The mission in the Dominican Republic
1930-1938
Foundation of a mission
San José de las Matas
The Dominican Republic
The growth of the community makes it possible to consider a mission project outside the country. Eleven Canadian MSC had already gone to work in Papua New Guinea with the confreres of the Province of France. But this time, a place of mission was sought that would be under the responsibility of the Canadian pro-province.
In the summer of 1935, Fathers Auguste Cadoux and Cyprien Fortin set sail for the West Indies, with the mandate to find this new field of apostolate there. The mission of the Dominican Republic was officially entrusted to the Canadian MSC in February 1936. More than 50 confreres would work there. For forty years it would be the principal work of the Canadian MSC province.
1970-1979
Two important changes
During the 1970s, two major events came to change the face of the Canadian province.
The American section
In 1971, the house of Watertown in the State of New York and the parishes of Natick and Hillsgrove in Rhode Island were detached from the Canadian province and transferred to the American MSC province. About ten confreres who worked in these places would henceforth be part of this province.
In the Dominican Republic
Flag of the Dominican Republic
The same year, the mission of the Dominican Republic in turn became a pro-province. This is the result of the work of the confreres who, since 1935, had worked in several parishes, in pastoral ministry of vocations and in the formation of future religious. Father Émilien Tardif became the head of this new pro-province.
The process is thus under way so that the Dominican Republic will in turn become a province
autonomous. It would have this status in 1986. More than thirty Canadian confreres were still working there at that time. They would henceforth be part of this new province.
Marc-André Gingras, MSC, provincial superior, m.s.c. journal, spring 2000.