Pope Francis on December 12, 2018, accepted the resignation of Archbishop Martin William Currie as Archbishop of St. John’s and appointed his successor Bishop Peter Hundt. At the time of his appointment, Bishop Hundt was Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador. Archbishop Currie has been the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. John’s for the past 11 years. He submitted his resignation to the Holy Father upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.
Bishop Hundt was born in Hanover, Ontario, on August 26, 1956. He attended St. Peter’s Seminary in London and was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Hamilton on May 8, 1982. He completed graduate studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and in 1987 received a licentiate in canon law. Upon his return to Canada, he served as Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Hamilton from 1987 until 1990 and as Chancellor from 1990 to 1994. On 11 February 2006, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto and ordained Bishop at Toronto on April 25, 2006. He was then appointed Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador on 28 February 2011 and installed on 13 April 2011. As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Hundt has served on the Standing Committee for Canon Law as a member (2008-2011) and as Chairman (2011-2014). He also served as Bishop ponens with the Pontifical Mission Societies (2010-2016) and is currently the Representative on the Permanent Council for the Atlantic Region, as well as a member of the English Sector Commission for Liturgy and Sacraments and of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council.
The Archdiocese of St. John’s has 65 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 111,605 served by 37 diocesan priests, 11 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, one permanent deacon, seven Brothers and 142 Sisters who are members of religious institutes, as well as two lay pastoral assistants.
