Vital-Justin Grandin

Arriving in Manitoba in 1854, he first worked at Fort Chipewyan and then at Île-à-la-Crosse, learning Indigenous languages. Appointed coadjutor bishop of Saint-Boniface at age 28 by Pius IX, he was consecrated in 1859. In 1871, he became the first bishop of Saint-Albert. He traveled in Europe and America to fund his diocese, supported the creation of residential schools for the integration of Indigenous people (a policy criticized today), and defended the rights of the Métis while opposing the Louis Riel rebellion in 1885.

Nicknamed the "lousy bishop" because of his voluntary poverty and his life shared with the most destitute, Bishop Grandin left a mark on his contemporaries through his humility and piety. After his death on June 3, 1902, in Saint-Albert, his reputation for holiness grew. The diocesan inquiry for his beatification opened in Edmonton in 1930, and his cause was officially introduced in Rome in 1937, supported by more than 13,000 pages of his writings.

On December 15, 1966, Pope Paul VI promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, conferring upon him the title of "Venerable." Although several favors and unexplained healings have been attributed to his intercession (such as the healing of a religious brother injured in 1958 or the remission of twins suffering from cystic fibrosis), no miracle has yet been officially approved by the Holy See to allow for his beatification.

His spirituality is based on trust in Divine Providence and Marian devotion, illustrated by his motto "Infirma mundi elegit Deus". His legacy is contrasted today: once celebrated as a builder of the Church in Western Canada, his role in promoting residential schools for Indigenous people has led to a critical re-evaluation of his memory and the renaming of several public places bearing his name to foster reconciliation.