On December 18, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick as the new bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. His Excellency will be formally installed as the 10th Bishop of Antigonish in early 2020 at a date to be announced in the coming days.
Born in St. Catharines, Bishop Kirkpatrick has served the Archdiocese of Toronto faithfully since his appointment as an auxiliary bishop in 2012.
“I am humbled by the trust placed in me by the Holy Father to serve the faithful of the Diocese of Antigonish,” said Bishop Kirkpatrick. “I ask for your prayers and be assured of mine as I prepare for this new chapter of ministry.”
Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, expressed his gratitude for Bishop Kirkpatrick’s many contributions and pastoral outreach.
“We will miss Bishop Kirkpatrick in the Archdiocese of Toronto where he served with joy and faithfulness,” said Cardinal Collins. “I invite our entire faith community to join me in offering our prayers as he prepares for his new mission entrusted to him by the Holy Father.”
Bishop Kirkpatrick provided pastoral leadership for the Northern Region of the Archdiocese of Toronto. He was also the Episcopal Vicar for Religious Institutes of Men and Women and the Francophone community of the archdiocese. Since 2014 Bishop Kirkpatrick has been President of St. Augustine Seminary — he is also an honorary trustee of the York Catholic District School Board.
Before coming to the Archdiocese of Toronto, Bishop Kirkpatrick served in the Diocese of St. Catharines — his hometown — for more than 20 years. He entered the priesthood in 1984 after studying at University of Waterloo’s St. Jerome’s College and St. Augustine’s Seminary. In 1990, he received a Licentiate (Masters) in Canon Law from Saint Paul University in Ottawa.
Before becoming bishop, he served as prison chaplain, vice chancellor, associate judicial vicar of the regional tribunal of Toronto, parish priest, chancellor, diocesan bursar, diocesan consultor, president of the presbyteral council, moderator of the Curia, consultor of the executive board of the English-speaking association of canon law, member of the executive board of insurance of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, and president of the Clergy Aid Society.
On 18 May 2012 he was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Toronto and received episcopal consecration the following 25 July.
