New Offices for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Officially Opened

Wednesday, March 19 2003

(CCCB—Ottawa) More than 150 people attended the blessing and official opening of the new offices of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) this evening. The new location, at 2500 Don Reid Drive in Ottawa, was blessed by Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and current CCCB president. Also taking part in the event was Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Marcel Gervais of Ottawa, as well as a number of other bishops and representatives from Catholic organizations across Canada.

The CCCB is the assembly of the Bishops of Canada founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948. Since the Second Vatican Council, it became part of a worldwide network of episcopal conferences established in 1965 as an integral part of the life of the universal Church.

The Conference provides ways for assisting the Bishops of Canada in their many pastoral responsibilities. The CCCB supports the bishops in their work by providing resource persons and specialists in different areas such as ecumenism, theology, liturgy, social affairs, evangelization, Christian education and communications. The CCCB involves itself in matters of national and international scope and provides the bishops a forum where they can share their experience and insight on the life of the Church and the major events that shape our society.

The CCCB is made up of 137 bishops from 71 dioceses, including seven from the Eastern Churches and a military ordinariate. The Conference recently moved to its new location after residing for 44 years at 90 Parent Avenue in Ottawa.

Archbishop Luigi Ventura, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., Saint-Jean-Longueuil and CCCB president and Archbishop Marcel Gervais, Ottawa