Ignace Bourget - Resignation, Late Life and Death

Resignation, Late Life and Death

From October 27 to 30, 1872, Bourget celebrated the golden anniversary of his ordination, and on May 1, 1873, he ordained Édouard-Charles Fabre as coadjutor bishop in a ceremony at the church of the Collège Sainte-Marie. Around this time, Bourget was frequently beset by illness, but despite this he continued a series of energetic attacks on liberalism, including liberalism within the Catholic Church. These attacks caused the Archbishop of Quebec and members of his inner circle to question Bourget's judgement and ability to perform as Bishop. The Archbishop of Quebec was also concerned that the church was becoming increasingly involved in secular politics, to its detriment. Ignazio Persico, parish priest of Sillery, proposed that Rome undertake an inquiry into the matter, including Bourget's conduct.

To forestall the inquiry, on April 28, 1876 Bourget resigned as Bishop of Montreal and on May 15 that resignation was accepted by the Pope, to take effect in September. Following his resignation, Bourget was appointed archbishop of the titular see of Marcianopolis, and in early 1877 he retired to Sault-au-Récollet, taking with him his secretary, Joseph-Octave Paré.

Between August 12 and October 30, 1881, Bourget travelled to Rome, pleading unsuccessfully for the establishment of a second Catholic university in Montreal. In 1882, Bourget took part in a fundraising drive to help raise money to pay off the Diocese of Montreal's significant debts, which totalled some $840,000. On October 11, 1882 he announced that a sum of $84,782 had been raised through these efforts. On November 9, 1882, Bourget made his final public appearance at Boucherville, celebrating the diamond anniversary of his ordination as the conclusion of his fundraising tour.

Bourget died on June 8, 1885 at Sault-au-Récollet. A funeral service was conducted by Father Collin, the Superior of the Sulpicians, at the Church of Notre Dame, and Bourget's body was buried alongside that of his predecessor Jean-Jacques Lartigue in a vault under the southwest pillar of the dome of the then-unfinished St James Cathedral, later renamed as Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. On March 20, 1993, his remains were transferred to the Cathedral's mortuary chapel for bishops and archbishops, of which his mausoleum forms the centre. On June 24, 1903 a statue of Bourget created by artist Louis-Philippe Hébert was unveiled in the parvis of the St James Cathedral. The statue was funded by approximately $25,000 in donations from Catholic clergy and faithful. In 2005 a cleaning and restoration of the statue was performed.