Colin Robert Johnson (born 1952) is the former Anglican

archbishop of Toronto The Archdiocese of Toronto ( la, Archidioecesis Torontina) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the ecclesiastical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharin ...

and Moosonee, and he served as Metropolitan of the

Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario The Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario is one of four ecclesiastical provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada. It was established in 1912 out of six dioceses of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada located in the civil province of Ontario, and ...

from 2009 to 2018. He was the 11th Bishop of Toronto, the largest

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

in the Anglican Church of Canada.

Early life and education

Born in 1952, Johnson was educated at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

and then received his Master of Divinity degree in 1977 from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity ('' honoris causa'') by

Wycliffe College Wycliffe College () is an evangelical graduate school of theology at the University of Toronto. Founded in 1877 as an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition, Wycliffe College today attracts students from many Christian denominations from ...

and

, both in 2005, and by Huron College in 2015. Johnson was made an Honorary Senior Fellow of

Renison University College Renison University College is an affiliated university college of the University of Waterloo and located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Renison's campus is situated on the western border of Waterloo's main campus. The university college offers a ...

in 2017. He was elected an honorary Fellow of

by its Corporation in 2019.

Ordained ministry

He was made a deacon in 1977, ordained to the priesthood in 1978, and served a number of parishes in the Diocese of Toronto before becoming executive assistant to the diocesan bishop in 1992 and archdeacon of York in 1994.

Episcopal ministry

Johnson was elected suffragan bishop by the diocesan synod on April 23, 2003, at the Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto) and was consecrated on June 21, 2003, to serve as the area bishop of Trent-Durham, the eastern region of the diocese. He was elected diocesan bishop on June 12, 2004, and installed as the 11th bishop of Toronto on September 12, 2004. He succeeded Terence Finlay, who retired on June 4, 2004, after serving '' ex officio'' as diocesan bishop for over 15 years.

John Strachan John Strachan (; 12 April 1778 – 1 November 1867) was a notable figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto. He is best known as a political bishop who held many government positions and promoted education from common sc ...

was the first bishop of Toronto when the diocese was created in 1839. On October 15, 2009, Johnson was elected the 18th metropolitan of the

. The Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario includes the dioceses of Moosonee, Algoma, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara and Huron. It extends from the Great Lakes in the south to the shores of James Bay in the north and from Martin Falls (Ogoki Post) in western Ontario to Val D'Or in northern Quebec and Cornwall, Ontario in the east. Collectively, Anglicans in the province represent more than half of the Anglican population in all of Canada. Johnson succeeded Caleb Lawrence of the Diocese of Moosonee, who had been the metropolitan since 2004. When the 9th Bishop of Moosonee, Tom Corston, retired on December 31, 2013, the Diocese of Moosonee was reorganized as a mission area of the Province of Ontario, with Johnson, as metropolitan, serving as bishop of Moosonee in addition to his jurisdiction in the Diocese of Toronto. He was formally installed as the 10th Bishop of Moosonee on April 1, 2014 at Bishop Anderson Memorial Church, Cochrane and enthroned at St. Matthew's Cathedral, Timmins the next day. He was elected episcopal visitor of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine in 2005 and re-elected in 2010, serving until 2015. In 2009, he was named episcopal visitor to the Ontario chapter of the newly constituted North American branch of the

Society of Catholic Priests The Society of Catholic Priests (SCP) is a religious society of clergy in the Anglican Communion which draws its membership from Anglicans who consider themselves a part of the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition. Founding and early history The so ...

(SCP). Johnson chaired the Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC2) Working Group and was a member of the Council of General Synod (2008–2013), the executive body of the Anglican Church of Canada. He is a member of the board of directors of the College for Bishops], of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, a member of its faculty and a coach for new bishops. He represented the Anglican Church on the National Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and is honorary patron of a number of not-for-profit or social service organisations. For several years (1996–2003) he was a member of the Ontario Press Council. He is a founding member of the Bishops in Dialogue consultation to build understanding and respect among diverse leaders within the Anglican Communion. In October 2018, Johnson stepped down as Metropolitan of Ontario and as Bishop of Moosonee. He retired as Bishop of Toronto on December 31, 2018.

Personal life

Johnson is married to Ellen (''née'' Smith). They have three children (Andrea, Rachel and Timothy) and three granddaughters.

Coat of arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Colin Robert 1952 births 21st-century Anglican archbishops 21st-century Anglican Church of Canada bishops Anglican bishops of Toronto Anglican bishops of Moosonee Anglo-Catholic bishops Canadian Anglo-Catholics Living people Trinity College (Canada) alumni University of Toronto alumni