Armand Fournier smm
Armand M. Fournier
Montfortian priest (also Montfortian Fathers, Montfortain Fathers). Ordained 1954. In 1964 founded a n 80 acre camp for boys age 7 to 15. The camp, Camp de l’Amitié. (Camp Friendship), is situated on 80 acres of land in Val Des Bois, Quebec, a fairly short drive from Ottawa, Ontario. July 2011 lawsuit launched by man alleging abuse at the camp between 1970 and 1974
The camp as it is now advertised on the internet
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Archbishops of the Archdiocese of Ottawa during Father Fournier’s years in the archdiocese: Marie-Joseph Lemieux, O.P. (29 June 1953 – 24 September 1966) ; Joseph-Aurèle Plourde (02 January 1967 – September 1989) ; Marcel André J. Gervais (Coadjutor Archbishop: 13 May 1989 – Archbishop: 27 Sep 1989 – 14 May 2007)
Auxiliary Bishops: Paul-Émile Charbonneau (15 November 1960 – 21 May 1963); Joseph Raymond Windle (15 November 1960 to 23 Jan 1969); René Audet (21 May 1963 – 03 January 1968); John Michael Beahen (11 May 1977 to 14 March 1988); Gilles Bélisle (11 May 1977 – 19 August 1993); Frederick Joseph Colli (19 December 1994 – 02 February 1999); Paul Marchand, S.M.M. (31 May 1993 to 08 March 1999)
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The following information is drawn from Canadian Catholic Directories (CCCD) of that date, the 1980 Ontario Catholic Directory (OCD) and the lawsuit (L)
05 May 2000: Died at age 71
2000, 1999, 1998, 1997: address and phone number for Notre Dames de Lourdes Roman Catholic Church (Pastor Father Maurice Leblanc smm) (CCCD)
1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991: address and phone number for Notre Dames de Lourdes Roman Catholic Church (Pastor Father Gaetan Ouimet ssm) (CCCD)
1985-85: address and phone number for Notre Dames de Lourdes Roman Catholic Church (Pastor Father Maurice Leblanc smm) (CCCD)
1980: “in residence at Notre Dames de Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, Ottawa, Ontario (Fathers G. Gendron smm, C. Leduc smm, L.M. Dion smm, – and “In residence” Fathers A. M. Fournier, H.M. Guidon, J. Changon smm, L. Philibert smm, M. Burke smm) (OCD)
1971 – 1974: 2011 lawsuit alleges sex abuse of a young boy at the camp during these years. The boy was age 9 or 10 when the abuse began. According to the lawsuit the camp was run by Fournier with assistance of counsellors and young people from the church (L)
1973-74, 1971-72: address and phone number for Notre Dames de Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, Ottawa, Ontario (Pastor Father Lucien Nourry ssm) (CCCD)
1968-69: address and phone number for Notre Dames de Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, Ottawa, Ontario (Pastor Father Charles Lavoie ssm) (CCCD)
1964: founded Camp de l’Amitié in Val Des Bois, Quebec. According to Statement of Claim the camp was founded to allow boys age 7 to 15 to experience outdoors activities. in Quebec. (Camp Friendship) (L)
1955-63: taught at a college in Papineauville, Que., run by the Montfortian Fathers (this is the college attended by Bishop Paul Marchand smm. I believe Fournier would have been on staff for at least the last two years of Marchand’s attendance. Marchand served as pastor at Notre Dames de Lourdes from around 1987 to 1990 (Fournier was at the church throughout those years). Marchand served as Provincial Superior of the Montfort Fathers from 1900-1993 at which time he was consecrated bishop.
Marchand, now deceased, served first as an Auxiliary Bishop in Ottawa (1993-1999) and Bishop of Timmins, Ontario until his death in 2000.
08 December 1954: ORDAINED
15 August 1949: professed
1928: born in Montreal, Quebec
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Court File No. 11-51958
ONTARIO
SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE
BETWEEN:
XXXXX
XXXXX and XXXXX
Plaintiffs
- and -
LE CERCLE DE L’AMITIE N.D.L. (VANIER) INC. also known as
CAMP DE L’AMITIE, PAUL MARCIL, MYRIAM POTVIN,
THE ESTATE OF FATHER ARMAND FOURNIER,
LES PERES MONTFORTAINS also known as The Company of Mary,
and THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CORPORATION OF THE EPISCOPAL
ARCHDIOCESE OF OTTAWA
Defendants
STATEMENT OF CLAIM
[……]
7. The perpetrator, Father Armand Fournier (“Fournier) is deceased and was at all material times a Priest at Notre Dame De Lourdes Church in Vanier, Ontario. At all material times to this action, Fournier was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church and was employed by and under the control and direction of the Defendant, the Roman Catholic Corporation of the Episcopal Archdiocese of Ottawa. Fournier was also an owner and director of the Defendant, Le Cercle De L’Amitie N.D.L. (Vanier) Inc. (also known as Camp De L’Amitie).
8. The Defendant, Les Peres Montfortains, is a Roman Catholic missionary community. “Fournier” was a priest within the community.
9. The Defendant, Roman Catholic Corporation of the Episcopal Archdiocese of Ottawa (“Archdiocese”) is a body corporate having its head office in the City ofOttawa, in theProvinceofOntario. The Archdiocese carries out the religious charitable and educational purposes and uses of the Roman Catholic Church within the Archdiocese, (including the appointment, control and direction of its parish priests, such as the Defendant Fournier.
10. The Archdiocese had a duty of care to its parishioners owing to the close proximity of its priests to the lives of the parishioners as well as the level of trust and faith which the parishioners and others extended to the Archdiocese, its priests and employees. Fournier also owed a duty of care the Plaintiff.
11. The Plaintiff states that as a child he was a member of the Notre Dame De Lourdes Parish in Vanier,Ontario, and attended church every Sunday with his mother. Fournier was the priest of the church at that time.
12. The Plaintiff states that between 1970 and 1974 he attended a summer camp known as Camp De L’Amitie located in Val Des Bois,Quebec. The Camp was established as a youth camp for boys between the ages of 7 and 15, so they could experience outdoor activities. At all material times the Camp was run by Fourier who was assisted by counsellors and younger people from the church.
13. The Plaintiff states that activities at the Camp included swimming, hiking, crafts, horse-back riding and movies in the evening. Fourinier oversaw the activities.
14. The Plaintiff states that the Camp had two dormitories in which the boys slept. There was one large dormitory which accommodated approximately eighty boys in bunk beds, and a second small dormitory which accommodated approximately sixteen to twenty beds. The counsellors and Fournier would do rounds at night to check on the children.
15. The Plaintiff states that he attended Camp for four years in a row. During the first three years he was repeatedly assaulted sexually by Fournier who would go to the Plaintiff’s bedside after the lights were out and sexually fondle the Plaintiff inappropriately.
16. The Plaintiff states he first attended Camp in or about 1971. He was 9 or 10 years of age. During the first year he was assaulted by Fournier four or five times. Fournier would go to the Plaintiff’s bedside and initially stare at him. He then sat next to the Plaintiff on the bed. He uncovered the Plaintiff, pulled down his underwear and started fondling his genitals and penis. The Plaintiff states that Fournier never said a word. He would start to breathe heavier and squeeze the Plaintiff harder and harder, so much so that it would hurt the Plaintiff. Fournier would then pull up the Plaintiff’s underwear, cover him up and leave.
17. The Plaintiff states that he was similarly assaulted by Fournier the following year in or about 1972 when he attended Camp, but on a much more frequent basis. During the second year, the Plaintiff slept in an upper bunk bed. Fournier stood next to his bed when he assaulted the Plaintiff.
18. During his third year at Camp in or about 1973, the Plaintiff states that he was again similarly assaulted by Fournier. The assaults occurred almost nightly.
19. In or about 1974, the Plaintiff attended Camp for his fourth and final year….Fournier did not assault the Plaintiff during his final year at Camp
[......]
Tierney Stauffer LLP
[filed by Frank C. Tierney]
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N o t r e D a m e — A n H i s t o r i c a l C e m e t e r y
Catholic Ottawa, Fall & Winter 2009
Ottawa Notre DameCemetery: An Historic Cemetery of National Importance Established in 1872 (Québec, Les Éditions GID, 2009), written by Jean Yves Pelletier, is now available in both English and French. Created in 1872 by Most Reverend Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues, first Bishop of Bytown, and designed according to plans made by Father Georges Bouillon, this cemetery is the most important Catholic cemetery in the National Capital Region. Almost 123,000 people are buried there.
The work contains an historical overview of the cemetery and paints a portrait of almost 200 men and women who, for the most part, played an important role. The graves of many well known personalities are found in this cemetery, for instance, the one of Lydia Branda (Mother Mary Thomas Aquinas), founder of Sœurs de l’Institut Jeanne d’Arc, and of Rose-deLima Dauth (Mother Julie), founder of Petites Filles de Saint-Joseph. Among priests, we find the graves of Msgr. JosephOnésime Routhier, long-time Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Ottawa, of Canon Fran-çois-Xavier Barrette, one of the founding fathers of l’Ordre de Jacques Cartier, and of Father Armand Fournier, founder of Camp de l’Amitié. Furthermore, the author highlights the section reserved for priests of the Archdiocese of Ottawa, and the sections, containing many lots, owned by sixteen Religious Congregations, among them, Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, Daughters of Wisdom and Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
The book is for sale inOttawabookstores and at the Administration Office of Notre Dame Cemetery (455 Montreal Road,Ottawa).
I have been lookin for my half brother. do you know his birthdate and year? i know he passed away. i never had the chance to meet him. please, i need to know if this was who he was. thx for your response.
He died in May 200 at age 71. That is all I know Lyla
I had known Pere Fournier all my life. NDL was our Parish. Since the age of 12 (1969) I had traveled to Val-des-Bois (VDB) on the odd weekend here and there to give the priest a hand with the property. Le camp de l’amitie did not open until 1971, so there was always work to do, which is why we were happy and even humbled when the good father gave you the nod to go up for the weekend, everyone wanted to go.
On any given weekend there might have been 7 or 8 of us (as many as could squeeze into the priest’s VW mini bus). We used to stay in a small 2 room cottage with the kids on one side and Pere Fournier in his room on the other side.
Vanier back then was the square mile with the highest population density in North America (Pop. 21,000) and was very much a blue collar town much as it is today. Kids form all over booked early to ensure their space for the following year. I was part of the Summer Camp the first year as well as the following year and I kept contact periodically with Pere Fournier.
I can honestly say that I have never seen any actions on the part of Pere Fournier or heard any talk of this kind of incident from any of my contemporaries of the day. I find it unfortunate that such accusation are made once the individual can no longer address the complaint. I remain with fond memories of my old friend.
Victims don’t tend to talk of their abuse until years later Denis. You may have fond memories of Father Fournier – others obviously and unfortunately do not.
Being in my early 30′s, I have attended camp for many years from 1987 to 1995, I also worked there after he died from 2001 to 2007. This is the first time I hear of this. I’m so very shocked. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims. I only have very good memories of Camp de l’Amitié. Very sad to hear.