List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver

Archbishop of Vancouver
Archbishopric
catholic
A man wearing a mitre, pallium, and chasuble holding a crozier in his left hand
J. Michael Miller, the Archbishop of Vancouver since 2009
Shield topped by a mitre, featuring a white heraldic rose, Chi Rho, and Pacific dogwood on blue field at top; the Barque of St. Peter and a white star on gold field; and four alternating blue and white wavy stripes at the bottom
The coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Vancouver
Incumbent:
J. Michael Miller
Information
First holderLouis-Joseph d'Herbomez (apostolic vicar)
Augustin Dontenwill (archbishop)
Established1863 (apostolic vicariate)
1908 (archbishopric)
ArchdioceseVancouver
CathedralHoly Rosary Cathedral
Website
http://www.rcav.org/

The Archbishop of Vancouver is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver who is responsible for looking after its "spiritual and administrative needs".[1] As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of British Columbia, the Archbishop of Vancouver also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, and Victoria.[1] The current archbishop is J. Michael Miller.

The archdiocese began as the Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia,[2] which was created on December 14, 1863.[3] Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez was appointed its first bishop, and under his reign, the first parish was formed at the Holy Rosary church.[4] On September 2, 1890, the vicariate was elevated to the status of diocese by Pope Leo XIII and was based in New Westminster.[2] On account of the rapid expansion and development of Vancouver, the Holy See decided to centre the archdiocese around the city.[5] As a result, the Diocese of New Westminster became the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and the Archdiocese of Victoria was reduced to diocesan level on September 7, 1908.[2] Augustin Dontenwill became the first archbishop of the newly-formed metropolitan see in Vancouver, British Columbia.[6]

Nine men have been Archbishop of Vancouver; another two were heads of its antecedent jurisdictions.[7] Of these, four were members of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI),[7] and one (Dontenwill) became the superior general of the order.[6] Neil McNeil, the fourth ordinary of the archdiocese, was the first archbishop who did not belong to a religious order.[8] James Carney, whose episcopacy spanned from 1969 to 1990, was the first archbishop born in Vancouver.[9] William Mark Duke had the longest tenure as Archbishop of Vancouver, serving for 33 years from 1931 to 1964, while McNeil held the position for two years (1910–1912), marking the shortest archepiscopacy.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Archdiocese Backgrounder". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c O'Boyle, WM. P. (1913). "Archdiocese of Vancouver". In Charles George Herbermann (ed.). The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. Robert Appleton Company. pp. 267–268. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  3. ^ McNally, Vincent J. (2000). The Lord's Distant Vineyard: A History of the Oblates and the Catholic Community in British Columbia. University of Alberta Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780888643469.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference d'Herbomez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ O'Boyle, William (1912). "Vancouver". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Dontenwill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c "Former Bishops". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference McNeil was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carney was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search