Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish

Diocese of Antigonish
Dioecesis Antigonicensis
Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Antigonish
Location
Country  Canada
Ecclesiastical province Halifax
Population
- Catholics
129,905 (56.4%)
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established August 23, 1886
Cathedral St. Ninian's Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Brian Dunn
Metropolitan Archbishop Archbishop of Halifax
Emeritus Bishops Colin Campbell
Website
www.antigonishdiocese.com

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish (Latin: Dioecesis Antigonicensis) is a Latin Rite diocese in Nova Scotia, Canada.

History

It had been established on 22 September 1844, on territory split off from the Diocese of Halifax, under the name of Roman Catholic Diocese of Arichat, having its first cathedral (now Église Notre Dame de l’Assomption) in that natural port town, Arichat.

On 23 August 1886, it was renamed as Diocese of Antigonish, where it got its present episcopal see, St. Ninian's Cathedral.

2009–2010 apostolic administration

On August 7, 2009, Bishop Raymond Lahey announced that the Diocese of Antigonish had reached a $15 million settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by 125 victims of sexual abuse by Hugh Vincent MacDonald and other diocese priests dating from 1950 to 2009.[1] On September 26, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Raymond Lahey, one day after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Ottawa Police Service relating to child pornography charges (cf. sexual abuse scandal in Antigonish diocese).[2] The bishop pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was jailed.[3]

Archbishop Anthony Mancini of the Archdiocese of Halifax was named the Apostolic Administrator effective September 26, 2009, and remained in that position until the installation of Brian Dunn on January 25, 2010.[4]

Extent

The Diocese of Antigonish covers 18,800 square kilometers, comprising the counties of Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, Victoria, Richmond and Cape Breton.

As of 2006, the diocese contained 123 parishes, 119 active diocesan priests, 8 religious priests, and 129,905 Catholics. It also has 290 women religious, 12 religious brothers and 1 permanent deacon. In 2012 in order to satisfy its legal obligations to pay out $15 million to the victims of sexual abuse, the diocese had to sell a large number of its lands and properties, liquidating the bank accounts of many of its churches, and borrowing $6.5 million from private lenders to make the payout.[5][1][6]

The Bishop of Antigonish serves ex officio as Chancellor of St. Francis Xavier University.

Diocesan suffragan bishops

The following is a list of the bishops, all Roman Rite, and their terms of service:

suffragan bishops of Arichat
suffragan bishops of Antigonish

References

  1. 1 2 "More church properties for sale to cover cost of sex-abuse deal". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Charge against Kansas City bishop the temper of the times, by John L Allen Jr, Oct. 15, 2011, National Catholic Reporter
  4. 1 2 "New N.S. bishop named to replace Lahey". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Diocese of Antigonish starts church review". The Chronicle Herald. 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  6. ↑ "Antigonish diocese to sell hundreds of properties". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  7. ↑ Flemming, David B. (1985). "Fraser, William". In Halpenny, Francess G. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. VIII (1851–1860) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  8. ↑ MacLean, R. A. (1972). "MacKinnon, Colin Francis". In Hayne, David. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. X (1871–1880) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  9. ↑ MacLean, R. A. (1994). "Cameron, John". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

 MacDonald, Alexander (1907). "Diocese of Antigonish". In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Coordinates: 45°37′12″N 61°59′37″W / 45.6201°N 61.9935°W / 45.6201; -61.9935

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