Msgr. Archambault’s and Father Introvigne’s Journey of Faith
Father Ray Introvigne celebrated his 60th anniversary of ordination this year and Msgr. Henry Archambault his 65th anniversary. They are seen here at a celebration last year for Father Ray’s 90th birthday. Pictured, left to right, are Father Peter Langevin, Father Walter Nagle, Father Ray, Msgr. Henry and Father Brian Romanowski.
Msgr. Henry Archambault and Father Ray Introvigne have dedicated a combined 125 years of service to the Lord in the Diocese of Norwich. For one, the path to priesthood was a natural calling while the other initially envisioned a career in the automotive industry.
A lifetime rooted in faith and community
Msgr. Henry Archambault was in the eighth grade when his teacher foreshadowed his life’s call by telling his female classmates to “stay away from Henry, he’s going to be a priest.” She and others sensed something special in him. He came from a close-knit and devout Catholic family of nine children and lived next door to St. Joseph Church in North Grosvenordale. His father led the parish choir, and his aunt was the organist. “We were close spiritually and physically to the church,” he recalled.
In 1953, Bishop Bernard F. Flanagan, the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Norwich, sent him to follow in his older brother Richard’s footsteps to study at a major seminary in France under the guidance of the Sulpician Fathers. “The greatest blessing I had was studying with the Sulpicians in France; not only did I get a great education, but they gave me a strong spiritual foundation. They set a good example to me of being a priest,” he said, reflecting on his 65 years of priesthood.
Following his ordination on July 11, 1959, Msgr. Archambault spent four years at various parishes in the diocese before he was sent to Rome by Bishop Vincent J. Hines to study canon law. After receiving his doctorate of canon law, he returned to the diocese, serving the next 50-plus years in a number of positions on the diocesan Marriage Tribunal. Today at 90, he continues working at the Tribunal for a few hours each week reviewing cases on appeal for the Diocese of Providence.
His name has become synonymous with Sacred Heart Church in Taftville, where he served as pastor for 36 years before retiring in 2017 at age 83.
“I’ve had a rich and full life and have enjoyed being a priest and serving the people,” he said. In between his work at the Tribunal and parish life, Msgr. Archambault also found time over the years to sing with two different barbershop quartets — one in Mystic and another with his brothers, Father Richard, Charlie and Leon, known as the Archambault Brothers.
Embracing a divine calling beyond expected career paths
Father Ray Introvigne, 91, grew up in Stafford Springs, the youngest of four children to Italian immigrant parents. He expected to follow his father’s career path in the automobile industry after completing a two-year course at General Motors Institute of Technology in Flint, Michigan, graduating at the top of his class in August 1952.
His sights were set on a job managing an automobile dealership, but the Korean War was under way, and, rather than be drafted, he chose to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. He became an aircraft and engine mechanics instructor, eventually stationed in Japan working on reconnaissance planes.
Prayer and the grace of God gave him the stamina he needed through his tour of duty. Returning to the States in July 1956, he said, “I would have been happy in the automobile business, where I was anxious to stay, but the Holy Spirit had other plans.”
In 1956, he entered a seminary for delayed vocations in Boston. He struggled academically, especially in mastering Latin, a challenge he thought would be the undoing of his vocation. But the Holy Spirit inspired him to persevere. This past May 7, he celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination.
In 1975, Father Ray attended a Life in the Spirit Seminar that changed his life and his priesthood and marked the beginning of the Charismatic Renewal Movement in the diocese. “I fell in love with the Lord. The Mass came alive for me like never before. My prayer life came from my heart. It was a ‘WOW!’ experience for me,” he said.
For the next 50 years, and continuing today, Father Ray has led the Spiritual Renewal program in the diocese. “The Holy Spirit changed my life,” he said, noting the privilege he has had all these years to help other people awaken to the same presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. “It’s all been an incredible gift to me.”
By Mary-Jo McLaughlin