Grandin, O.M.I., Vital Justin, 1829-1902

• Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin

Vital Justin Grandin was born in 1829 at St. Pierre-la-Cour, Brittany, the ninth child in a family of fourteen. After spending some years in a secular seminary he joined the Oblates in 1851 and was ordained by the founder, Bishop Mazenod in 1854. He arrived in St. Boniface in November 1854 and spent some months learning local Indian languages. In spring 1855 he left with Bishop Tache for Ile-a-la-Crosse by Hudson Bay barge and then on to Trinity Mission on Lake Athabaska.
In 1857 at the age of 28 he was made titular Bishop of Salata and coadjutor to Bishop Tache. In 1871 St. Boniface became a Metropolitan Province and Bishop Grandin was made Bishop of the Diocese of St. Albert. He was Oblate Vicar of the Diocese with 15 priests and Bothers under him. In 1897 Bishop Emil Legal became his coadjutor. In 1929 the Canonical process was begun for his beatification.

St. Pierre-la-Cour, Brittany

Bishop
Coadjutor Bishop

Created 2017-09-29; Revised 2021-04-01