Robert Lowder Seaborn (July 9, 1911 – February 15, 1993) 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 ...

minister of the Anglican faith. He was the Anglican Bishop of Newfoundland in Canada from 1965 to 1980. Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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he attended Normal Model School and completed high school at the

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by competitive ex ...

. He earned a BA in Classics in 1932 and a degree in divinity at

University of Trinity College Trinity College (occasionally referred to as The University of Trinity College) is a college federated with the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Strachan originally intended Trinity as a university of strong Angl ...

at 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 ...

and spent 1936–37 at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. He was ordained deacon in 1934, priest in 1935 and served as assistant curate in his initial parish, St. Simon-the-Apostle Church in

, followed by St. James' Cathedral

from 1937 to 1941. He then became rector of St. Peter's in Cobourg,

(1941–48).

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Seaborn spent a winter training in

Debert Debert () (2006 pop: 1,471) is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County, it is approximately west of Truro. The community has two churches ( United Baptist Church and ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and then was posted overseas in the spring of 1943. He served as Padre for the 1st Battalion,

Canadian Scottish Regiment ("Ready for the fray" or "ready to sting" – see §Motto) , colours = Red, blue, and green , colours_label = , march = Blue Bonnets Are over the Border , mascot ...

from 1943 to 1945 and participated in the D-Day

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

. As part of that landing he held individual services on all three ships over which the Canadian Scottish Regiment was scattered. He won a Military Cross during the Juno Beach fighting for carrying wounded to safety while under fire. He was awarded the "Croix de Guerre" by the French Government. On July 15, 1944, he appeared in a photograph saying a prayer over a soldier of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. This photo has appeared many times since in publications related to World War II and served as the basis for a stained glass window located in Ottawa,

Post-World War II

Following the war, Seaborn returned to the Anglican Church of Canada, serving as Rector of the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity,

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and

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, (1948–57), Rector of St. Mary's Kerrisdale

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(1957–58), and in both Corner Brook and St. John's, Newfoundland. Bishop Seaborn was the 15th Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada, serving from 1975 to 1980. In 1976 he oversaw reorganization of the one Newfoundland diocese into three - the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador with its cathedral at St. John's, the Diocese of Central Newfoundland (Gander) and the Diocese of Western Newfoundland (Corner Brook). This made him the 8th and final Bishop of Newfoundland and the only one to be named Metropolitan of Canada. During the 1960s he was involved in the integration of the Anglican, United Church, Salvation Army, and Presbyterian educational services in Newfoundland. Along with his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Betty), he spearheaded the founding of KillDevil Camp in Gros Morne National Park in Western Newfoundland. The camp's central building has since been named Seaborn Lodge. Seaborn later returned to

and served as chancellor of

at the

from 1982 to 1990 and Bishop Ordinary to the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

from 1980 to 1986. Bishop Seaborn died in Cobourg,

on February 15, 1993. His brother,

J. Blair Seaborn James Blair Seaborn CM (March 18, 1924 – November 11, 2019) was a Canadian diplomat and civil servant best remembered for the Seaborn Mission of 1964–1965 in connection with the Vietnam War and for heading the "Seaborn Panel" of the 1990s ...

, was a longtime Canadian civil servant and diplomat."James Blair Seaborn"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''.

Honorary degrees

Montreal Diocesan Theological College Montreal Diocesan Theological College (known as Montreal Dio) is a theological seminary of the Anglican Church of Canada. It offers the Master of Divinity, Diploma in Ministry, Bachelor of Theology, and Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) to candida ...

- 1980 *

Memorial University 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 i ...

- Doctor of Laws - Spring Convocation, May 1972 *

Bishop's University Bishop's University (french: Université Bishop's) is a small English-language liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Bishop of Quebec, George Mountain, w ...

- Doctor of Civil Laws, 1962

External links

Finding Aid No. 1953 - National Archives of Canada
pdf document
Sound Recordings My Army Recollections - University of Victoria
mp3 files
Photo taken at Spotted Island, LabradorConfirmation Photo taken at Spotted Island, Labrador

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaborn, Robert Lowder 1911 births Anglican bishops of Newfoundland Anglican bishops of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador 20th-century Anglican Church of Canada bishops 1993 deaths Trinity College (Canada) alumni University of Toronto alumni