The Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP) will have a new apostolate in the Archdiocese of Moncton, in eastern Canada, where Father Juan-Pablo Donoso will carry out his ministry among the faithful attached to the traditional liturgy. The metropolitan archbishop, Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., has publicly welcomed the priest and imparted his apostolic blessing, expressing his full pastoral support for the new chapter beginning in the diocese.
In a message dated July 19 and published by the Moncton Traditional Latin Mass Society, Desrochers expressly placed the Catholics who follow the traditional Roman rite within the flock entrusted to his pastoral care. The arrival of Father Donoso will make it possible to offer stable attention to these faithful of the Canadian archdiocese.
The Archbishop Welcomes the New Apostolate
“As bishop of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Moncton, I consider that all Catholics, whether practicing or not, whether they follow the ancient Latin rite of the Mass or the rite reformed since Vatican II, form part of the one flock that Jesus entrusts to me,” Desrochers stated.
The archbishop explained that his mission, exercised together with priests and deacons, consists in “governing, sanctifying, and teaching” the faithful in order to lead them toward the Kingdom of God.
Desrochers also expressly imparted his blessing to the new priest: “I give my apostolic blessing to Father Donoso and pray that, in his ministry, he may be for you a living witness of the love and mercy of God.”
The prelate asked that the priest be “a beacon of divine light and spiritual consolation” for the faithful entrusted to his pastoral care. At the end of his message he addressed him directly once more: “Welcome to our diocese, Father Donoso! May he bear many spiritual fruits in his priestly ministry.”
A Chilean Priest of the Institute of the Good Shepherd
Juan-Pablo Donoso was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1986 and earned a law degree from the University of Chile. In 2013 he began his priestly formation at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Seminary in France, belonging to the Institute of the Good Shepherd.
He was later assigned to Colombia and completed his studies in Canon Law in Madrid. He speaks Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English.
The Institute of the Good Shepherd is a society of apostolic life of pontifical right erected in 2006, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI. The institute’s distinctive identity includes the use of the traditional liturgical books of the Roman rite.
Read also: The Institute of the Good Shepherd re-elects Father Luis Gabriel Barrero as Superior General
Desrochers Calls for Unity Among the Faithful
In his message on the occasion of the arrival of the IBP priest, Desrochers also devoted a significant portion to the unity of the Catholics of the archdiocese, both those who attend the traditional liturgy and those who participate in the reformed rite.
The archbishop asked that all remain “united as one family” through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, “living in divine charity and mutual respect at all times.”
To support his exhortation, he cited the words of Christ recorded in the Gospel of Saint John: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13, 34-35).
The welcome of the new apostolate in Moncton thus allows the Institute of the Good Shepherd to expand its pastoral presence in North America and to offer stable priestly care to the faithful of the archdiocese attached to the traditional liturgy.