Richard William Smith

Last updated

Richard William Smith
Archbishop of Edmonton
President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
See Edmonton
InstalledMay 1, 2007
Predecessor Thomas Christopher Collins
Successorincumbent
Other post(s)President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Orders
OrdinationMay 23, 1987
ConsecrationJune 18, 2002
Personal details
Born (1959-04-28) April 28, 1959 (age 63)
Nationality Canadian
Denomination Roman Catholic
Previous post(s) Bishop of Pembroke (2002-2007)
Alma mater
Motto
  • Fiat Voluntas Tua
  • (Thy Will Be Done)
Coat of arms Coat of arms of Richard William Smith.svg
Styles of
Richard William Smith
Coat of arms of Richard William Smith.svg
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Grace
Religious style Archbishop

Richard William Smith (born April 28, 1959) is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the eighth and current Archbishop of Edmonton, having previously served as Bishop of Pembroke from 2002 to 2007.

Biography

Smith was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and there studied at St. Mary's University and the Atlantic School of Theology. [1] He was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987, and furthered his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University, from which he earned a Licentiate (1993) and Doctorate in Sacred Theology (1998). [1]

Within the Archdiocese of Halifax, he served in a number of positions including vicar general and was responsible for the pastoral ministry of French-speaking Catholics in Halifax. [2] He was also a professor of theology at St. Peter's Seminary in London in addition to serving simultaneously as pastor of three communities. [3]

On April 27, 2002, Smith was appointed the seventh Bishop of Pembroke by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 18 from Archbishop Marcel Gervais, with Archbishops Terrence Prendergast, S.J., and Austin-Emile Burke serving as co-consecrators. [4]

He was later named the eighth Archbishop of Edmonton by Pope Benedict XVI on March 22, 2007, being formally installed on the following May 1. [4]

In the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, he has been a member of the English Sector Commission for Christian Education since 2003, and is its current Chairman. [2] He is also the national spiritual advisor of the Catholic Women's League of Canada, and President of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops. [2]

In January 2016, Smith visited the Pallotine Province of the Assumption of the B.V.M. in Bangalore, India. Eight Pallotines of the province serve in the Archdiocese of Edmonton. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Luke Concanen</span> Catholic bishop

Richard Luke Concanen, O.P., was an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of New York (1808–1810).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan O'Brien (bishop)</span>

Brendan Michael O'Brien is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Kingston from 2007 to 2019. He was previously Archbishop of St. John's (Newfoundland) and Bishop of Pembroke (Ontario).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrence Prendergast</span>

Terrence Thomas Prendergast is a Canadian member of the Society of Jesus who is also a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa-Cornwall. He was formerly an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Archbishop of Halifax. On 6 May 2020 Pope Francis merged the Archdiocese of Ottawa and the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, naming Prendergast Archbishop of the newly formed Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. He formally retired in 4 December 2020, and was succeeded by Marcel Damphousse, the Coadjutor Archbishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry J. Mansell</span>

Henry Joseph Mansell is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from the fourth Archbishop of Hartford from 2004 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Archdiocese of Edmonton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese in the Canadian civil province of Alberta. The archbishop's cathedral see is located in St. Joseph Cathedral, a minor basilica in Edmonton. The Archdiocese of Edmonton is the metropolitan see of its ecclesiastical province, which also contains two suffragan dioceses: the Dioceses of Calgary and Saint Paul in Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Christopher Collins</span> Canadian cardinal of the Catholic Church

Thomas Christopher Collins is a Canadian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto from 2007 to 2023, the Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta from 1997 to 1999, and Archbishop of Edmonton from 1999 to 2006. He was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on February 18, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard John Garcia</span> American Roman Catholic bishop (1947–2018)

Richard John Garcia was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Monterey in California from 2007 until his death in 2018. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento in California from 1998 to 2007

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Basilica (Edmonton)</span> Church in Alberta, Canada

St. Joseph's Cathedral Basilica is a minor basilica in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The basilica, located west of downtown Edmonton is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton and is one of the largest churches in Edmonton. St. Joseph, which seats about 1,100 people, is the only minor basilica in Western Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael William Warfel</span> American prelate

Michael William Warfel is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings in Montana since 2007. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Juneau in Alaska from 1996 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Edward Thomas</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1959)

Daniel Edward Thomas is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2014, he has served as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Toledo in Ohio. Thomas previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Joseph Brunett</span> Catholic archbishop (1934–2020)

Alexander Joseph Brunett was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in Washington State from 1997 until his retirement in 2010. Brunett previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1994 to 1997 and after his retirement he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Oakland in California from 2012 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward William Clark</span>

Edward William Clark is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 2001 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard J. Sklba</span>

Richard John Sklba is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Wisconsin from 1979 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Mulhall</span>

Michael Mulhall is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2019, he has been the Archbishop of Kingston, Canada. Prior to that, he served the Bishop of Pembroke from 2007 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Grecco</span>

Richard John Grecco is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the 13th Bishop of Charlottetown from 2009 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul D. Etienne</span>

Paul Dennis Étienne is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in Washington State since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax–Yarmouth</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the civil province of Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Gordon (bishop)</span> Canadian Roman Catholic bishop (born 1957)

Gary M. Gordon is a Canadian Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood on May 22, 1982, Gordon was named bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Whitehorse, Canada in early 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gagnon</span> Canadian bishop, Archbishop of Winnipeg

Richard Joseph Gagnon is a Canadian bishop of the Catholic Church. He is the Archbishop of Winnipeg, appointed to the position in 2014 after previously serving as the Bishop of Victoria. He has also served as President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) since September 2019. Gagnon attended high school and university in Greater Vancouver, before studying for the priesthood at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1983 and served in the Archdiocese of Vancouver as an assistant pastor and parish priest for two decades. He became vicar general of the archdiocese in 2002 and was consecrated as a bishop two years later. Gagnon has been noted for his work toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Victoria and Winnipeg. He is also noted for calling the first diocesan synod in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg.

References

  1. 1 2 "Most Reverend Richard Smith". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton .
  2. 1 2 3 "Most Reverend Richard Smith named Archbishop of Edmonton". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops . 2007-03-22.
  3. Palmo, Rocco (2007-03-22). "Bishop Smith Goes to Edmonton". Whispers in the Loggia.
  4. 1 2 "Archbishop Richard William Smith". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[ self-published source ]
  5. "Visit of Most Rev. Richard William Smith", ABVM Province, bangalorepallottines.com. Accessed April 24, 2022.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Pembroke
20022007
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Edmonton
2007–present
Incumbent