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By Fannie Dionne
In the 1880s, Jesuits encouraged French-speaking Catholic families—who had come to work on the railway or in logging camps—to gather in the modest parish of Notre-Dame-des-Pins, founded by Father Jean-Baptiste Nolin, SJ, in what would become the city of Sudbury. More than 140 years later, the Jesuits are preparing to leave the region and, as Father Ronald Perron, SJ, points out, they are entrusting to the laity the work of incarnating the Ignatian charism.
This move is consistent with the spirit expressed by Provincial Jeffrey Burwell, SJ, who has invited the Jesuits to “be free and courageous,” like St. Ignatius, who never feared embracing change in order to better serve the mission.
In a tribute to the Jesuits at Sainte-Anne-des-Pins in March 2025, Dominique Chivot (a retired history teacher) noted that the departure of the Jesuits signifies the end of an era: “not only for the Jesuit community but also for the Sudbury community and, in particular, for the Christian community.”
Fr. Perron was present at this tribute, having worked for more than fifty years in Sudbury as a teacher, director of a student residence, police chaplain, pastoral care coordinator and secretary general of the University of Sudbury. He is currently responding to calls for the sacrament of the sick and offering the Spiritual Exercises before he joins the team at Martyrs’ Shrine in June. His various apostolates testify to the diversity of Jesuit work and impact in Sudbury, as does the 2025 Civic Award he received from the City of Greater Sudbury.
Here, Fr. Perron shares with us some of his memories and experiences of consolation connected to this place. For him, the most profound legacy left by the Jesuits is the spiritual formation of laypeople. In return, the community, through the voice of Mr. Chivot, expresses its “deep gratitude for the immense legacy that the Jesuits have left us here in Sudbury.” Thus, through the establishment of Christian Life Communities (CLC) and the formation of spiritual accompaniers, the Ignatian spirit has been widely shared and now carries on the Jesuit heritage and charism.
The Jesuits are preparing to leave the region and, as Father Ronald Perron, SJ, points out, they are entrusting to the laity the work of incarnating the Ignatian charism.
The University of Sudbury: A Jesuit Project That Serves the North
Education is at the heart of the Society of Jesus’ work in the Sudbury region. The Collège Sacré-Cœur, founded by the Jesuits, became the University of Sudbury in 1957. When tensions between Francophones and Anglophones prevented the institution from receiving funding, the priests decided to pay the multimillion dollar mortgage themselves. In 1960, the university merged to form Laurentian University, an association that was dissolved in 2021.
The Jesuits founded most of the departments at the University of Sudbury as well as taught there. Their collaborative work with others made it possible to reach many otherwise marginalised groups. “Several correspondence courses reached Francophone students across Canada,” notes Fr. Perron. He also explains that, beginning in 1975, the Jesuits supported the creation of one of the first Indigenous studies departments in Canada, thanks to James Dumont, an Anishinaabe leader, and Ed Newbury, an Anglican priest committed to Indigenous communities. “Indigenous history was taught by Indigenous people.” This innovative approach extended to prisons, where courses were offered to provide spiritual accompaniment to Indigenous prisoners.
The Jesuits supported the creation of one of the first Indigenous studies departments in Canada
Today, Serge Miville, a layperson, is leading the university’s transformation into a French-language institution to serve the northern communities. Fr. Perron explains the project: “It is becoming a French-speaking university that is linked to the University of Ottawa in order to respond to human, cultural and spiritual needs.” Support for the Anishnabeg of Wiikwemkoong, in particular, continues with this new initiative.
Spiritual Accompaniment: From the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre to Villa Loyola
The Jesuits have also been innovative in the area of spiritual accompaniment. The Anishinabe Spiritual Centre, founded by Mike Murray, SJ, has formed Indigenous leaders, including women, through the Diocesan Order of Service (DOS). This order, unique to the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, is open to anyone who wishes to make a long-term commitment to the service of the Church. DOS members serve their communities through pastoral care, liturgical leadership, wake services, and sacramental preparation. Links have also been established with Regis College, the Jesuit school of theology in Canada, for the formation of leaders. Today, the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre has been entrusted to the Indigenous communities themselves and to the diocese, and the Jesuit mission will continue in a different form.
An hour’s drive away, the Jesuits also founded Villa Loyola Spirituality Centre. Located on a former farm, it was first purchased by the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Pins and then by the Jesuits. Once a place for relaxation and picnics, the site has become a space where seekers of meaning can still make Ignatian retreats today.
Serving the Community: A Multifaceted Mission
The impact of the Jesuits in Sudbury extends beyond education and spirituality, with deep roots in Greater Sudbury’s Francophone community. Until the creation of the Jesuits of Canada, these Jesuits were part of the Jesuit Province of French Canada. Professor Gaétan Gervais explains: “No one can dispute the fact that if there is a Francophone population in Sudbury today, and if a Francophone culture continues to thrive in Northern Ontario, we owe it first and foremost to the religious communities. Here in Sudbury and Northern Ontario, we owe it above all to the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa and the Jesuits.”
According to Fr. Perron, one person who exemplifies this impact is his fellow Jesuit Albert Régimbal, SJ, who “had a particularly significant influence.” In the 1950s, he made a lasting impression by digging, with the help of young people, a basement under St. Andrew’s Church, where the Cité du Christ was created—Sudbury’s first youth centre, which also organized activities on the shores of Lake Nipissing. Fr. Régimbal was also involved in the Catholic labour movement and in the establishment of cooperatives.
Other Jesuits, such as Fernand Doré, SJ, and André Girard, SJ, also worked with laypeople on cultural projects, such as promoting theatre, events like la Nuit sur l’étang, literature, and the launch of the publication Le Voyageur. According to Fr. Perron, “It was a newspaper that fostered Francophone pride.” This Francophone cultural movement, in which several Jesuits participated, continues today through the Carrefour francophone de Sudbury. The impact of the Jesuits was recognized again in 2024 with the presentation of the Billochet du jongleur award for their significant contribution to the preservation of oral heritage and the promotion of Franco-Ontarian culture.
The Grotto: A Place for Prayer and Peace
The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is dear to the heart of Fr. Perron, who served there as chaplain. “When people ask me if there are miracles at the Grotto, I tell them that the mountain itself is a miracle. The fact that the community came together to create this oasis of encounter is the miracle. It is a great consolation.”
The sanctuary was built little by little starting in 1907, thanks to the contributions of various members of the community. Fr. Perron contributed by installing a contemporary statue representing the world’s great spiritual traditions, surmounted by a bird of peace. “If spiritual traditions could live together in peace, perhaps there would be more peace in the world.”
In his tribute, Mr. Chivot noted: “Through all that they have accomplished, the Jesuits have shown us that being Christian means reconciling our faith with our civic duty to be engaged in society… This is an important aspect of the living legacy that the Jesuits pass on to us today.” As they leave Sudbury, the Jesuits are not disappearing, they are simply passing the torch.
