Archbishop Charles Duval, C.Ss.R.: Rooted in Faith, Formed in Grace, Called to Serve
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May 22, 2025Born on April 12, 1964, in Hull (now Gatineau), Quebec, Archbishop Charles Duval was raised in a devout Catholic family. At just 13 years old, during a trip to the United States, he first felt a stirring toward religious life. That sense of calling grew stronger at 19—even while he was in a relationship. A pivotal conversation with his parish priest, a Redemptorist, helped him discern the path forward.
In 1985, Archbishop Duval entered the Redemptorist novitiate at Sainte- Anne-de-Beaupré. He professed his first vows the following year, and his perpetual vows in 1989. After completing a Master’s degree in theology at Laval University, he was ordained to the taught me much more about how to be a good priest and a good witness of Jesus than I was able to teach them.”
His various assignments in Haiti and across Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick broadened his experience of pastoral ministry. Whether working in parishes, schools, or pilgrimage sites like Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Archbishop Duval said that each encounter helped prepare him for something more.One of the most formative roles of his priesthood came when he was elected Provincial Superior—first of the former French- Canadian Redemptorist province, and then of the newly unified Province of Canada in 2019.
The responsibility was significant, and at times daunting, but it taught him something essential: to trust that God equips those He calls. “The Lord certainly prepares us for the tasks He asks of us,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to say yes to this appointment if I hadn’t first served as Provincial Superior. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to trust in the Lord. If it is truly He who is asking us to be there, He will provide. It’s often uncomfortable because we never know how or when, but He always provides.”Now stepping into episcopal leadership, Archbishop Duval is especially grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside those who immigrated from the Philippines, Africa, and Eastern Europe. “It will be truly interesting to discover the particularities they bring to the faith of our region,” he added.When asked about what will sustain him in this new role, Archbishop Duval did not speak of credentials or strategies. Instead, he answered with the simplicity of someone who has spent a lifetime walking by faith.“The Lord is my strength,” he said. “Whether it’s the gifts and talents He placed within me, the experience He has allowed me to gain, or simply the graces of the moment for a particular task—I truly receive everything as grace. And I am in awe of what God dares to do with me.