Brian Joseph Dunn (born 1955) is a Canadian prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who is Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth. He was

Bishop of Antigonish The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish ( la, Dioecesis Antigonicensis) is a Latin Rite diocese in Nova Scotia, Canada. Its current diocesan ordinary is Wayne Joseph Kirkpatrick. History The Diocese was established on 22 September 1844, under ...

from 2010 to 2019.

Early years

Born in St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Dunn was raised in the mining community of

Buchans Buchans ( ) is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the northwest shore of Beothuk Lake on the Buchans River. The town is located within the statistical ...

where he attended primary and elementary school before moving to the fishing community of

Harbour Grace Harbour Grace is a town in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With roots dating back to the 16th century, it is one of the oldest towns in North America. It is located about northwest ...

where he attended secondary school. Dunn attended

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

for one year before transferring to King's University College of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

where he graduated with a BA in 1976. Dunn completed seminary formation at St. Peter's Seminary, graduating with a MDiv in 1979. Dunn undertook post-graduate studies and graduated with a JCL and JCD from St. Paul University in 1990 and 1991 respectively. He completed an MTh at

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in 2006.

Priest

Dunn was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Grand Falls on 28 August 1980, where he served as a

Parochial Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

(

Associate Pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

) at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in

Grand Falls-Windsor Grand Falls-Windsor is a town located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of 13,853 at the 2021 census. The town is the largest in the central region, the s ...

from 1980 to 1985. Dunn then served as Pastor of St. Gabriel's Parish in St. Brendan's from 1985 to 1988, and then as Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Grand Falls from 1991 to 1996. He was subsequently Pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in

Harbour Breton Harbour Breton is a small fishing community on the Connaigre Peninsula in Fortune Bay, on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It is the largest center on the Connaigre Peninsula and was long considered the unofficial capital o ...

from 1996 to 1999, followed by the position of Pastor for both Holy Cross Parish in Holyrood and St. Peter and St. Paul Parish in

Harbour Main Harbour Main, formerly Harbour Main-Whitbourne and Harbour Main-Bell Island, is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Prior to 1975, the district elected two MHAs. Between 1972 and the ...

from 1999 to 2002. Dunn served the Diocese of Grand Falls as Vice-Chancellor (1980–1996),

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

(1996–2008), Member of the

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

(1991–2002), Bishop's Canonical Advisor (1990–2008), Judge for the

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

Tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...

(1990–2008), and Associate

Judicial Vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official ( la, links=no, officialis) is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserv ...

of the

Marriage Tribunal Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

(2002–2008). Dunn has also served a lecturer with the

Atlantic School of Theology Atlantic School of Theology (AST) is a Canadian public ecumenical university that provides graduate level theological education and undertakes research to assist students to prepare for Christian ministries and other forms of public leadership. ...

(1992–1999) for the Diploma Program for Theology and Ministry, lecturer in the Faculty of Canon Law at St. Paul University (2003–2004, 2007), and served on the faculty at St. Peter's Seminary (2002–2008) where he taught courses in Canon Law, Ecumenism, Ecclesiology, and Liturgical Law; he served as Dean of Studies from 2005 to 2008.

Bishop

On 16 July 2008,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

named Dunn auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie. He received his episcopal consecration from Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador on 9 October. On 21 November 2009, Pope Benedict appointed Dunn

. Dunn was installed on 25 January 2010. He replaced

Raymond Lahey Raymond John Lahey (born 29 May 1940) is a Canadian former priest and former bishop of the Catholic Church. He was Bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, from 2003 to 2009. Lahey was charged in 2009 with the importation of child pornog ...

, who was facing charges of possessing and importing child pornography. He became ''ex officio''

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

as well. Dunn was elected to participate in the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization in October 2012. He spoke on methods of evangelizing victims of clerical sexual abuse. He proposed "the appointment of pastoral teams consisting of clergy and laity, an official reflection on and recognition of lay ecclesial ministers, a deliberate and systematic involvement and leadership of women at all levels of Church life, e.g., permitting women to be instituted as lectors and acolytes and the institution of the ministry of catechist". On 13 April 2019,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

named Dunn Archbishop Coadjutor of Halifax-Yarmouth. On 27 November 2020,

accepted the resignation of Archbishop

Anthony Mancini Anthony Mancini KGOHS (born November 27, 1945) is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth. He retired on November 27, 2020. Biography Early life Born in Mignano Monte Lungo, near Napl ...

. As Coadjutor Archbishop, Dunn succeeded Archbishop Mancini as head of the Archdiocese.

References

External links

Biographical notes for Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn – Diocese of Antigonish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Brian Joseph 1955 births Living people People from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada University of Western Ontario alumni University of Ottawa alumni University of Notre Dame alumni People from Buchans St. Peter's Seminary (Diocese of London, Ontario) alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Halifax Roman Catholic bishops of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario