Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

William Irwin, (1928 – August 29, 2004) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Roman Catholic priest who founded, in 1961, what has become the largest multi-function social service agency in Canada, the Catholic Social Services. In 1988, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

and was promoted to Officer in 1998. In 1990, he was appointed an honorary prelate with the title of monsignor by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. In May 2008 plans were announced by the

Edmonton Catholic School District Edmonton Catholic Separate School District No. 7 or the Edmonton Catholic School District (ECSD) is the Catholic school board in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Size The Edmonton Catholic School District currently operates 96 schools. There are a tot ...

for the construction of a

French immersion French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which students who do not speak French as a first language will receive instruction in French. In most French-immersion schools, students will learn to speak French and learn most subjects s ...

elementary school in Monsignor Irwin's name. September 2010 marked the inaugural school year for the elementary school.http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2008/0519/school051908.shtml The school was opened on October 7, 2010 with his nieces and nephews present.

References

* 1928 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests Officers of the Order of Canada {{RC-clergy-stub