Father Yvon Carpentier was born August 5, 1932 in Trois-Rivières, Québec, the second child in a family of four. In 1964, as a newly-ordained priest in the Institute, he went to Red Rapids, New Brunswick with other confreres to start a major seminary. After one year of teaching he became rector of the seminary, with the added responsibility of three small missions. He left Red Rapids in 1970, and for many years thereafter he worked in parishes. He served as pastor at Fatima in the  Magdalen Islands from 1970 to 1976, and he has since ministered in Trois-Rivières and surrounding areas. He was elected director general of the Institute in 1992, a position he held until 1998. At the end of his term he returned to parish work. Retired since 2008 he has daily Mass with the Brothers of Christian Instruction at Pointe-du-Lac. He also helps in a number of parishes in Trois-Rivières and continues to be of service.

Father Carpentier joined the Institute one year after its foundation, that is, in October 1959. A chance meeting with Father Parent was to alter his life direction. He had already done two years of philosophy, and he was looking for work. He was scheduled to begin his theology studies, but Father Parent asked him to postpone for a year in order to assume the direction of our house at LaSalette. In September 1960 he went to the Ottawa Seminary for four years of theology. He was ordained to the priesthood at Trois-Rivières June 6, 1964. 

Father Carpentier brought his experience as parish priest to his position of director general of the Institute. As a pastor, he visited every family in his parish in order to get to know them, love them, and invite them to attend Mass, so that he would know who he was addressing, on Sunday. As director of the Institute, he gave great importance to visiting the districts and to meeting every member because each one has his place, his role to play, and a responsibility in the Institute and the Church. During his term as director general, the Institute enjoyed great expansion in certain countries so that we had to look ahead while being prudent and ensure the financial wherewithal to respond to all these changes and projects. It was with this in mind that he paid particular attention to the Institute’s benefactors. Father Carpentier also invested much in preaching on behalf of the missions, as the Institute was becoming better and better accepted in several dioceses.