Vernon Fougère

Vernon Fougère, born on May 20, 1943, in Petit-de-Grat, Nova Scotia, was a distinguished Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the twelfth Bishop of Charlottetown. His academic journey began at Saint Francis Xavier University, followed by theological studies at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, where he earned a Doctor of Divinity. Fougère was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Antigonish in 1969.

Fougère's commitment to service took him to Honduras, where he spent seven years with the Diocesan Mission. During his time in Latin America, he was actively involved in the Council of Priests for the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa and played a significant role in training Delegados de la Palabra, or Ministers of the Word. After further education at the Jesuit Theological Union in California, he returned to Nova Scotia, where he held various parish positions before being appointed Vicar General and Director of Pastoral Services for the Diocese of Antigonish in 1988.

On December 11, 1991, Pope John Paul II appointed Fougère as the Bishop of Charlottetown, and he was consecrated on March 19, 1992, at St. Dunstan's Basilica. Throughout his tenure, he was an active member of the National Council of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace and served on the Board of Directors for the Catholic Mission in Canada in the year 2000.

After a dedicated service, Bishop Fougère resigned on July 11, 2009, due to health issues, becoming Bishop Emeritus. He passed away on June 18, 2013, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, at the age of seventy.