Diocese of

Antigonish

Canada

Continent: North America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Antigonish / Antigonicen(sis) (Latin) / Arichaten(sis) (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Halifax–Yarmouth

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Website:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Saint Ninian of Whithorn (September 16), Saint Anne (July 26)

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: September 13 (1874)

Liturgical Calendar 📅

History

1844.09.22: Established as Diocese of Arichat / Arichaten(sis) (Latin) (from Diocese of Halifax and became suffragan of Québec)
1852.05.04: Became suffragan of Halifax
1886.08.23: Renamed as Diocese of Antigonish / Antigonicen(sis) (Latin) / Arichaten(sis) (Latin)

Contact Info

Address: Bishop’s House, P.O. Box 1330, 168 Hawthorne St., Antigonish, NS B2G 2L7, Canada

Phone: +1 (902) 863-3335

Present Prelates

Bishop (2019.12.19 – ...):

Bishop Wayne Joseph Kirkpatrick (68)

Ordinaries

Bishops of Antigonish (Roman Rite)

Bishop Wayne Joseph Kirkpatrick (68)
(2019.12.19 – ...)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada)

Born:	1957.06.05 (St. Catharines, ON, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1984.09.01
Consecrated Bishop:	2012.07.25

Priest of Saint Catharines (Canada) (1984.09.01 – 2012.05.18)

Titular Bishop of Aradi (2012.05.18 – 2019.12.19)

Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto (Canada) (2012.05.18 – 2019.12.19)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (2019.12.19 – ...)

Archbishop Brian Joseph Dunn (70)
(Apostolic Administrator 2019.04.13 – 2019.12.19)

Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn (70) (later Archbishop)
(2009.11.21 – 2019.04.13)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Halifax–Yarmouth (Canada)

Nihil nos separabit a caritate Dei

Born:	1955.01.08 (St. John’s, NL, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1980.08.28
Consecrated Bishop:	2008.10.09

Priest of Grand Falls (Canada) (1980.08.28 – 2008.07.16)

Titular Bishop of Munatiana (2008.07.16 – 2009.11.21)

Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie (Canada) (2008.07.16 – 2009.11.21)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (2009.11.21 – 2019.04.13)

Apostolic Administrator of Antigonish (Canada) (2019.04.13 – 2019.12.19)

Coadjutor Archbishop of Halifax–Yarmouth (Canada) (2019.04.13 – 2020.11.27)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Halifax–Yarmouth (Canada) (2020.11.27 – ...)

Archbishop Anthony Mancini (79)
(Apostolic Administrator 2009.09.26 – 2009.11.21)

Bishop Raymond John Lahey (later Mr.)
(2003.04.05 – 2009.09.26)

Born:	1940.05.29 (St. John’s, NL, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1963.06.13
Consecrated Bishop:	1986.08.03
Died:	2022.04.10 (Montréal, QC, Canada † 81)

Priest of Saint John’s, Newfoundland (Canada) (1963.06.13 – 1986.07.05)

Bishop of Saint George’s (Canada) (1986.07.05 – 2003.04.05)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (2003.04.05 – 2009.09.26)

Lay state (2012.03.16)

Bishop Colin Campbell
(1986.12.12 – 2002.10.26)

Tutore te Christe

Born:	1931.07.12 (Antigonish, NS, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1956.05.26
Consecrated Bishop:	1987.03.19
Died:	2012.01.17 (Halifax, NS, Canada † 80)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (1986.12.12 – 2002.10.26)

Bishop William Edward Power
(1960.05.12 – 1986.12.12)

Born:	1915.09.27 (Montréal, QC, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1941.06.07
Consecrated Bishop:	1960.07.20
Died:	2003.11.29 (Bethany, NS, Canada † 88)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (1960.05.12 – 1986.12.12)

President of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1971 – 1973)

Bishop John Roderick MacDonald
(1950.04.13 – 1959.12.18)

In fraternitatis amore

Born:	1891.07.09 (Port-Hood, NS, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1916.01.23
Consecrated Bishop:	1943.08.24
Died:	1959.12.18 (Antigonish, NS, Canada † 68)

Bishop of Peterborough (Canada) (1943.06.05 – 1945.04.07)

Titular Bishop of Ancusa (1945.04.14 – 1950.04.13)

Coadjutor Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (1945.04.14 – 1950.04.13)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (1950.04.13 – 1959.12.18)

Archbishop James Morrison
(1912.05.25 – 1950.04.13)

Born:	1861.07.09 (Savage Harbour, PE, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1889.11.01
Consecrated Bishop:	1912.09.04
Died:	1950.04.13 (Antigonish, NS, Canada † 88)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (1912.05.25 – 1950.04.13)

Archbishop ad personam (1944.02.26 – 1950.04.13)

Bishop John Cameron
(1886.08.23 – 1910.04.06)

Born:	1826.02.16 (St. Andrews, NS, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1853.07.26
Consecrated Bishop:	1870.05.22
Died:	1910.04.06 (Antigonish, NS, Canada † 84)

Titular Bishop of Titopolis (1870.03.11 – 1877.07.17)

Coadjutor Bishop of Arichat (Canada) (1870.03.11 – 1877.07.17)

Bishop of Arichat (Canada) (1877.07.17 – 1886.08.23)

Bishop of Antigonish (Canada) (1886.08.23 – 1910.04.06)

Bishops of Arichat (Roman Rite)

Bishop John Cameron
(1877.07.17 – 1886.08.23)

(see above)

Bishop Colin Francis McKinnon (later Archbishop)
(1851.09.21 – 1877.08.30)

Sub cruce salus

Born:	1811.07.29 (Williams Point, NS, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1837.01.01
Consecrated Bishop:	1852.02.26
Died:	1879.09.26 (Antigonish, NS, Canada † 68)

Bishop of Arichat (Canada) (1851.09.21 – 1877.08.30)

Titular Archbishop of Amida (1877.08.30 – 1879.09.26)

Bishop William Fraser
(1844.09.27 – 1851.10.04)

Born:	1779 (Craskie in Glencannish, Scotland)
Ordained Priest:	1804.01.08
Consecrated Bishop:	1827.06.24
Died:	1851.10.04 (Antigonish, NS, Canada † 71)

Titular Bishop of Tanis (1825.06.03 – 1842.02.15)

Vicar Apostolic of Nova Scotia (Canada) (1825.06.03 – 1842.02.15)

Bishop of Halifax (Canada) (1842.02.15 – 1844.09.27)

Bishop of Arichat (Canada) (1844.09.27 – 1851.10.04)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop John Roderick MacDonald (1945.04.14 – 1950.04.13)
Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop John Cameron (1870.03.11 – 1877.07.17)

Special Churches

Cathedral: St. Ninian’s Cathedral, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Former Cathedral: Église Notre Dame de l’Assomption, Arichat, Nova Scotia
Jubilee Churches in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016)

Churches by City (123)

Halifax–Yarmouth (↙), Gaspé (↑), Corner Brook and Labrador (↗), Saint John’s, Newfoundland (↗)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 18,800 km²

Population: 121,000 Catholics (52.6% of 230,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 73 parishes, 35 missions

Personnel: 71 priests (63 diocesan, 8 religious), 19 deacons, 112 religious (8 brothers, 104 sisters), 2 seminarians

Pastoral Centres

Last updated on 2025.11.11

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