Auxiliary Bishop Named for Halifax

Tuesday, March 25 2003

(CCCB – Ottawa) – His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named Most Reverend Claude Champagne, O.M.I., as Auxiliary Bishop of Halifax. At the time of his appointment, he was provincial superior of the Ontario and Western Quebec province of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

The new auxiliary bishop will assist Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., in his twofold responsibilities as Archbishop of Halifax and Apostolic Administrator of Yarmouth. He will be working particularly with the French-speaking communities of these two Nova Scotian dioceses.

Born 22 July 1947 at Lachine, Quebec, Bishop-elect Champagne studied philosophy and theology in Ottawa before earning a doctorate in mission studies at the Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1975.

He has been a professor at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, as well as involved in youth ministry and vocations work together with French-language Cursillo groups in the Archdiocese of Ottawa. From 1977 until recently, he was doing pastoral work in two parishes in Eastern Ontario (Saint Albert and Marionville, both in the Archdiocese of Ottawa).

The Archdiocese of Halifax has 65 diocesan priests, 28 religious priests, 270 religious (including both women and men in addition to religious priests), 25 permanent deacons and eight lay pastoral ministers serving a Catholic population of 152,000 in 76 parishes and missions. The Diocese of Yarmouth has 40,000 Catholics in 39 parishes and missions, served by 26 diocesan priests, 25 women religious, one permanent deacon and nine lay pastoral ministers.