Bishop Thomas Dowd of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie announced today that he has appointed a new Vicar General for the Diocese. Fr. Roch Martin, currently Pastor of St. Jean-de-Brebeuf Church in Sudbury, takes on the new position effective August 1.
A vicar general is a priest who assists the Bishop in the governance of a diocese and has the authority to act on behalf of the Bishop. On his appointment, the vicar general becomes the highest-ranking official of a diocese after the Bishop.
Fr. Roch Martin, ordained a Catholic priest in 1995, has served many churches around the Greater Sudbury area. “I was surprised that the Bishop thought of me for this particular appointment, I did not expect this at all,” said Fr. Martin from his parish in Sudbury, “I gladly accepted with the condition that the Bishop will guide and support me so I can learn this role and serve the people of the Diocese in the best way.”
The position of Vicar General has been vacant since May 2020, when the former Bishop of the Diocese, Marcel Damphousse was appointed Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall.
