Terrence Prendergast

Canadian Catholic archbishop

Terrence Thomas Prendergast, SJ (born 19 February 1944) is the Archbishop of Ottawa, Canada.[1] He was formerly the Archbishop of Halifax. Prior to that he was the titular (in title only) Bishop of Slebte and Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto.[2]

Terrence Prendergast in 2015

Early life change

Prendergast was born in Montreal.[1] He became a Jesuit priest in 1972.[2] He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University.[3] He then studied at Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, which was a part of Saint Mary's University in Halifax. There he earned a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Theology degree.

Professor change

Prendergast taught Latin and Greek at Loyola High School in Montreal from 1967 to 1969. After he became a priest and earned his Doctor of Theology degree, he taught in Halifax at the Atlantic School of Theology from 1975 to 1981. He was the rector of Toronto's Regis College from 1981 to 1987, and its Dean of Theology from 1991 to 1994. From 1992 to 1994 he helped Bishop Frederick Henry visit English-language Canadian seminaries for the Vatican. When he was asked to be Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto in 1995, he was a Visiting Professor at the École Biblique in Jerusalem.

Bishop change

 
Coat of arms of Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa

Prendergast was chosen to become titular Bishop of Slebte and Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto on February 22, 1995. Prendergast was consecrated in St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto, on April 25, 1995.

He became Archbishop of Halifax on September 14, 1998. The Archbishop of Halifax is in charge of dioceses in the provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Prendergast also became the Chancellor of Saint Mary's University in Halifax. This is because the university always had the archbishop as its chancellor. In 2007 the archdiocese and the university decided that the Archbishop would not be the chancellor anymore. Instead, he would be called the "Visitor" to the university.

Prendergast became the ninth Archbishop of Ottawa on June 26, 2007. He is also the Chancellor of Saint Paul University as the university has always had the archbishop as its chancellor.

Other change

Archbishop Prendergast has a sister and three brothers. He is devoted to his many nieces and nephews, as well as to his Jesuit religious family. His hobbies include squash, cycling, skating, foreign films and Italian cooking.

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Archbishop Terrence Thomas Prendergast, S.J." Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, SJ, Archbishop of Ottawa". CatholicOttawa.ca. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  3. "New Archbishop Named for Ottawa". New Archbishop Named for Ottawa. 13 May 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2015.