The many sides of Dr. Wilbert Chancy

Lord Roberts

If you belong to the Catholic Church community, you might have heard of Dr. Wilbert Chancy’s musical talent. Most of his activities in Winnipeg were in and around the church. The church is big part of his identity, and he almost became a priest.

Born and raised in Haiti, Dr. Chancy, now 90 years old, entered the seminary at age 12 on the track to become a secular priest, the kind who takes only the vows of chastity.

It took Dr. Chancy a long time to realize that a priestly life was not for him. It was a difficult decision to arrive at through serious soul-searching — not so much for him as for his family. Being a member of the priestly class in Haiti was a feather in a family’s cap. A Catholic priest was celebrated and respected in the community.

After completing high school in 1955, he entered the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, an order specially devoted to the most abandoned, and worked in Africa. However, he left the order in 1962 and returedn to Haiti, where he was offered a teaching position at the Petit-Séminaire College Saint-Martial in Port au Prince. A year later, he enrolled in philosophy at the University of Caen in France. Dr. Chancy met and married Adeline, also of Haitian descent, in 1966 and they were blessed further in 1968, when their first child, Claude, was born in Paris. In 1970, Claude was joined by his sister Myriam, who was born in Haiti. That same year Wilbert and Adeline emigrated from France to Canada. They both taught at the Cégep Lévis-Lauzon, south of Quebec City.

After about two years, they were encouraged to return to Haiti because of possible job opportunities.

“We did,” he said. “We resigned our jobs. My wife went first, and I stayed behind to square things up. But before I could leave my wife told me not to come as the situation was very bad in Haiti. I was without a job. To pay the bills, I started playing the piano and singing in pubs around Quebec.

“At the time there were many opportunities to entertain in night clubs and often I was hired to play the intro music for a TV show from which I made a reasonable living,” he said.

“I also had a special voice that allowed me to perform as a soloist in the Church,” he added

Dr. Chancy’s rich baritone and musical talent began to be recognized in Canada in the secular world. He said he considers music his second vocation. He began studying music at an early age and it was a part of his studies throughout his education at all levels.

When Adeline, who was qualified in law and business administration, returned to Quebec, she applied for jobs across Canada. She saw an ad for a business administration teacher at St. Boniface College and applied. Father Laval Cloutier, program director of the college, was a priest from Quebec transferred to the Archdiocese of St Boniface. While on vacation in Quebec, he met and interviewed Adeline.

“My wife then told him she was not alone, that she had a husband. Father Laval said he could find me a teaching job within the Seine River School Division,” Chancy recalled.

Father Laval kept his word. Wilbert was hired to teach grades 9 to 12 French, as well as history of Canada. After a year, he was offered a teaching job at St. Boniface High School, which later became Louis Riel High School.

“Things worked out so perfectly for us I believe it was divinely ordained,” Wilbert smiled.

“My next and final stop in my career journey was at St. Mary’s Academy, where I taught programs for the French immersion students in junior high and senior high school students. It was a very interesting job, and it is from this job that I retired after 16 years.”

Unfortunately, Dr. Chancy lost his sweet Adeline some six years ago, his partner of 52 years.

“I am still trying to adjust to her loss,” he said. “She was one of the most brilliant people I ever knew. The way she lived through her illness has impacted me greatly.

“She never complained about anything. She was a woman of prayer and faith, sweet and compassionate. I was so lucky to have had her as a partner for all those years,” he said.

As a musician, Wilbert has several recordings to his credit. The latest is Envitasyon: A Haitian Lyric, a selection of Haitian creole folk songs orchestrated by the talented composer pianist David Bontemps and masterfully played by Winnipeg musicians. It’s available at bandcamp.com and listening to it feels like you are in the Concert Hall with a full orchestra accompanying Dr. Chancy’s impressive voice.

Dr. Chancy is tall, handsome and trim and says he has a routine he follows every day to maintain his physical and mental health, some of which he attributes to his spiritual training in the church. At 90, he golfs two or three times a week, walks regularly and plays his piano.

Dr. Chancy entertains the residents at Canoe Club Retirement Residence on special occasions. I first heard Dr. Chancy sing during Caribbean Heritage Month. It was a treat.

Wilbert says he has no regrets about the choices he made.

“Culture is what remains when you’ve forgotten everything,” he mused.