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 the name of the Diocese of Arichat, on territory split off from the Diocese of Halifax. Its proto-cathedral (now Église Notre Dame de l’Assomption) was located on

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

, in the port town of Arichat. In both

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and Canadian folklore, the first ordinary of the Diocese, Bishop

William Fraser William Fraser may refer to: Military people *William W. Fraser (1844–1915), American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient *William Archibald Kenneth Fraser (1886–1969), British army officer *William Fraser (British Army officer) ( ...

of Strathglass, is a folk hero. He is said to have been a man of enormous physical strength and to have been able to break steel horseshoes with his bare hands. On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, many legends have been collected of the Bishop's exploits. On 23 August 1886, the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Antigonish, and its episcopal see moved to

St. Ninian's Cathedral ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, on the Nova Scotia mainland in the town of Antigonish. Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, the highly influential Antigonish Movement, which combined

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

, co-operatives,

microfinance Microfinance is a category of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking and related services. Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; savings ...

and

rural community development Rural community development encompasses a range of approaches and activities that aim to improve the welfare and livelihoods of people living in rural areas. As a branch of community development, these approaches pay attention to social issues pa ...

to help small, resource-based villages throughout the

Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...

to improve their economic and social circumstances, was largely founded and led by a small group of Diocesan priests: Father James Tompkins, Father Moses Coady, and Fr. Hugh MacPherson. In 1946, Scottish nationalist,

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

, and scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature John Lorne Campbell was received into the Roman Catholic Church inside St. Ninian's Cathedral in Antigonish. Campbell, along with his American-born musicologist wife,

Margaret Fay Shaw Margaret Fay Shaw (9 November 1903 – 11 December 2004) was a pioneering Scottish-American ethnomusicologist, photographer, and folklorist. She is best known for her work among Scottish Gaelic-speakers in the Hebrides and among Canadian Gaelic ...

, had previously collected much folklore and traditional music from Diocesan Catholics in both

Canadian Gaelic Canadian Gaelic or Cape Breton Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig Chanada, or ), often known in Canadian English simply as Gaelic, is a collective term for the dialects of Scottish Gaelic spoken in Atlantic Canada. Scottish Gaels were settled in Nova Scot ...

and the indigenous

Mi'kmaq language The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

, which was recorded onto Ediphone wax cylinders.

2009–2010 apostolic administration

On August 7, 2009, Bishop

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 ...

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. On September 26, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop

, 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 There have been various cases of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Antigonish on the part of Roman Catholic clergy. 1950s cases On 7 August 2009, Bishop Raymond Lahey announced that the Diocese of Antigonish had reached a $15 million settlement in a ...

). The bishop pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was jailed. 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.

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. Until 2015, the Bishop of Antigonish served ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' as Chancellor of St. Francis Xavier University.

Bishops

The following is a list of the bishops, all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

, and their terms of service: ; ''suffragan bishops of Arichat'' * William Fraser razer(1844-1851), previously titular

Bishop of Tanis The bishop of Tanis was the head of the Christian church in the ancient Egyptian city of Tanis (today Ṣān al-Ḥagar). Although it is no longer a residential bishopric, it has been a titular bishopric in the Roman Catholic Church since the Middl ...

(1825.06.03 – 1842.02.15), Apostolic Vicar of Nova Scotia (Canada) (1825.06.03 – 1842.02.15), Bishop of Diocese of Halifax (Canada) (1842.02.15 – 1844.09.27) * Colin Francis MacKinnon (1851-1877), later Titular Archbishop of Amida (1877.08.30 – 1879.09.26) * John Cameron (1877.07.17 – 1886.08.23 ''see below''), previously Titular Bishop of Titopolis (1870.03.11 – 1877.07.17) and

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Arichat (Canada) (1870.03.11 – 1877.07.17) ; ''suffragan bishops of Antigonish'' * John Cameron (''see above'') (1886.08.23 – 1910.04.06) * James Morrison (1912–1950), created

Archbishop ad personam In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

(1944.02.26 – 1950.04.13) *

John Roderick MacDonald John Roderick MacDonald (July 9, 1891 – December 18, 1959) - consecrated as Bishop of Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. Accord ...

(1950–1959), previously Bishop of Peterborough (Canada) (1943.06.05 – 1945.04.14), Titular Bishop of

Ancusa Ancusa was a city in the Roman-Berber province of Byzacena in modern Tunisia. The exact location of the civitas is unknown. The city was also the seat of an ancient Christian Bishopric which survives today as a titular bishopric of the Roman Cathol ...

(1945.04.14 – 1950.04.13),

of Antigonish (Canada) (1945.04.14 – 1950.04.13) * William Edward Power (1960–1986), also President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1971 – 1973) *

Colin Campbell Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney ...

(1986–2002) *

(2003–2009), previously Bishop of Saint George's (Canada) (1986.07.05 – 2003.04.05); ''later Lay state (May 2012) * '' Apostolic Administrator Anthony Mancini - (2009 - 2010), while Metropolitan Archbishop of Halifax(-Yarmouth) (Canada) (2007.10.18 – 2009.10.22) * Brian Dunn (2010–2019), previously Titular Bishop of Munatiana and Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie (Canada) (2008.07.16 – 2009.11.21); ''appointed, 13 Apr 2019, Coadjutor Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia'' * Wayne Joseph Kirkpatrick (2019-), previously Titular Bishop of Aradi and Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto (2012.05.18 - 2019.12.18) ; ''Other priests of this diocese who became bishops'' * Thomas Sears, appointed Prefect of Western Newfoundland (St. George’s) in 1871 * Neil McNeil, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Western Newfoundland (St. George’s) in 1895 * Ronald MacDonald, appointed Bishop of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1881 *

Alexander MacDonald Alexander or Alex MacDonald may refer to: Politics * Alasdair Óg of Islay (died 1299), Lord of Islay and chief of Clann Domhnaill * Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross, or Alexander MacDonald (died 1449), Scottish nobleman * Alexander MacDonald, 5 ...

, appointed Bishop of Victoria, British Columbia in 1908 *

John Hugh MacDonald John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, appointed Bishop of Victoria, British Columbia in 1934 * Malcolm Angus MacEachern, appointed Bishop of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in 1954 *

Joseph Neil MacNeil Joseph Neil MacNeil (April 15, 1924 – February 11, 2018) was a Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church. MacNeil was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and was ordained a priest on May 23, 1948. MacNeil was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Saint J ...

, appointed Bishop of Saint John, New Brunswick in 1969

In Canadian literature

* Following Bishop

's death in 1851, local Catholic poet

Ailean a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Allan The Ridge MacDonald (1794 Allt an t-Srathain, Lochaber, Scotland - 1 April 1868 Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada) was a Bard, Traditional singer, and '' Seanchaidh'' who emigrated from the Gàidhealtachd ...

, a major figure in both Scottish Gaelic literature and in that of

, composed the poem ''Cumha do' n Easguig Friseal'' ("Lament for Bishop Fraser"), which MacDhòmhnaill set to the air ''A' bliadhna leum dar milleadh''. According to Effie Rankin, Ailean a' Ridse adapted the traditional verse iconography of a

Highland clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognised ...

mourning for the death of their

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

to the Catholic Gaels of the Diocese mourning for the death of their Bishop.Effie Rankin (2004), ''As a' Braighe/Beyond the Braes: The Gaelic Songs of Allan the Ridge MacDonald'',

Cape Breton University , "Diligence Will Prevail" , mottoeng = Perseverance Will Triumph , established = 1951 as Xavier Junior College 1968 as NSEIT 1974 as College Of Cape Breton 1982 as University College of Cape Breton 2005 as Cape Breton ...

Press. Pages 169-170. * Canadian writer Linden MacIntyre, fictionalized the events of the ongoing

in his award-winning novel ''

The Bishop's Man ''The Bishop's Man'' is a novel by Canadian writer Linden MacIntyre, published in August 2009. The story follows a Roman Catholic priest and former fixer for the Diocese of Antigonish named Fr. Duncan MacAskill. After years of quietly resolvin ...

'', which was published in 2009. The novel's guilt-ridden

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

is a Roman Catholic priest and former fixer for the Diocese of Antigonish named Fr. Duncan MacAskill. After years of quietly burying potential scandals involving the Diocese's priests, Fr. MacAskill has been assigned by his Bishop to a remote parish on

, Nova Scotia and ordered to maintain a low profile.

References

Diocese of Antigonish page at catholichierarchy.org
retrieved July 17, 2006

Sources and external links

*

St. Francis Xavier University

{{coord, 45.6201, N, 61.9935, W, source:wikidata, display=title Antigonish Catholic Church in Nova Scotia Antigonish County, Nova Scotia Cape Breton County Guysborough County, Nova Scotia Inverness County, Nova Scotia Pictou County Richmond County, Nova Scotia Victoria County, Nova Scotia Religious organizations established in 1844 1844 establishments in Nova Scotia 1844 establishments in Canada