(Translated from the original text in French)
Born in Sainte-Gertrude, Quebec, on December 11, 1944, Brother Roland is the son of Armand Désilets and Éliose Rhéault.
Entering the Franciscan novitiate on February 7, 1965, he made his first temporary vows on February 13, 1966, and his solemn vows on June 22, 1969.
After a few years of study, Roland resided at the friars’ convent in Ottawa, and in 1976, he worked at the Commissariat of the Holy Land. He went to Peru in 1978, and was appointed treasurer at the Vicariate of St Joseph of the Amazon’s missions office in 1980. After a stay in Canada, where he served as treasurer and discreet, Brother Roland returned to Peru in 1986. He then held various roles in Lima, including procurator, member, and treasurer.
In 1994, Roland spent a year in the Holy Land on a sabbatical. Then, in 1996, he returned to Peru to take on responsibilities as vicar and procurator at the San Francisco Solano convent in Iquitos, then, in 1997, he was elected guardian for a year.
Brother Roland returned to Canada permanently in 2004. He was appointed treasurer at the convents in Sorel and later in Trois-Rivières. In 2014, he moved to Rosemont and was appointed treasurer at the convent of the Resurrection in 2018, a position he held until his death.