| Apostles of Infinite Love | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Independent Catholic |
| Orientation | Traditionalist Catholic |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Region | France, Canada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Italy, France, South Africa, United States[1] |
| Founder | Michel Collin |
| Official website | https://magnificat.ca |
TheOrder of the Magnificat of the Mother of God (French:L’Ordre du Magnificat de la Mère de Dieu), also known as theApostles of Infinite Love (French:Apôtres de l'amour infini), is atraditionalistIndependent Catholic religious group active in various parts of the world, with its headquarters being nearMont-Tremblant inQuebec.[2][3][4] It was founded by Michel Collin, aFrench Catholic priest in Lille, who proclaimed himself Pope Clement XV, after claiming to have received a vision from God crowning him with apapal tiara.[1][5] Initially heading a religious congregation that had Catholic archdiocesan approval,Jean-Gaston Tremblay merged his religious community with the Apostles of Infinite Love and led it for a time.[1] The Apostles of Infinite Love has attracted traditionalist Catholics unhappy with the modernizing changes made during theSecond Vatican Council.[6]
The Apostles of Infinite Love teach that they "were founded to preserve the traditional Catholic faith, which they thought was seriously threatened by the modernist development in theRoman Catholic Church, where mostbishops andpriests hadapostatized."[1] Their centre is located at the Monastery of Magnificat of the Mother of God inSt. Jovite, Quebec.[1]
Frenchman Michel Collin (sometimes spelled Colin),[7] born in a village ofLorraine in 1905 andordained a priest in 1935, claimed in 1936 that he had been ordained a bishop byChrist himself.[citation needed] He founded a community called the Order of the Mother of God (a name later changed to "Apostles of Infinite Love"), in response to the 1846 request made by theBlessed Virgin Mary, as reported later byMélanie Calvat, one of the seers ofLa Salette. Throughout the 1940s, Collin claiming "direct orders from Christ, Collin founded a chain of foyers-cenacles, small house communities, where a consecrated host was on display at all times", claiming that he was restoring "thehouse churches of the apostolic times".[1] In 1950, he "reported having had a grand vision that God the Father, who put apapal tiara on his head", later embracing the name Pope Clement XV.[8]Pope Pius XIIlaicized him in 1951.[9]
In 1952, Canadian Jean-Gaston Tremblay, along with Gilles de la Croix and Leónard du Rosaire, founded nearSaint-Jovite inQuebec,Canada a community under the name of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary with ecclesiastical approval from the Roman CatholicArchbishop of MontrealPaul-Émile Léger.[1] He was previously a part of theBrothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God.[1] Considering the religious community to be "too extreme", the archbishop's support waned and the brothers spent time searching for a permanent place to establish themselves.[1] In 1961, he met Michel Collin and the two decided to merge their communities into one called the Apostles of Infinite Love. Gregory stated that Colin was the man he saw in a vision he purportedly had twelve years prior, which had "the face of a future pope, chosen directly by God."[1] The following year Collin consecrated Tremblay a bishop.[1]
After the election ofPope Paul VI in the Catholic Church, Michel Collin denounced him as anantipope.[1] The Saint-Jovite community grew rapidly in the first years of theSecond Vatican Council, exceeding 300 people in 1966.[8][1] Throughout the 1960s, the Apostles of Infinite Love protested against the changes in the Catholic Church, as well as thesecularisation occurring in Canada, especially issues related to "the change of gender roles" and the "increasing number of schools and hospitals [that] moved from church to government."[1]
Since the 1960s, the Order of Magnificat of the Mother of God has accepted male and femalereligious, who make vows of "poverty, chastity, and obedience" and live under the Rule for the Apostles of the Latter Times, which they hold to be given byOur Lady of La Salette in 1846.[1]
In 1967, Collin claimed that he had been divinely instructed to bypass Tremblay as his designated successor; but in 1968, Tremblay claimed that he had mystically been made Pope under the name of Gregory XVII and, in the following year, Collin claimed that Tremblay was now Pope.[8] In France, Collin's movement broke up into different factions some years after his death in 1974.[10]
InGuadeloupe, the Apostles of Infinite Love established two convents, including one atPointe-à-Pitre, which became a place ofpilgrimage after a girl in 1977 claimed to see aMarian apparition from Our Lady of Tears that lamented apostasy in the Catholic Church.[1]
Since the 1970s, the Apostles of Infinite Love has established a presence in various parts of the globe, including Guadeloupe,Guatemala, theDominican Republic,Italy,France,South Africa, and theUnited States.[1]
Its Antipope Gregory XVIII was crowned in 2012.[11]
From 1978 to 2001, the religious group was sued because of alleged abuses, includingrape,extortion, andsexual abuse. Itsmillenarianism,apocalypticism, and its rejection of the world has led to frequent characterization of the group as acult.[12][13] In 1999, 100 police officers raided their reclusive community in St. Jovite.[14] The co-accused was Reynald Huot, aka Father André. In 2001, the public prosecutor abandoned all charges against Jean-Gaston Tremblay after a 34-year investigation.[15]
In 2005, the city ofBrébeuf obtained a decree from the Quebec government allowing it toexpropriate the land of the religious group.[16]
In 2011, the Apostles of Infinite Love once again attracted attention after a French CanadianNovice at the group'sEast Flatbush convent, Mary Turcotte, claimed that she had been raped by a Black man. After a police investigation began, Turcotte recanted her claim, with some media outlets claiming that she had made the accusation to cover up a consensual relationship with a Brooklyn local. Turcotte was later recalled to the group's headquarters in Quebec.[17][18]
The Apostles of Infinite Love constitute a Catholic traditionalist group that sustains Quebec messianism, according to which Providence has saved...
The Apostles of Infinite Love and the Order of the Mother of God were founded to preserve the traditional Catholic faith, which they thought was seriously threatened by the modernist development in the Roman Catholic Church, where most bishops and priests had apostatized.
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