Fr. Julien Benedict Mary touched the hearts of many in Grouard-McLennan

On November 29th the archdiocese lost a beloved priest – a priest of immense kindness and dedication, who has celebrated Mass in just about every region of the archdiocese.

In late November, Fr. Julien Benedict Mary returned to Canada after a three-month vacation in his home country of India. Due to some growing health concerns, he was admitted to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital on November 26th. He passed away three days later after a sudden heart attack.

The priest leaves behind a cherished legacy of holiness and ministry. Fr. Julien came to the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan in 2007. Since that time he has served many communities as a pastor, and later as a replacement priest in his retirement: Sexsmith, Bezanson, Grimshaw, Whitelaw, Peace River, Valleyview, Grouard, Peavine, Atikameg, Gift Lake, John D’Or Prairie, Fox Lake, Garden River, Fort Vermillion, High Level, Paddle Prairie, Meander River, and many more. In his later role as a replacement priest who served whenever pastors were away on their vacation, there were not many churches in Grouard-McLennan Fr. Julien has not served at – at least for a handful of Sundays.

With the news of his passing, messages have poured in from across the archdiocese, each one detailing a priest who was humble, good-hearted and totally devoted to serving God. It was a dedication Fr. Julien continued to show even in retirement and amidst many health struggles.

Fr. Jeyapaul Packiasamy, his close friend and former colleague in the seminary, notes that Fr. Julien always embodied a true missionary spirit.

“He was a missionary in many ways,” said Fr. Jeyapaul “Whenever [Vicar General] Msgr. Charles asked him to go anywhere to help, even if it was to parishes in the far north, he would go. He’d drive there for Sunday Mass, and then drive back that same day. He would not stop.”

This missionary spirit was witnessed by many people in the archdiocese who have fond memories of him carved into their hearts and minds. Donna McNally knew Fr. Julien when he was a pastor in Sexsmith and Bezanson, his first assignment in the archdiocese. She still fondly recalls the memory of Fr. Julien coming to bless her family farm, how the priest enthusiastically blessed each room, and then, without being prompted, went on to bless their garden, vehicles, tractors, farm equipment and just about every object he caught sight of. It reflected again a man totally dedicated to his ministry.

Tom Seerey met Fr. Julien when he was assigned as pastor at Holy Family Church in Grimshaw in 2008. They became even closer when Tom retired to the Lakeview Lodge in Clairmont four years ago, the retirement care home where Fr. Julien has also resided since 2018. Fr. Julien offered daily Mass at the Lodge, so long as he was not asked to temporarily serve elsewhere.

For Tom, Fr. Julien’s passing has meant the loss of a pastor and a dear friend. When asked what he will remember most about Fr. Julien, he says it is his kindness, and his willingness to do whatever anyone would ask of him.

“You could always tell he was a holy man; he was a man of deep faith,” said Tom. “He was always willing to help out and serve, even though he never felt all that well most of the time. But still he would go. He just didn’t say ‘No’ to the Lord.”

At the heart of this dedication was Fr. Julien’s unwavering trust in God. Even with diabetic issues and home dialysis treatments, Fr. Jeyapaul notes that he never complained about any pain and never lost his happiness and contentment. Whatever happened to him, he always took it as the direct providential will of God.

“He was a person who trusted very much that God had a plan for his life,” said Fr. Jeyapaul. “He was not a person who worried about things. He took everything as the will of God. So for him, his death would have been a happy death, because he knew it was part of God’s plan for him.”

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Fr. Julien was a unique priest in many ways. For one, he had a reputation for always sleeping on the floor. Wherever he stayed, whether in a rectory, a retreat centre or at a parishioner’s home, he always insisted on being given only a blanket and to spend his nights prostrate on the floor. Even when the chancery purchased a nice mattress for his residence in Clairmont, Fr. Julien requested that a sheet of plywood be placed on top of the mattress. He assured all those who asked that sleeping this way was much better for his back.

As well, Fr. Julien always wore sandals, and was never to be seen in a pair of socks and rarely in shoes. No matter the weather conditions, what he was doing or where he was going, Fr. Julien was either barefoot or in sandals. In his later years, when he would stop by the chancery office once a week to get his medical supplies for dialysis, staff recalled that even if Fr. Julien came on a blistering cold -40 day, he still would show up with nothing on his feet but a pair of sandals and no socks.

When he was buried, we ensured to keep his feet as Fr. Julien would have wanted them, only with sandals on. One funeral attendee joked that if we had tried to place socks and shoes on his feet, he would have surely kicked them off.

No matter his eccentricities, Fr. Julien was beloved around the archdiocese and was always in good spirits. On his final trip to India shortly before his passing, he had the opportunity to visit with all of his brothers and sisters, as well as his nephews and nieces.

This is only an excerpt. Read the full story in the December 2025 edition of Northern Light