New Bishop appointed for Calgary

Wednesday, January 04 2017

(CCCB – Ottawa)… His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Frederick B. Henry as Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary and has appointed today as his successor the Most Reverend William Terrence McGrattan. At the time of his appointment, Bishop McGrattan was Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough. Bishop Henry has been Bishop of Calgary for the past 19 years.

Born in London, Ontario on 19 September 1956, Bishop William Terrence McGrattan studied at St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ontario, where he obtained a Master’s of Divinity in conjunction with the University of Western Ontario. Following his ordination to the priesthood on 2 May 1987, he pursued studies in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, receiving a licentiate in 1992. Following several pastoral appointments within the Diocese of London, in 1997 he was appointed Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary, London, a position he was holding when appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto on 6 November 2009. He was appointed Bishop of Peterborough on 8 April 2014. As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop McGrattan serves on the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine, in addition to being the Bishop ponens with the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada and the National Spiritual Advisor with the Catholic Women’s League of Canada.

Bishop Henry was born in 1943 in London, Ontario. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of London on 25 May 1968. On 23 April 1986, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of London, and ordained to the episcopate on 24 June 1986. On 24 March 1995, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and subsequently Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary on 19 January 1998. As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Henry has served as member and then chairman of the former Episcopal Commission on Christian Education of the English Sector (1987-1993), liaison bishop with English-language seminary rectors, co-ordinator of the apostolic visitation of English-language seminaries in Canada, member of the Executive and National Council of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (1996-2000), member of the Permanent Council as Sector representative (2000-2003 and 2007-2009), member and then chairman of the former Episcopal Commission for Social Communications of the English Sector (2001-2005), liaison bishop to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities of Canada, member of the Standing Committee for Development and Peace (2011-2013).

According to the Canadian Catholic Church Directory 2016, the Diocese of Calgary has 67 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 435,328 served by 153 diocesan priests, 37 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 46 permanent deacons, 104 religious Sisters and Brothers who are members of religious institutes.