Rev. Marcel Damphousse

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A report states parishioners of St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg were prepared Thursday to give up their worship space to make way for summer renovations, but that they weren’t expecting to say goodbye to their priest at the same time.

Rev. Marcel Damphousse, currently rector of the cathedral, was appointed on Thursday by Pope Benedict XVI to become Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall, a bilingual Roman Catholic diocese in southeastern Ontario.

“I think his appointment is wonderful, but not very good for us,” said Claudette Savard, chairwoman of the St. Boniface parish pastoral council, referring to the priest’s involvement in the $6-million renovation underway at the cathedral.