Cult at the centre of Quebec measles outbreak was launched by Montreal cop

   Blame the measles outbreak near Joliette on a former Montreal cop.
   The Holy Spirit cult, or religious group, if you will, has seen over 119 measles cases in their group near Joliette.
   A representative said that the cult doesn't order their adherents not to vaccinate their children. But their creed - which clearly mentions eugenics - doesn't lend itself to such protection.
   Eugenics, of course is the idea that you're going to breed your kids to be better specimens. It's a word tinged with negative connotations as the Nazis openly championed the idea, but in fact most parents consciously or subconsciously practice the notion by choosing a healthy breeding partner.
   A must-read book on French Canadians' resistance to vaccination can be found in the book Plague by Michael Bliss, one of the great Montreal books.
   Bliss discusses how the francophone-inhabited east end of Montreal suffered much higher rates of smallpox contamination in 19th century outbreaks largely because they were advised against the vaccination. One of those persuading them against it was an anglo who, according to the book, was exposed to have been vaccinated himself.
   So the current outbreak is centred around a cult started by Eugène Richer Dit Laflèche 1871-1925. He was a Montreal cop before launching a religious movement that is still a pretty big deal to this day.

c. 1917

  Eugene Richer was hired as a cop for his tall, muscular physique but was quickly let go for running a bordello.
   He started la Mission de l'Esprit Saint (MES) in Montreal in 1913.
   He eventually moved to Fall River, Massachusetts and hooked up with Adelard Glasson and started calling himself Joseph Manseau.  
   He told people that he was Jehova, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. He had five concubines and asked followers to give him all their money. He got in trouble with the cops when he started giving sermons in see-through robes.
   So in November 1923 he moved to North Los Angeles and called himself John Lafleche. He died Jan 12, 1925 and one of his followers, Georges Hache took over and announced that the world was coming to an end. It didn't and the group's alleged 144,000 followers were a bit disillusioned that the sun was still rising.     Several of Richer's Montreal followers were repeatedly jailed, including one Wilfrid Messier, who defrauded 104 people of their life savings by promising good stuff and telling them he was the reincarnation of Eugene Richer. They wanted their money back but Messier had already blown it on the ponies.
   Richer's successor as leader, Eugene R. Robitaille,, whose followers called him "Prince Charming" but who reporters described as "short, plump partly bald," was busted for subversion at the group's temple at 6910 St. Hubert in 1941. Police said that they seized pornographic books.
   Police alleged that the group supported the Nazis.
   Gustav Robitaille was Richer's appointed successor here in Montreal. He was a fat organist who fathered at least 15 children and died in 1965. He would bless your baby and that sort of thing. He was replaced by a committee of 29 servants, mostly his sons.
One of those sons, Emmanuel Robitaille predicted the end of the world in 1975. Many followers got to work building a special holy place in Oka but were quite surprised when the world didn't end.
   Richer Lapointe is believed to a member of the cult. The Longueuil hardware store owner made the news in 2005 by offering Karla Homolka a part-ownership in a new franchise, only to ask that she get re-arrested due to what he said were troubling stories she recounted about her past. He refused to confirm, however. Some implied that Lapointe, who had a record for spousal abuse, was trying to leverage his acquaintance with Homolka for his financial gain.

Sources: 1-Susan Palmer. 2-This article from 1969. The MES still seems to exist, but probably in nowhere near the numbers at their peak which saw 2,000-3,000 followers here in Montreal. Here's their site.