05 March 2018

Georges-Philias Vanier, R+I+P

On this day in 1967 in Ottawa Ontario - Georges-Philias Vanier, PC DSO MC CD 1888-1967 died at age 78; soldier, Royal 22ème Regiment; Canada's 19th Governor-General 1959-67, the second native-born Canadian, and the first French Canadian to hold the position.

He considered the Priesthood, but with the outbreak of war in 1914, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a private. He lost a leg on the Western Front, earning him the Distinguished Service Order. He rose to be a Major General, becoming, as Governor General, Commander in Chief of the Canadian Forces.


Born of a French Canadian father and an Irish mother, Vanier was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant. In 1921 he married Pauline Archer, with whom he had five children. Their son, Jean, founded l'Arche, an international federation of communities spread over 37 countries, for people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them.


His Cause for Beatification (along with his wife Pauline) has been introduced.


Stand down, Georges-Philias, your duty is done. You served your God, your
Monarchs, and your Country well, now rest in peace. Memory eternal!

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