Pope Francis today appointed Father Robert Kasun, C.S.B., as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Father Kasun will join three other auxiliaries in assisting Cardinal Archbishop Thomas Collins.
Robert Kasun was born Dec. 20, 1951, in Cudworth, Saskatchewan. He joined the Basilian Fathers after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in English. Following novitiate, he continued his studies, earning a Master’s of Divinity from St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, and subsequently, both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from the University of Toronto. Following ordination in 1978, Father Kasun began his teaching ministry in schools operated by the Basilian Fathers in Merrillville, Indiana, and in Ontario at Sudbury and at St. Michael’s College. Toronto. He also served as Vocation Director for the Basilian Fathers based in Rochester, New York, and taught with the Calgary Catholic School District at St. Francis High School in Calgary.
Father Kasun served as a member of the General Council of the Basilian Fathers from 1989 to 1997 as Regional Representative for Western Canada, and as Vice-President of the then Western Region of the Canadian Religious Conference. Also in Calgary, he served as Associate Pastor and then Pastor of St. Pius X Parish, Pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Calgary, and a member of the executive committee of the Board of Governors for St. Mary’s University College. Since 2009, he has served in the Archdiocese of Edmonton as Pastor of St. Alphonsus-St. Clare Parish, two inner-city parishes which are now twinned.
According to the CCCB 2016 Directory, the Archdiocese of Toronto has 249 parishes and missions, with a population of 1,626,465 Catholics, served by 296 diocesan priests, 413 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 130 permanent deacons, 556 Sisters and 44 Brothers who are members of religious institutes, as well as 68 lay pastoral workers.
