GRANDIN, VITALE. — Born on 8 February 1829 at St-Pierre-la-Cour, in the diocese of Laval, in 1853 he entered the Oblates of Mary Immaculate; in 1854 he went to the Canadian Northwest, in 1857 was appointed coadjutor of St-Boniface, and in 1871 bishop of St-Albert, where he died on 3 June 1902.
Numerous letters published in the Missions O.M.I. provide information about his work. As bishop of St-Albert, he was a vigorous defender of Catholic interests in the Northwest; he contributed to the cultural advancement of the diocese by settling the Indians in permanent locations, providing for the needs of Catholic immigrants, and establishing schools. In the struggle between the leader of the Métis, Riel, and the Anglo-Canadian government in 1885, he worked with prudence and firmness to protect the rights of both parties. He is regarded as the “saint of the Northwest.” His cause of beatification is in progress.