His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Brendan O’Brien as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kingston, and on March 28, 2019, appointed his successor the Most Reverend Michael Mulhall. At the time of his appointment, Bishop Mulhall was Bishop of the Diocese of Pembroke. Archbishop O’Brien has been the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kingston for the past 12 years. He submitted his resignation to the Holy Father upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.
Bishop Mulhall was born in Peterborough, Ontario, on February 25, 1962. He attended Trent University in Peterborough from which he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Philosophical Studies, followed by a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Peterborough on 21 July 1989. He then completed additional studies at the Patristic Institute Augustinianum, while following the formation program at the North American College, both of which were in Rome. After serving in pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Peterborough from 1991 to 1994, he served from 1994 to 2002 as an official of the Holy See in the Congregation for Oriental Churches. After returning to Canada in 2002, he again served in the Diocese of Peterborough as pastor, as well as Chancellor for Spiritual Affairs (2003-2007) and Vicar General (2004-2007). On June 30, 2007, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Pembroke and ordained Bishop at Pembroke on September 21, 2007. As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Mulhall currently serves as a member of the Orthodox-Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue as well as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine.
The Archdiocese of Kingston has 70 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 116,500 served by 63 diocesan priests, 11 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 27 permanent deacons, as well as one Brother and 110 Sisters who are members of institutes of religious life.
