Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland
Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland Archidioecesis Sancti Ioannis Terrae Novae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Territory | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland |
| Population - Catholics (including non-members) | 120,135 (49.6%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 30 May 1784; 237 years ago |
| Cathedral | Basilica of St. John the Baptist |
| Patron saint | St. John the Baptist |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Archbishop | Peter Hundt |
| Suffragans | Robert Anthony Daniels Bishop of Grand Falls Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador |
| Website | |
| rcsj.org | |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland (Latin: Archidioecesis Sancti Ioannis Terrae Novae) is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the Metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of St. John's, which also includes the suffragan dioceses of Grand Falls, and Corner Brook and Labrador. The current archbishop is Peter Hundt. The Archdiocese of St. John's is the oldest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in English-speaking North America.
History[]
The future Archdiocese of St. John's was established 30 May 1784 as Catholics in Newfoundland gradually gained religious liberty, made explicit by a public declaration by Governor John Campbell. After a request from Irish merchants in St. John's to Bishop William Egan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, James Louis O'Donel was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Newfoundland, as a pre-diocesan jurisdiction entitled to a titular bishop and exempt, i.e., directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. In addition to O'Donel's personal popularity, one of his qualifications for the position was an ability to preach in Gaelic.
It was promoted to a Vicariate Apostolic on 5 January 1796 and on 4 June 1847 was elevated to diocese.
In 1904, St. John's was elevated to an archdiocese and presently contains 40 parishes, 39 active diocesan priests, 33 religious priests, and 120,135 Catholics. It also has 220 Women Religious, and 42 Religious Brothers.
Sex abuse scandals[]
For decades, the Archdiocese of St. John's has been tied to sex abuse scandals. In July 2020, Rev. Peter Power, who was originally from the Archdiocese of Toronto, was charged with charges of sexual touching, sexual assault and committing an indecent act involving two teenaged boys, aged 18 and 16 years old at a residence in a small Newfoundland community earlier in the year.[1] Though officially retired, Power was still occasionally active in Catholic ministry when he relocated to Newfoundland.[1] The same month, the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador unanimously reversed a 2018 Canadian Supreme ruling and ruled that the Archdiocese of St. John's was liable for the sexual abuse committed at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1950s and 1960s.[2]
Bishops[]
Prefecture Apostolic of Newfoundland[]
| # | Image | Name | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erected: 30 May 1784 | ||||
| 1 | 
|
James Louis O'Donel O.F.M. | 17 May 1784 | → |
Vicariate Apostolic of Newfoundland[]
| # | Image | Name | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevated: 5 January 1796 | ||||
| 1 |
|
James Louis O'Donel O.F.M. | ← | 1 January 1807 |
| 2 | 
|
Patrick Lambert O.F.M. | 1 January 1807 | 23 September 1816 |
| 3 | 
|
O.F.M. | 23 September 1816 | 7 June 1830 |
| 4 | 
|
Michael Anthony Fleming O.F.S. | 7 June 1830 | → |
Diocese of Newfoundland[]
| # | Image | Name | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevated: 4 June 1847 | ||||
| 4 |
|
Michael Anthony Fleming O.F.S. | ← | 14 July 1850 |
| 5 | 
|
John Thomas Mullock O.F.M. | 14 July 1850 | → |
Diocese of St. John's, Newfoundland[]
| # | Image | Name | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name Changed: 29 February 1856 | ||||
| 5 |
|
John Thomas Mullock O.F.M. | ← | 29 March 1869 |
| 6 | 
|
Thomas Joseph Power | 13 May 1870 | 4 December 1893 |
| 7 | 
|
Michael Francis Howley | 5 January 1895 | → |
Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland[]
| # | Image | Name | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevated: 8 February 1904 | ||||
| 7 |
|
Michael Francis Howley | ← | 15 October 1914 |
| 8 | 
|
Edward Patrick Roche | 26 February 1915 | 23 September 1950 |
| 9 | C.I.M. | 23 January 1951 | 28 March 1979 | |
| 10 | Alphonsus Liguori Penney | 28 March 1979 | 2 February 1991 | |
| 11 | C.S.C. | 2 February 1991 | 4 December 2000 | |
| 12 | 
|
Brendan O'Brien | 4 December 2000 | 1 June 2007 |
| 13 | 
|
Martin William Currie | 18 October 2007 | 12 December 2018 |
| 14 | 
|
12 December 2018 | → | |
Coadjutor bishops[]
- Patrick Lambert, O.F.M. Ref. (1805-1807) as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic
- , O.F.M. Ref.(1815-1816) as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic
- Michael Anthony Fleming, O.F.M. Ref. (1829-1830) as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic
- John Thomas Mullock, O.F.M. Ref. (1847-1850)
- (1945-1949), did not succeed to the see
Auxiliary bishop[]
- Thomas Francis Brennan (1893-1905)
- , C.I.M. (1950-1951), appointed Archbishop here
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops[]
- , appointed Bishop of Saint George's, Newfoundland in 1911
- , appointed Bishop of Saint George's, Newfoundland in 1920
- Raymond John Lahey, appointed Bishop of Saint George's, Newfoundland in 1986
Bibliography[]
- Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland page at catholichierarchy.org retrieved July 14, 2006
- Newfoundland Biographies - Newfoundland History retrieved November 30, 2007
References[]
- ^ a b The Canadian Press (July 21, 2020). "Retired priest from archdiocese of Toronto facing sex charges in Newfoundland". Global News. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Whiffen, Glen (July 29, 2020). "The decision by province's Appeals Court, which reverses a 2018 Supreme Court finding, was unanimous; church has 60 days to decide if it will apply for a Supreme Court of Canada appeal". Journal Pioneer. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
External links[]
Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Canada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Province of Edmonton (Est. 1871) |  | |
| Province of Gatineau (Est. 1963) | ||
| Province of Grouard–McLennan (Est. 1862) |
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| Province of Halifax-Yarmouth (Est. 1817) | ||
| Province of Keewatin-Le Pas (Est. 1910) |
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| Province of Kingston (Est. 1819) |
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| Province of Moncton (Est. 1936) |
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| Province of Montréal (Est. 1836) | ||
| Province of Ottawa–Cornwall (Est. 1847) |
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| Province of Québec (Est. 1658) | ||
| Province of Regina (Est. 1911) | ||
| Province of Rimouski (Est. 1867) | ||
| Province of Saint Boniface (Est. 1871) | ||
| Province of St. John's (Est. 1784) | ||
| Province of Sherbrooke (Est. 1874) | ||
| Province of Toronto (Est. 1841) | ||
| Province of Vancouver (Est. 1863) | ||
| Metropolia of Winnipeg (Est. 1956) |
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| Sui iuris jurisdictions |
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| Former jurisdictions | ||
| Apostolic Nuncio |
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Coordinates: 47°33′56″N 52°42′30″W / 47.5656°N 52.7082°W
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