They’re expecting anywhere from two-four million people to be there.
“It’s going to be exciting because I get to see Pope Francis and hear what he has to say,” Fr. De Gagné enthused.
“It’s going to be an interesting time and I’m looking forward to it.”
While he has helped organize and fundraise for these trips in the past, Fr. De Gagné said this is his first time actually going on the pilgrimage, so he’s looking forward to it.
Right afterwards, he will arrive back home—reinvigorated by his experiences and ready to start his new position here.
