Raelians ain't nuttin new...

Ovila Girard 

The previous building at this place, 2153 Wolfe was home to Lucienne Cazeault and her hubby Eugene who, aged 29 in 1933, was distracted from his marital financial duties by a sexy religious cult. On Friday 10 February 1933, Lucienne hauled him to the Court of Summary Convictions to face Judge Victor Cussion.
   She complained of her husband's preoccupation with fellow lady worshipers with whom Eugene spent every Saturday night fulfilling the Rites of the Sect of Crucified Ones, held on Visitation Street. She claimed that Eugene had only given her $2.50 over the previous six weeks. Ovila Girard, leader of the sect, had also faced charges charges of preforming an illegal marriage ceremony. Lucienne had only observed the rites once and concluded that "it was no place for a husband," because "women prayed in scandalous attire," and her husband had "no right to forsake her to watch people offend God while in scanty clothes."

Omer Girard

   Eugene claimed that he was "old enough to do as he pleased and go where he chose" and denied paying his wife insufficient support. The case was adjourned for a month and Lucienne asked that her husband be ordered to leave with her and not go with "these people," known as adherents of the sect, who were also in attendance at court. She left the courtroom on the heels of her husband. "Apparently not relishing the watchdog attitude of his wife, Cazeault attempted to evade her in the crossed halls but she followed him out." (Feb 10, 1933 Herald).
    The cult was pressured out of town and moved to a village of Namur where Ovila had a small gang of followers. He also hoped to help his brother Omer out. Omer was a schizophrenic who ended up raping and impregnating a teenage girl and murdering a couple in 1936. He was hanged.
    Ovila quit the religion business and raised the child his brother fathered through sexual assault as his own as I recount in my book Montreal 375 Tales.