A special pullout section OF The Catholic Register
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A historic occasion Just 15 Canadian bishops have ever been elevated into the College of Cardinals, and only five of them have been from English Canada. So Feb. 18 will indeed be historic as Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins becomes Thomas Cardinal Collins, Canada’s 16th cardinal. Pope Benedict XVI will present Collins with a gold ring and the emblematic red adornments of a cardinal — the zucchetto and biretta — and the celebrations will begin. With this 44-page commemorative section, we are getting a head start on the celebration. Our team of editors, writers and designers have created a keepsake that’s full of information to help navigate and enjoy the consistory where Collins will join 21 other bishops in becoming a cardinal. These pages contain a superb profile by associate editor Michael Swan that traces the life path of an altar boy from Guelph, Ont., who became a scholar, priest, bishop and now cardinal. Our comprehensive coverage includes the thoughts of Collins on the eve of this historic event, perspectives from some of The Register’s popular columnists, plus much more. It speaks to the popularity of Cardinal-designate Collins that this souvenir pullout is so large. We began this project envisioning 24 pages. But after a staggering response from so many people, parishes and organizations that wanted to extend their congratulations, the section almost doubled in size. Together with our regular paper, this 60-page edition of The Catholic Register is the largest we may have ever published. I will have the privilege of joining about 150 Canadians who will accompany Collins on a week-long pilgrimage to Rome. In addition to extensive coverage in The Register’s Feb. 26 issue, I will file reports to our web site and frequent updates through Facebook and Twitter. You’re all invited to follow along. Jim O’Leary Publisher and Editor
From humble beginnings Collins rises to cardinal BY MICHAEL SWAN The Catholic Register
Despite its grand Catholic church at the top of the hill, Guelph, Ont., is a modest place and home to modest people. A little bit of Guelph’s heroic modesty lurks in the tabernacle of Our Lady Immaculate Church up on the hill. Somehow in the 1970s the tabernacle door was damaged such that it no longer locked. It was replaced by a more modern tabernacle that some in the parish thought conflicted with their church’s neogothic architecture. “It was an ugly, monstrous looking thing,” declares John Valeriote, lawyer, amateur historian and stalwart of Guelph’s Catholic community. Valeriote was so offended by the modern tabernacle he persuaded Our Lady Immaculate pastor Msgr. John H. Newstead to dust off the old one and take it to a locksmith for repairs. To get at the twisted, dysfunctional lock, the locksmith had to unscrew a plate from the inside of the the tabernacle door while Valeriote and Newstead watched. There on the inside of the plate, where only God could see it, were the names of local Irish farmers who long ago had combined their savings to buy and install the tabernacle. While The Catholic Register has not been permitted to disassemble the tabernacle, it seems very likely the name Collins is inscribed there. The Collins family arrived in Guelph in 1832, homesteading on Puslinch Lake. They were citizens of Guelph just four years after John Galt and the Canada Company established the town. Thomas Collins is the first bishop to ever emerge from Guelph, the first archbishop ever born in Guelph and now the first cardinal elector to have called Guelph home. He is as humble, modest and self-effacing as any of Guelph’s 19th-century homesteading Irish farmers. The Collins family has always been in Guelph, but now all of Guelph is paying attention. The Guelph Mercury will send a reporter to Rome to cover the Feb. 18 consistory where Collins will be made a cardinal. Mercury managing editor Phil Andrews considers Collins more than just newsworthy. “It’s incredibly significant. He’s
The soon-to-be Cardinal Thomas Collins has come a long way from his humble beginnings in Guelph, Ont. (Photo courtesy of the archdiocese of Toronto)
incredibly well known and appreciated,” said Andrews. “He has gone to lengths to maintain contact with Guelph.” Over the years Guelph has produced Olympic athletes and Stanley Cup winners, but nothing really compares with a cardinal, according to Andrews. When Our Lady Immaculate pastor Fr. Dennis Noon announced Collins would be made a cardinal the congregation broke into spontaneous applause at all three Masses. Collins said his first Mass in 1973 at Our Lady Immaculate Church. He served there as an altar boy in the 1960s. When Collins was first made a bishop and sent north of Edmonton to the vast, sparsely populated diocese of St. Paul, he granted an interview to the little weekly paper in Guelph.
The Guelph Tribune reporter asked him about the honour and awesome responsibility. He tried to explain how he was only doing what Pope John Paul II had asked of him. “It’s very exciting, this whole thing of obedience,” he said. This whole thing of obedience is indeed the whole thing for Thomas Christopher Collins. This is a man whose goal in life was to be a priest — to stand with the people of God in the unbroken line of Christ’s Church. “I really love being a priest and always have. It’s a real joy,” he told the Tribune in 1997. It’s clear he regards being a cardinal as more of the same. During a recent visit to his home town, he told a Rotary Club audience about the stages of his vocation. “The call of God comes deep
from the heart,” Collins said. “The call to be a bishop comes by telephone. I got the call to be a cardinal over a BlackBerry.” Nobody is surprised he got that call. Ever since Pope John Paul II plucked him out of St. Peter’s Seminary to be a bishop Collins has displayed very definite ideas about what a bishop should be and do. By the time he reached Toronto he was on a path. Pope Benedict XVI was clearly relying on him as he appointed Collins apostolic visitor to Ireland in 2010, brought him to the 2010 synod on the Middle East, appointed him in 2011 to the International Commission on English in the Liturgy and made him the official delegate for Canada responsible for implementing Anglicanorum Coetibus. Of course, it is a lie that modesty See A MAN on Page A3
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Priesthood his most precious possession Continued from Page A2
and humility are the opposite of ambition. Collins managed a master’s in English literature from the University of Western Ontario at the same time he was studying for the priesthood at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont. That’s ambition. His doctoral dissertation at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, “Apocalypse 22:6-21 as the Focal Point of Moral Teaching and Exhortation in the Apocalypse,” ran to 732 pages — more than 700 pages on 15 verses of Scripture. That’s more ambition. If Collins’ highest ambition was for priesthood, his priesthood is also his dearest, most precious possession. His clear, unequivocal response to clerical sexual abuse makes the point. “People expect that one who is consecrated with the holy oil of Chrism will act in an exemplary manner and never betray the trust which people know they should be able to place in a Catholic priest,” Collins told the faithful at St. Michael’s Cathedral April 18, 2010. “And yet, to our shame, some have used the awesome gift of the holy priesthood for base, personal gratification, betraying the innocent
and devastating their lives.” That bitter sermon full of steadfast resolve was posted on the archdiocese of Toronto web site and distributed in every parish bulletin in the archdiocese. Collins clearly felt the betrayal of abusive priests personally. He announced new norms for handling abuse cases in the archdiocese. But his initiative went beyond legal and administrative procedures. Collins also let it be known Catholics would not indulge in self-pity, would not blame the media or minimize the damage done. “We should always be thankful when wrongdoing is revealed, for that can lead to renewal, but in the face of this constant criticism, Catholic clergy and lay people alike can feel discouraged, angry, confused and ashamed,” he said. While priests who abuse are the exception and not the measure of the Church or its ministry, that does not excuse the whole Church from repentance — repentance that begins with setting things right for victims. From the beginning, Collins linked his reforms to the Pope’s agenda. If obedience is an exciting thing, sometimes it is also hard.
Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins greets Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. The two will meet again in mid-February, as the Pope has elevated Toronto’s archbishop to the College of Cardinals. (Photo courtesy of the archdiocese of Toronto)
While it might have been a bit of Vatican PR to appoint bishops of Irish descent to the apostolic visitation to Ireland, there can be no doubt that Collins was chosen for reasons deeper than a 180-yearold connection to the Emerald Isle. The Pope and his advisors clearly saw a bishop who understood the spiritual dimensions of the abuse crisis and was prepared to confront it. The investigation into a culture of cover-up in the Irish Church is an assignment that speaks volumes
about who Collins has grown to become. It is a difficult, delicate assignment which begins with the care of souls — souls who may no longer love or trust the Church. He has undertaken it in direct and generous response to the Pope and for the sake of the universal Church. It won’t be Collins’ name on the report or the recommendations in the final report that will go in confidence to the Pope. He will provide his best insights and if his recommendations are accepted
they will belong to the whole Church and Collins will slip into the background. During seven-plus years as archbishop of Edmonton, Collins demonstrated a style of leadership that had very little to do with pride of office or ostentation. “He is uninterested in the trappings of high office. It’s not his taste. It’s totally not him,” Basilian Father Timothy Scott of St. Joseph’s College in Edmonton told The Catholic Register when See A MAN on Page A4
The path taken on the road to the College of Cardinals Thomas Christopher Collins o Born in Guelph, Ont., Jan. 16, 1947 o Obtained a Bachelor of Arts (English) from St. Jerome’s College in Waterloo, Ont., 1969 o Ordained to the diaconate, May 14, 1972 o Obtained degrees, a M.A. (English) from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Theology from St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont., 1973 o Ordained to the priesthood in Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton, Ont., by Bishop Paul Reding, May 5, 1973 o Named associate pastor at Holy Rosary parish, Burlington, Ont., followed by associate pastor at Christ the King Cathedral, 1973 o Obtained Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (S.S.L), Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, 1978 o Became lecturer in English at King’s
The year is 1997, and Thomas Collins is ordained a bishop in Hamilton, Ont. (Register file photo) College and a lecturer in Scripture at St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont., 1978
o Obtained Doctorate in Theology (S.T.D.), Gregorian University, Rome, 1986
o Named Dean of Theology and ViceRector, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont., 1992 o Named Rector, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont., 1995 o Ordained to the episcopate in Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton, Ont., by Bishop Anthony Tonnos, May 14, 1997 o Installed as bishop of St. Paul, Alta., June 30, 1997 o Installed as archbishop of Edmonton June 7, 1999 o Named apostolic administrator of St. Paul, Alta, March 26, 2001 o Installed as archbishop of Toronto, Jan. 30, 2007 o Elected president of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2008 o Selected by Pope Benedict XVI to join the College of Cardinals, Jan. 6, 2012 o Installed into the College of Cardinals, Feb. 18, 2012
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‘A man of initiative’ with ‘great vision’ Continued from Page A3
As a youngster, Thomas Collins was curious about everything, says older sister Cathy. He taught himself to read before entering Grade 1. (Photo courtesy of the Collins family)
Many blessings from the staff and students of Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Congratulations Archbishop Thomas Collins on your elevation to the College of Cardinals We thank you for your total commitment to Catholic Education as you continue with your ministry in Christ’s name.
Collins was appointed to Toronto. It was Edmonton where Collins first launched monthly lectio divina sessions at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Basilica. He showed what the new evangelization might look like when he rented a former Eddie Bauer store in Edmonton’s City Centre Mall and turned it into St. Benedict’s Chapel, a base for ministry to downtown shoppers and office workers. “He’s a man of initiative. He’s got a great vision of things and he’s got a great love of the Church, and a great love of the priesthood, and a great love of the people,” said archdiocese of Edmonton chancellor Fr. Gregory Bittman. Collins, who spent almost a decade in Alberta, estimated he might have spoken directly with the province’s premier twice. He doesn’t see himself as a power broker. But that doesn’t mean that he has shied away from public life. Growing up in Guelph, Collins was quiet, studious and right at the heart of life in his city. He grew up on Durham Street, a couple hundred metres down the hill from Our Lady Immaculate Church. His dad, George, was circulation manager for the Guelph Mercury. His Uncle Joe was city editor at the Mercury. In those days virtually every household in the Royal City got the local daily. It bound the community together, gave
them something to talk about, gave them an identity. All the Collins kids had paper routes. When other kids went on vacation, they had multiple paper routes. As a student at St. Stanislaw’s Elementary School, Collins walked up the hill on dim wintery mornings to serve Mass. His house faced the back of the church, where a statue of St. Michael is tucked into an alcove and looks down the hill. There was more to it than early morning deliveries and early morning Masses. Being connected to the paper and the church made the Collins’ kids connected to everything. Older sister Cathy remembers how curious and persistent Thomas was even before he began school. Seven years older, she was his afternoon baby-sitter before Mom and Dad came home from work. Some days it felt like she spent all day answering questions. The boy taught himself to read before he began Grade 1. Collins’ first attempt to advance in the Church was thwarted by John Marrin, the formidable choir master, organist and music director at Our Lady Immaculate. Marrin excluded Collins from the boys’ choir because he couldn’t seem to generate any meaningful volume. More than 50 years later, Cathy Collins finds the idea her brother wasn’t loud enough a bit amusing. “You hear that booming voice when he sings at Mass,” she points out. The whole family knew he was the smart See CHURCH on Page A5
tHomas caRdInal collIns Church, school anchored Collins’ Guelph in ’60s Continued from Page A4
one, said Cathy, who herself went on to a career as a teacher and school principal. They knew he would go far on the strength of his intellect. But they didn’t know how far he would rise in the Church, she said. There’s more than intellect involved in a priestly vocation. The 1960s have been burned into our collective memory by the social, political and cultural upheaval caused by the baby-boom generation coming of age and demanding change. It started on big-city university campuses in Paris, New York and San Fransisco but eventually it seemed the whole world was crying out for a new order. The ’60s were supposed to be a clean break from tradition, authority and easy assumptions about right and wrong. But it was a different sort of ’60s in Guelph. “We might have been a bit insulated,” concedes Cathy Collins. “I don’t think we experienced any major upheavals in values. We
were a fairly stable community.” The University of Guelph was still an agricultural college. Guelph was a town connected to surrounding farm families. There were good jobs in small factories — everything from the Biltmore Hat factory to Imperial Tobacco. Mothers stayed home. Fathers went to work early and came home to read the Mercury before dinner. Faith, family, community pride and stability cocooned Guelph, even as Toronto’s Yorkville was filling up with American draft dodgers, hippies and folk musicians. Schools and churches anchored Guelph. These institutions, so central in Collins’ life, expressed the collective will of the city’s mothers and fathers to protect and nurture their families. Collins fit right in. He developed an interest in photography, collected stamps and took guitar lessons. His first job was as a car-hop in a drive-in burger joint. He went on to work serving tables at the Jesuit philosophy college on See GRAVE on Page A6
While the 1960s brought upheaval throughout North American society, life around Guelph’s Our Lady of the Immaculate Church remained somewhat “insulated” from the change surrounding it. Faith, family and community pride accounted for the city’s stability. (Photo by Michael Swan)
The Jesuits in English Canada give thanks to God for Thomas Cardinal Collins. We pray for God’s abundant blessings upon him in this new ministry for the universal church, and as he continues to shepherd the Catholics of the Church of Toronto.
www.jesuits.ca
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Grave-digging job paid dividends down the road Continued from Page A5
The Collins’ siblings, Cathy, seated, Thomas and Patricia. (Photo courtesy of the Collins family)
the northern edge of the city. He worked his way through university at a fibreglass plant and on a grave-digging crew at Guelph’s Catholic cemetery. Cathy believes the cemetery gig helped her brother in his later career. “It stood him well because when he became a priest he knew the risky places to stand,” she said. In high school, Collins had a thrilling and impressive English teacher. The young, dynamic Fr. Newstead could sweep into class and recite whole blocks of Macbeth with the book closed in his hand. Newstead had a feel for the power and beauty of language. He could persuade a classroom full of teenagers to apply their minds and hearts to ideas that Shakespeare embodied in characters. Newstead loved to make summer trips to Stratford for the Shakespeare festival. He loved to talk politics and its underlying truths in history. He was not a priest who feared or rejected the world. Newstead was a man of his times, deeply interested in people and events. The young Collins was already nursing the notion of a vocation when Newstead gave him a little push. “He’s forever grateful to Msgr. Newstead. He asked him, ‘Tom, why don’t you consider becoming a priest?’ ” recalled Cathy. “That
sort of solidified his thinking.” Knowing how they valued academic excellence, the Jesuits attracted Collins’ attention. But in the end he was drawn to the spirituality of the diocesan priest — rooted in a sense of place, a feeling for home and a drive to nurture and encourage a community of families. While Jesuits are determinedly itinerant — vowing to go anywhere the Pope asks — C ol lins wante d his life planted firmly somewhere he could call home. His home address remained Guelph until he was 50 years old, when he was ordained in 1997 as a bishop for the diocese of Gill Stelter St. Paul. The career path from associate pastor through high school English teacher to professor of Scripture and rector of St. Peter’s Seminary, bishop and archbishop was never some scheme to rise in the Church. It was an ambition to serve. But the ambition isn’t solely his. Strangely, his elevation to the College of Cardinals fulfills a dream Guelph’s founders had for the city. “The Catholic world as well as the rest of the world doesn’t recognize the significance of Catholic history in Guelph,” insists Gill Stelter, University of Guelph emeritus See ANOTHER on Page A7
GIDEON TRAVEL & TOURS Wishes to congratulate Archbishop Thomas Collins on his elevation to the College of Cardinals on February 18-19. You will always be in our prayers as you continue your ministry for the church.
d GIDEON TRAVEL & TOURS 3024 Hurontario St. Mississauga, ON L5B 4M4 905-949-5533
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Another in a long line of Guelph visionaries Continued from Page A6
Thomas Collins began his education in St. Stanislaw’s School in the shadow of Our Lady Immaculate Church in Guelph. High school was just across the way at Bishop Macdonell High School. At every stage, it has been a thoroughly Catholic education. o 1969 — Bachelor of Arts (English), St. Jerome College, Waterloo, Ont. o1973 — Bachelor of Theology (B.Th), St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont. o 1973 — M.A. in English, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont. o 1978 — Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (S.S.L), Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome. o 1978 — Lecturer, Department of English, King’s College, University of Western Ontario. o 1986 — Doctorate in Theology (S.T.D.), Gregorian University, Rome. Dissertation: “Apocalypse 22:6-21 as the Focal Point of Moral Teaching and Exhortation in the Apocalypse.” Honorary Doctorates o 2007 — Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa), University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. o 2008 — Doctor of Humane Letters, Niagara University, Niagara, N.Y.
Then-Fr. Collins stands in front of a large painting of Bishop Michael Francis Fallon, the bishop of London who founded St. Peter’s Seminary back in 1912. Little did Collins know he would follow Fallon’s path to the episcopacy. (Photo courtesy of St. Peter’s Seminary)
philosophate. Stetler believes Collins stands in the line of those visionary founders of Guelph, Our Lady Immaculate and the Jesuit project. “These guys are the tradition Collins rep-
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professor of history. “It’s quite astounding.” The first cardinal from Guelph was supposed to be Cardinal Thomas Weld, a British Catholic nobleman elevated to the purple in 1830. It was all part of John Galt’s vision of Guelph as an important city. Weld was willing to relocate, but he was made a cardinal by Pope Pius VIII and died in Rome in 1837. Galt was a Scottish novelist, biographer of Lord Byron and entrepreneur. He was secretary (in modern terms, chairman and CEO) of the Canada Company. The Canada Company made money selling land it got for almost nothing to Irish and Scottish farmers. For farming to be viable, the Canada Company needed a city to anchor the local economy — a market for farm goods and a hub for agricultural services. But Galt’s vision went beyond functional economics. Churches were needed to civilize the place — not just in the sense of good manners and respect for the law, but to proclaim a certain dignity, to stand up and call people to their better selves. “A town without a spire is like a face without a nose,” Galt wrote. To that end, he wanted a bishop in Guelph. Galt annoyed the British, Protestant establishment of Upper Canada’s Family Compact by granting Catholics the most prominent piece of land in the whole region for their church. This was 1827, when it was still illegal to be Catholic in England. Catholicism was mostly tolerated in the colonies, but in the eyes of Anglican Bishop John Strachan and his circle of business friends known as the Family Compact, that didn’t mean you had to give the Catholics choice real estate. Somehow Galt, a lowland, Protestant Scot, had struck up a friendship with Bishop Alexander Macdonell, a highland Catholic Scot. The alliance encouraged Galt to dream big. When the land for the Catholic church was set aside, Galt wrote of one day building a cathedral that would rival St. Peter’s in Rome. That may have been fanciful, but in 1852, when the town was 25 years old, Austrian Jesuit John Holzer was appointed pastor of the parish that would eventually become Our Lady Immaculate Church. Though the Church of Our Lady Immaculate was consecrated in 1888, its towers were added by other architects in another style in 1926. Meanwhile north of the city another sort of Catholic ambition was shaping up on 240 hectares of farm land. The Jesuits established a novitiate for English-speaking Canada there in 1913. By 1958, when Collins was 11 years old, the Jesuit presence had grown into Ignatius College, incorporating both a novitiate and
A scholar priest
Humility is to be attentive, to notice, to listen, to be attentive to God
Thomas Collins Catholic Register, Oct. 14, 2007
resents,” said Stetler. “They were visionaries. He stands in a great line of visionaries.” Collins is conscious of his history. Stelter gives Collins credit for the best history yet written about Our Lady Immaculate — a little book published more than 20 years ago, now out of print. History was always one of Collins’ favourite subjects, said his sister. For Collins, being Catholic is about finding yourself a little bit outside looking in on the flow of history — tethered to the past by tradition and yearning for an ultimate future promised in Scripture. “We are an analogue people in a digital world,” he told The Catholic Register in July 2011. There’s more to the history that produced Collins than just ambitions of church men. Guelph was also the birthplace of Canada’s See POLITICS on Page A8
His teaching career also includes: o 1978 — Lecturer in Scripture, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont. o 1985 — Associate Professor of Scripture, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont. o 1989 — Associate Editor, Discover the Bible. o 1992 — Dean of Theology, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont. o 1992 — Vice-Rector, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont. o 1995 — Rector, St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont. o 1999 — Chairman, Newman Theological College Board of Governors, Edmonton. o 1999 — Chairman, St. Joseph’s College Board of Governors, University of Alberta, Edmonton. o 2007 — Chancellor, University of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. o 2007 — Chancellor, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto. o 2007 — Chair of the Board of Governors, St. Augustine’s Seminary, Toronto. o 2007 — Chair of the Board of Directors, Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary, Toronto.
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Politics, education, moral issues close to his heart Continued from Page A7
Communist Party. That isn’t to suggest the Pope has set aside a gold ring and a red hat for a Bolshevek. But if it’s tempting to think of Guelph as a sleepy backwater where nothing happens, it’s good to remember that Collins’ home town has a knack for finding itself in the middle of the great, passionate debates of history. Collins’ uncle Joe Downey, in addition to his career as a newspaperman, was a Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament for Wellington South. His grandfather George Keen was a key figure in the co-operative movement in Canada — helping to establish grain co-ops out west and fishing co-ops in Atlantic Canada. “In terms of skills and even appearance, I think my brother most resembles (Keen),” said Cathy. “He was a very intelligent man, very learned, a person who has read a lot of books.” Keen was awarded an honorary doctorate by St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. Without him the Antigonish Movement might have been more a theory than a practical attempt to re-orient the economics of the 20th century. It comes as no surprise there’s a little politics in Collins’ background. When things began unravelling at the Toronto Catholic District School Board in 2008, Collins stepped decisively into the political arena. He did not speak softly or seek the hush of back-room meetings. Elected officials to a body with Catholic responsibilities were found to have used public funds for private purposes. The archbishop spoke up publicly. “We believe that the largest Catholic school board in the country has experienced a leadership crisis and consequences are required,” he told The Toronto Star. Politics is only part of how the Church is engaged in the world. In Toronto, home to refugees from around the world, Collins has sought to make the archdiocese more effective in reaching out and helping people
Difficult concepts seemed to always come easy to Collins. His seminary brothers often looked his way when trying to decipher difficult concepts. (Photo by Michael Swan)
whose lives and homelands have been stolen from them by defective politics. He established the Office for Refugees in 2008. In
2010 he began the process to sponsor an Iraqi refugee family — inspiring dozens of parishes across the archdiocese to set up
refugee sponsorship committees of their own. For Collins, politics are neither beneath the dignity of his office nor too far removed from ecclesiastical expertise. As a cardinal, Collins intends to continue to be heard by politicians about political responsibilities. “We don’t choose a party. But I intend to speak out on the moral issues in society,” he said after his appointment to the College of Cardinals was made public on Jan. 6. Nor is it surprising Collins was so forceful when the subject was education. This is a man whose first response to the world has always been to study it. He is the brother, the grandson and the great-grandson of school principals. “We couldn’t help but talk about education (around the dinner table),” said his sister. Following in the footsteps of Newstead, as a young priest Collins taught high school English. The right words in the right place were Collins’ first love. Anyone who has listened to him preach has also heard the man call up stretches of poetry from memory. It’s more than a trick he learned from Msgr. Newstead. Collins believes there are words worth holding in our hearts. He pronounces them in order to place them in the hearts of his hearers. Studying Old English at Western, Collins was so adept at the language his professor had him record language lab tapes so other students would have the sound of Beowulf in their heads. Fr. Dennis Noon was a year behind Collins in the seminary. Now the pastor at Our Lady Immaculate, Noon recalls how his seminary brothers would turn to Collins for a clear, plain English explanation of often abstruse concepts shovelled at them in convoluted, latinate language during theology classes. Everybody knew Collins understood the complicated philosophical terminology, but they admired him for his ability to make See A SIMPLE on Page A9
Collins busy beyond duties as archbishop of Toronto o Member of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Permanent Council o Chancellor, University of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto o Chancellor, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, Toronto o Chair of the Board of Governors, St. Augustine’s Seminary, Toronto o Chair of the Board of Directors, Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary, Toronto o Chairman of the Board of Directors, Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of Toronto o Chairman of the Board of Directors, The Catholic Register o Trustee, Advisory Board, ShareLife, Toronto
o Chairman, Board of Directors, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Toronto o President, Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario o Board Member, Catholic Near East Welfare Association o Member, Pontifical Council for Social Communications o Apostolic Visitor to the archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, Ireland, 2010 o Member, Synod of Bishops, Special Assembly for the Middle East, Rome, 2010 o Member, International Commission on English in the Liturgy, 2011 o Delegate of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for Anglicanorum Coetibus, 2011
Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins is chair of the Board of Governors at Toronto’s St. Augustine’s Seminary, among other appointments. (Register file photo)
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it human and make it real. “Collins’ biggest attribute, I always thought, was his humility,” Noon said. That’s still who he is, and it’s because he grew up in small town Guelph, said Valeriote. “It’s how he talks to people. He’s a very down-to-earth person. He speaks the common dialect,” Valeriote said. “You know he is academically right up there.” Noon still remembers the talk he had with the seminary rector at St. Peter’s shortly before graduation. It was a chance for Noon to tell the rector (and thereby get word to the bishop) about his successes and frustrations in the seminary, and what they might indicate about his future ministry. But the two of them got onto the topic of Tom Collins. “I’ve taught here for 46 years and he’s the smartest person I’ve ever taught,” said Fr. Jim Carrigan. Collins’ first sojourn in Rome at the Pontifical Biblical Institute taught him about the deeper meanings and uses of scholarship. He graduated with more than a licentiate. There he experienced the role of the scholar in the Church.
The great crash in Guelph, circa 1957 CATHOLIC REGISTER STAFF
There’s a story that circulates around Guelph, Ont., about how Cardinal-elect Thomas Collins barely escaped Our Lady Immaculate Church with his life. In one version, a 10-yearold Collins was almost killed when a statue of Our Lady came loose from the roof of the church and crashed at his feet. This somehow drove him into the priesthood. The story is utter nonsense. We got the true story from the man himself. “When I was a child, as I
A scholars’ life has suited Collins well. He spent two decades guiding young seminarians. (Photo by Michael Swan)
The scholar’s life was something that suited him well. He thoroughly enjoyed his 20 years of teaching
and guiding young seminarians. The relative asceticism of his life
See THE WORD on Page A10
The Diaconate Community of the Archdiocese of Toronto would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations and prayers to Archbishop Collins on his elevation to the College of Cardinals. May the Lord continue to bless you in all of your future ministries.
walked out of the church one Sunday after Mass, a large stone cross fell from the top of the church, and smashed into pieces beside where I was as I went down the steps of the church. My parents, who were behind me, were concerned as they heard the crash, but when they got outside they could see that the cross had not hurt me or anyone else nearby, but had just smashed the railing,” Collins told The Catholic Register in an e-mail. “That is it. It had nothing at all to do with my vocation to the priesthood.”
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A simple, yet scholarly life
What is true of the state is more profoundly true of the soul. A simple, personal, subjective feeling is not enough to govern conscience. It must be guided by an objective analysis of reality, rooted in reason and illuminated, if possible, by faith.
Thomas Collins From a speech to the Thomas More Lawyers’ Guild, Sept. 13, 2007
Margaret and Paul O’Connor would like to congratulate Archbishop Christopher Collins for his Elevation to the College of Cardinals. Paul O’Connor Funeral Home
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The Word calls us to the truth of God in Toronto is based in part on that scholar’s instinct for paring things down to allow more scope for study. How pared down? When he moved from Edmonton to Toronto he declined offers to help him find a suitable house. He took up residence in a small apartment at St. Michael’s Cathedral. And he has remained there. The apartment is so small there is no room for his cat, Frodo. His sisters, Cathy and Patricia, have adopted the cat, though they are deferential to the idea Frodo belongs to their brother. Frodo has no comment. The simplicity of Collins’ life isn’t just scholarly. For Collins, the Christian life must be focussed on simple, direct, human experience of God in our lives. The more electronic noise we introduce into our days the harder it is to hear the call of the divine. One of Collins’ favourite prayers is from the First Book of Samuel — “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” To make that point, Collins instituted a propaedeutic year for his seminarians. It’s a year in which men working toward priesthood
have minimal contact with the Internet, e-mail, social media, television, even newspapers. “Sometimes when you’re studying about Jesus all the time, you’re writing exams on Jesus and all that, you may never stop to think, do I give my heart to Jesus? And do I give my whole life to Him?” Collins said when the program launched last summer. Collins has thought long and hard about how technology has formed the modern consciousness, but not out of fear. He loves his BlackBerry. It’s said to be loaded with apps. He loves gadgets. He speaks often about how we need to see technology as a tool, rather than allowing technology to direct our actions. As he leads people through
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Being a loner is not a Christian option. We are meant to live in community, and our faith finds its home within the family of faith that is the Church.
Thomas Collins Catholic Register, Nov. 11, 2007
vespers and lectio divina once a month at St. Michael’s Cathedral, it’s clear Collins wants people to experience that single-minded, single-hearted love of God that so often eludes us. He tells people as often as he can that prayer begins with knowing that God is God and I am not. Once you know who God is you’re ready to be human. In his book about lectio divina, or prayerful reading of the Bible, Collins urges people to experience the holiness of being God’s creature by reading Scripture aloud and then stepping back into silence to feel the weight of the words. “We can become so abstract, so virtual; using our bodies to speak aloud and hear the words is a way to become more fully human again,” he urges readers of Pathways to our Hearts. The point of the whole exercise is that “We seek to be humbly attentive to God’s holy Word,” Collins writes. And by “God’s holy Word” he means much more than words on a page. He means the Word that was made flesh, the Word that calls us over and over to the simple truth of God alive and present in our world, in our lives.
Collins wants people to experience the love of God that so often eludes us. (Photo courtesy of the archdiocese of Toronto)
Loving Congratulations Y our Eminence Cardinal-elect Thomas C. Collins Our prayers are with you Y our Precious Blood Sisters across Canada
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as a recognition of the gifts of the Catholic community both in the archdiocese of Toronto and throughout our country.
Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins will be elevated to the College of Cardinals by the Pope at a Vatican ceremony on Feb. 18. Amid a busy schedule as he prepares for that important event, he took time to speak directly to the readers of The Catholic Register by answering a set of prepared questions.
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Your elevation to the College of Cardinals has generated considerable positive publicity. How can that be translated into positive energy that will last long after the consistory?
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What has your life been like since the announcement on Jan. 6 in terms of public reaction and demands on your time?
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In many ways, my daily life hasn’t changed since the Holy Father announced my appointment to the College of Cardinals. My schedule remains as busy as ever, serving the people of the archdiocese of Toronto. Of course, there has been some time involved in preparing for the consistory on Feb. 18, but nothing too onerous. When it comes to public reaction, however, I am touched by the number of messages of congratulations I have received from people from all over the world, and from many different faiths. Their prayers and well wishes
Cardinal-designate Collins doesn’t anticipate many great changes with his new position in the Church. He expects ministering to the people of the archdiocese of Toronto will remain his primary focus. (Photo by Michael Swan)
are a blessing for me. I hope they will continue to pray for me as I do for them, especially as I take on
this new role. I have been trying to reply personally to the many messages of congratulations, but I
am afraid I am behind in that, as there are so many. I truly see this appointment
It is affirming when the Church receives positive recognition in the media as this helps tell our story to those who may have fallen away from the Church or don’t know as much about us. You could fill every page of the newspaper with positive faith-related stories that are quietly happening around us every day. There is no shortage of good acts to celebrate publicly. If the consistory in Rome, and to some degree my own appointment as a cardinal, can help renew some people’s interest in the Catholic Church and their faith, that would be wonderful. In fact, the Holy Father has asked that on the day before the consistory, the cardinals and See GOALS on Page A12
The Catholic Women’s League of Canada celebrates the appointment of
His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins. May he continue to serve the faithful with wisdom, courage, integrity and joy.
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Goals remain same as when first ordained a priest Continued from Page A11
cardinals-designate all gather in a day of prayer and reflection around the New Evangelization. We will also hear an update about the upcoming Year of Faith. I pray we can carry the momentum of the consistory into the autumn, when the Year of Faith begins. I’m sure there will be a great deal of positive energy and creative ideas to help contribute to this New Evangelization.
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Is it daunting to think that you will retain all your current responsibilities as archbishop of Toronto but also take on important new duties on behalf of the world Church? My primary focus remains to faithfully serve the people of the archdiocese as their shepherd. Pope Benedict once said that one of the best ways for a bishop to help the universal
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Church is by faithfully caring for the local Church that has been entrusted to him. Aside from some additional periodic travel to Rome, I don’t expect the duties of my new position to increase my workload very much. I have been fortunate to have been asked already to serve the Church outside of our own diocese in a number of ways over the past five years. I serve as a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, as well as being involved in the Synod of Bishops at a Special Assembly for the Middle East. I have assisted the Holy Father as an Apostolic Visitor in Ireland and also as the Delegate of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for Anglicanorum Coetibus. I also am on the committee that helps prepare translations of liturgical texts.
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As a cardinal, in what ways would you like to impact the lives of Catholics in Canada
His new role will take Archbishop Collins to Rome more often, but he doesn’t see it as adding much more to his already busy workload as archbishop of Toronto. (Photo by Michael Swan)
and around the world? Have you established any priorities among the matters you’d like to address?
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In my day-to-day work, my goal is the same as it was when I was first
ordained as a priest: that I might strengthen, sustain and inspire faith in the people I meet, and especially those entrusted to my pastoral care. As priests, we dedicate ourselves to the task of fueling the flame of faith. As the archbishop of Toronto,
there have been a number of key priorities over the past few years that will continue: supporting our clergy and parishes, promoting vocations, nurturing Catholic education and reaching out to Christian refugees. More than 140 See OUR FAITH on Page A13
Bishop De Angelis, and the faithful of the Diocese of Peterborough, extend congratulations to Archbishop Thomas Collins on his being elevated to the College of Cardinals. Thank you for the great leadership given to the Church in Canada and kindness towards our small diocese. Be assured of our continued prayers as you take up the “task of helping St. Peter’s Successor carry out his mission to confirm people in the faith and to be the source and foundation of the Church’s unity and communion”.
h
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Our faith must be carried into all facets of our lives youth workers. It’s through them that we will keep many young people connected with their Church.
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of our parishes in the archdiocese of Toronto are in the process of sponsoring refugee families. I’m blessed to have talented and committed people working closely with me on these goals so we will continue to tackle the challenges ahead together.
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The Pope has spoken about the secularization of Western society, particularly in Europe. Do you see a similar issue in Canada and, if so, how can it be addressed?
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Attracting new vocations and keeping young Catholics involved in the Church are ongoing challenges. How can they be addressed?
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Our society, with i t s c o n s u m e r- f o cussed media-driven messages, is full of noise and distractions that compete for our attention. We need to ask one another to put down our smart phones, turn off the screens and iPods and find the time and space for some personal silence and reflection. The Holy Father speaks of the gift of silence in his 2012 Message for World Communications Day. When we are still and we listen to our hearts, we can recognize the desire within us all to be closer to God. By no
Cardinal-designate Collins is looking forward to the beginning of the Year of Faith later this year. (Photo by Michael Swan)
mistake, the Holy Mass provides a ready-made place for that sort of reflection and soul searching. There, in unity with Our Lord, we can truly find ourselves. This is also the reason that we have instituted a media fast as part of the spiritual year which we have
introduced at St. Augustine’s Seminary in the year before the seminarians begin their studies of theology. In the archdiocese of Toronto, and across Canada, there are vibrant youth programs in place in many of our parishes,
Congratulations and Blessings to Thomas Cardinal Collins from the Brothers of the Christian Schools
providing young people with the chance to explore and expand their faith among peers, with the guidance of well-trained, faith-informed youth ministers. Chaplains in our Catholic schools guide our students in a similar way. I’m truly grateful for the ministry of those
The Holy Father’s comments apply equally to North America — I think it’s a phenomenon that exists throughout the so-called developed world. There is a tendency for people (governments and media, in particular) to think faith has no place outside of church celebrations and our personal thoughts, as though faith has no place in the public forum. This is precisely why the Pope’s commitment to the New Evangelization is so important. We need to be reminded to carry our faith with us in all facets of our lives; in our workplace, our school life, our family life and our public life. We will see a renewed emphasis on this notion as the Year of Faith unfolds, and I hope that year will bear fruit for many years to come.
The Ontario Provincial Council of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada Extends sincere congratulations and prayerful support to
Most Reverend Thomas Collins Archbishop of Toronto on the occasion of his appointment by our Holy Father as Cardinal in the Catholic Church. It is a great honour not only for His Grace but for all members of the Catholic Church in Canada. His appointment is a testament to his hard work and faithful devotion to the Church and spiritual life. May he be blessed with good health and the gift of wise and just counsel.
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London colleagues remember a man of great intellect Collins’ priestly journey strongly connected to diocese, St. Peter’s Seminary By HERMAN GOODDEN Catholic Register Special LONDON, ont.
St. Peter’s Seminary in London has been a focal point for much of the life of Cardinaldesignate Thomas Collins. He studied there before becoming a priest in 1973 and over the ensuing 24 years was drawn back to St. Peter’s in the roles of lecturer, Dean of Theology and, finally, rector until he was named bishop of St. Paul, Alta., in 1997. Fr. Michael Prieur, now a professor of Moral and Sacramental Theology, taught Collins in the early 1970s and worked with him for 19 years at the seminary. Fr. Murray Watson, the current vice-rector and assistant professor of Sacred Scripture and Ecumenism at the seminary, was taught by Collins in the 1990s. The Catholic Register sat down with these two priests and teachers for their perspectives on the London years of the man destined to become Canada’s 16th cardinal. Collins did two degrees while attending the seminary. He obtained an MA in middle English at the University of Western Ontario while simultaneously completing his Bachelor of Theology at St. Peter’s in 1973.
Collins has strong connections with the diocese of London, in particular St. Peter’s Seminary where he studied and taught for many years. (Photo courtesy of the diocese of London)
Prieur recalls “a model student who was easy to teach.” “Just sitting there you could see the brain turning all the time and any presentations he did were so colourful,” said Prieur. “By nature I think he’s an introvert but he comes alive when he steps up before a group of people. He was full of creative imagination,
has a wonderful sense of humour and is so articulate.” Watson was impressed by Collins’ breadth of knowledge. “He was an absolutely brilliant intellectual who was able to draw on so many different strands,” Watson said. “He drew a lot from literature — especially Catholic literature. He drew on Cardinal Newman and the Fathers of the Church and Scripture. He had a wonderful memory and a wonderful mind that could assimilate and weave together all those different strands. “He sometimes even drew examples from TV shows. I remember one homily in which he preached about the ideal priest based on characters from Star Trek.” Watson remembers a theology teacher who brought “a great love of the English language and good writing, good speaking and the well chosen word.” “He always quoted Strunk & White’s Elements of Style. In the margins of your paper he would just put, ‘E.S. 13’ and you knew you had to look up point 13 and that was the flaw in your paragraph, whether it was a run-on sentence or you were being obtuse.” Both men recall Collins’ love for the writings of Cardinal Newman, Prieur believing it provides “a real key to his spirituality.” Watson concurs: “Newman captured for him the whole idea of the saintly intellect and that’s a phrase that I think describes Thomas Collins — the union of a person of profound prayer with wonderful intellectual gifts who uses those gifts very generously but with great humility.” They remember Collins as a great lover and collector of books (Prieur recalls that Collins’ ideal form of recreation was walking to a bookstore), but Watson points out that Collins was also a “first-adopter” in terms of new technology. “Back when not a lot of people had personal computers, he always had one or
two that he was working with,” Watson said. “I was here in 1988 and he was working with fairly primitive computer programs back then that would enable him to put Greek and Hebrew into his texts.” Collins also impressed both men with his efficient time management. When Watson was a student, Collins told him that, first and foremost, he was a priest whose door was always open. “If there’s a crisis or there’s something you really need to talk to me about, come knock on my door any time of the day or night.” said Collins. Watson says he took the invitation to heart at least once. “I had to take him up on that at about two o’clock in the morning and he came to the door in his bathrobe and slippers and said, ‘Come in, sit down, let’s talk.’ ” An unfailingly approachable priest with a quiet manner, Collins could also be playful or mischievous, sometimes with spectacular effect. Watson recalls that during a course on the Book of Revelation that went just past Easter, Collins was talking about the importance of tradition in the Church. Discussing the singing of the Exsultet and the renewing of baptismal vows, he told the class of a “little known ritual that many people have forgotten in connection with Easter — the breaking of the bunny.” “And he pulls out a two-pound, solid chocolate Easter bunny and proceeded to start banging it on the desk and we thought he’d gone right off the deep end,” Watson recalled. “Then he came around and gave everybody a piece of the chocolate bunny before we started the class.” Watson also remembers Collins saying that one of his great memories as a priest and biblical scholar was the time he got to play Scrabble with the late Fr. Raymond Brown, an editor of the Jerome Biblical Commentary who was considered a guru of all things biblical in Catholic circles. Collins described Brown as “so down-to-earth and so unassuming,” Watson said. “And the same way that he spoke about Raymond Brown, I would speak about him,” Watson said. “That combination is profoundly attractive in a Christian leader. There are those who speak of cardinals as Princes of the Church. And there are some cardinals who probably act like Princes of the Church. Archbishop Collins takes the subway. We want people who are humble and accessible and who people can look to and say, ‘That’s an example of how Christianity should be lived by its leaders.’ ” Tellingly, Collins did not say who won that game of Scrabble. Prieur proudly points out that Collins, the first cardinal from St. Peter’s, is scheduled to be the principal celebrant at a Mass on May 22 as the seminary turns 100 years old. “We booked him two years ago,” Prieur said, “but we all had in the back of our minds . . . could be . . . could be . . . and here it has come to pass. We’ll have our first cardinal celebrating the Mass for the 100th anniversary of the seminary.” (Gooden is a freelance writer in London, Ont.)
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Pathway to Our Hearts: A Simple Approach to Lectio Divina with the Sermon on the Mount by Thomas Collins (Ave Maria Press, 160 pages, softcover, $12). BY FR. MURRAY WATSON Catholic Register Special
As any university student can tell you, the best scholars are not always the best communicators. When those two roles come together in one person, however, the result is teaching that is brilliant, inspiring and compelling. Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins is one of the most gifted scholar-communicators in our contemporary Church, and his new book on the ancient practice of lectio divina is both relevant and timely. In the last 25 years, there has been a renaissance of lectio in many parts of the Church, and a corresponding flood of books and articles about it. What distinguishes the archbishop’s book is his obvious rootedness in, and love for, the Scriptures. This book is readable and profoundly prayerful. Here is an author with a PhD in biblical studies, a professor of Scripture, who has clearly spent decades reading, praying and meditating on the texts he is now presenting and commenting on. This is no heady intellectual, although his work reflects a loving familiarity with the text and themes of the Beatitudes that comes across as well-informed without ever being pedantic. The book’s nine chapters manage
Collins at the launch of Pathway to Our Hearts. (Photo by Vanessa Santilli)
to incorporate key exegetical insights, historical and patristic references, appropriately and unobtrusively. He is able to weave together brief comments on Greek words, references to St. John Chrysostom, Marcion, St. Thomas More, Shakespeare and others in ways that enlighten in terms of living a Christian life. There is a glimpse here also of his previous life as an English teacher. Unlike some books, this is not a theoretical or a how-to guide to lectio divina. It is the experience of lectio as it actually takes place monthly at St. Michael’s Cathedral and, before that, at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Basilica in Edmonton. Collins studied in Rome under Cardinal
The staff, members and board of directors of the Catholic Civil Rights League extend congratulations and best wishes to Cardinal-designate Collins on this happy occasion. The inspiration and leadership that you provide to all laity organizations is greatly appreciated.
www.ccrl.ca CatholicCivilRightsLeague
Carlo Maria Martini, the great biblical scholar and archbishop-emeritus of Milan who has been one of the leaders in re-popularizing lectio. By adopting and adapting Martini’s format, the archbishop has created a style of lectio that is not only appropriate for individual prayer but that often involves hundreds of people in a more public setting. What this book captures effectively is both the structure and the content of those cathedral sessions, meditating on some of the central passages in the whole Gospel. Each chapter begins with an invitation to quiet oneself, and a calling upon the presence of the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures and, through the Church, continues to reveal their deepest meaning. The chosen text is presented in full, and then, sentence by sentence the archbishop guides us deftly through the passage with the gentle wisdom and directness of a seasoned spiritual director. He writes concretely about the challenges of Christian living in the modern world and addresses the temptations and struggles we face in trying to follow Christ. Collins draws on the example of saints and holy people to illustrate the ideals and virtues of the Christian life. He also acknowledges our weakness, especially our need for constant recourse to the sacraments to strengthen and renew us. His words are reflective and invite self-examination. The ancient lines of the Beatitudes resonate deeply with the experience of modern men and women.
This is a book that informs and inspires, but that also reassures. It is profoundly realistic and down-to-earth, and it comes across as advice from your local parish priest rather than pronouncements of the spiritual leader of Canada’s largest Catholic community. If there is one drawback, it is the fact it sometimes reads like the transcript of oral presentations. These are not the pages of a series of theology lectures. On the contrary, there is a certain ease and casualness about them, occasional verbal detours and all. That is part of their attractiveness. For those who have heard the archbishop preach or speak in person, there is a recognizable quality to these chapters. His voice and style come through clearly. But the printed word cannot capture the humour and energy of his oral style: his passion, gestures, asides. Collins is a gifted writer, but his greatest gifts are as a speaker and presenter. His physical presence conveys a lightness, a humour and a love for Christ and the Church that cannot be captured in print. This book is a wonderful introduction to lectio divina, and to the spirituality of the Beatitudes — but it is only a limited introduction to Collins as a priest and a teacher. I would hope it provides a welcoming entrée into lectio as a personal spiritual discipline that is enriching and unintimidating. (Watson is professor of Scripture at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont. This edited article first appeared in the April 24, 2011 edition of The Catholic Register.)
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Cardinal Collins suited to lead Church against its detractors I came back to the Church some 10 years ago, after a sojourn in the outer rooms of the Christian mansion. Being a journalist, and because I wanted to sing out the good news, I wrote about it in a newspaper column. There were numerous notes and letters; some predicting a future in hell or some earthly nastiness, but most of them kind and helpful. One of the most surprising came from the archbishop of Edmonton. It was simple, informal and overwhelmingly friendly and supportive, written, it explained, from the archbishop’s office. Which, the writer told me, was a Tim Horton’s across the road from the cathedral. I had just met Thomas Collins, soon to be our newest cardinal, thank God. Since he became archbishop of Toronto, we have met for coffee every couple of months and I see him at various public conferences and events. I don’t flatter myself that I have some special place or status — anyone who knows Collins realizes that there are few more accessible and approachable prelates, and the number of people he meets is quite staggering. One priest who worked with the archbishop told me that it was all he could do to stop him giving
CORENUCOPIA
MICHAEL COREN Since his return to Ontario, Archbishop Collins has change the atmosphere of the Catholic Church in the province. (Photo courtesy of the Collins family)
out his personal phone number to well-wishers, especially young men who showed any interest at all in a religious vocation. Since taking office, Collins has fundamentally changed the atmosphere and flavour of Ontario Catholicism and, by extension, the entire Canadian Catholic Church. Which is not to criticize any of his predecessors — he would loathe the idea — but to acknowledge that a good newcomer can achieve great things in any situation. There are some people who complain that it is has never been so difficult to be Catholic, but we need to remind ourselves that the chalice is half full rather than half empty. We
have had two of the greatest popes in Church history, and a new generation of archbishops across North America in particular who are precisely attuned to the new orthodoxy and to the pressures of the contemporary world. Those demands are not always appreciated by those in the Church who want immediate change. There are no theological magic wands, no episcopal panaceas, and in religion as well as in politics, the polarized right and left seldom grasp the nuances and complexities of the real rather than the imagined world. Of course, for example, there are Canadian political leaders describing them-
selves as Catholics who cause scandal, and of course there are teachers at ostensibly Catholic schools and colleges who teach heresy, but 21st-century archbishops walk in mazes rather than parks. It’s simply not as straightforward and easy as it once was. Thomas Collins knows this as well as anyone. Goodness, he lives it every day. As a cardinal, His Eminence will be a prince of the Church, with a special relationship with the Pope and the Vatican and an intense significance within Roman Catholicism. But the power and the communication also flow in the other direction, in that he is a conduit for Canadian Catholics, for their views, fears, ambitions and beliefs, and this particular
cardinal is wonderfully qualified to act in such a vital role. The next decade is going to be an extremely difficult time for Christians, with long-held assumptions about the fundamental nature of society, family and morality being routinely challenged, and people of faith and in particular Catholics being subjected to often ugly critique. We will sometimes be condemned by people who want not dialogue and co-existence but absolute victory and a sense of triumphalism and oppression. It’s certainly not the gauntlet of communism and fascism, but it is the glove of liberalism and relativism. And while they are clearly different, they both knock their opponents down with a clenched fist. Catholicism is being and will be attacked by decadence on the one side and materialism on the other. In other words, we should look neither right nor left, but look up. We’re helped to do so by the great Christians of the past and by the great leaders of the present. Congratulations Cardinal Thomas Collins, and God bless you in all that you do. God bless all of us too. (Coren’s latest book is Why Catholics Are Right. His web site is www.michaelcoren.com.)
Congratulations and Prayerful Good Wishes to ARCHBISHOP THOMAS COLLINS On the occasion of his installation as Cardinal in the Archdiocese of Toronto
PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES Society for the Propagation of the Faith Society of St. Peter the Apostle Holy Childhood Association 3329 Danforth Avenue, Scarborough, ON M1L 4T3 Tel: 416-699-7077 Fax: 416-699-9019 Toll Free:1-800-897-8865 e-mail:missions@missionsocieties.ca
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Vestments and symbols of the Office of the Cardinal When Archbishop Thomas Collins becomes Thomas Cardinal Collins the principal colour of his vestments will become scarlet to symbolize the blood that a cardinal is willing to shed for his faith. Scarlet was installed as the colour for cardinals by Pope Gregory X at the Second Council of Lyon in 1274. The vestments of a cardinal have evolved over the decades and the current standards were set in 1969 under Pope Paul VI.
Zucchetto
Close-fitting, saucer shaped, skull cap.
Ring Biretta
A square, ridged cap worn over the zucchetto. The colour of the biretta indicates the rank of cleric. The cardinal’s biretta is cardinalatial red.
To symbolize their bond with the papacy, the Pope gives each newly appointed cardinal a gold ring. When someone kisses the ring it is done as a sign of respect for the position of cardinal and of the authority in the faith that comes with the position.
Choir Dress Scarlet choir dress vestments are worn for public prayer apart from the celebration of Mass or when attending Mass but not as a celebrant. When in choir dress, a Latinrite cardinal wears his scarlet cassock, mozzetta, zucchetto and biretta. He also wears a rochet, which is always white. Unlike the other vestments, which are always the same for all cardinals, the rochet can differ in design and intricacies.
Mozzetta
A short, elbow length, cape that completely encircles the prelate. It closes in the front with 12 silkcovered buttons which represent the 12 apostles.
Simar
Cardinals wear a simar at nonliturgical functions. Black with scarlet piping, silk stitching and buttons, simars are like a cassock but have an optional elbow-length shoulder cape. A simar is worn with a scarlet sash made of silk and it may be worn with a scarlet skullcap but not with a biretta.
Mitre
Rochet
A garment of jurisdiction which reaches below the knee made of linen, lace or linen embroidery.
When in the presence of the Pope, cardinals wear a mitre made of layered white damask silk.
Cassock
Full-length, form-fitting red garment. The choir cassock used for public ceremonies of the church, is made of watered silk. 33 buttons are used to close the garment, regardless of the height of the wearer, to symbolize the 33 years Christ spent on this Earth. Each sleeve has five buttons, symbolizing the five wounds of Christ.
Ferraiuolo
Unlike other vestments, the Ferraiuolo (a full cape) is optional. It is scarlet watered silk that is worn at solemn, non-liturgical occasions.
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A caring man worthy of the red hat Collins is a humble, unpretentious bishop with a firm ‘solicitude for his flock’ A consistory for new cardinals is a serious affair. Forgive me then for telling a story about Thomas Christopher Cardinal-designate Collins that is less than serious, but with a serious point about the man. Which is how Toronto’s new cardinal usually does it himself — serious substance in a man who does not take himself too seriously. On Feb. 18, Collins will receive the red hat, a cardinal’s biretta fashioned from watered silk. One of my first encounters with him involved another hat — a toque, to be precise. When Collins was archbishop of Edmonton, I accepted an invitation to give a talk there in January. I grew up in Calgary; I know the prairie winter, but accepted nonetheless. Archbishop Collins, perhaps lacking visitors to Edmonton at that time of year, kindly invited me to stay at his home. The morning of the talk, we were preparing to leave for an early
FATHER RAYMOND J. DE SOUZA
It was a cold January in Edmonton, a -30 cold, when the archdiocese’s then-Archbishop Collins saved Fr. de Souza from the elements. (Photo courtesy of the archdiocese of Toronto)
Mass. It was pitch black outside and at least -30. He looked at me, travelling light with an overcoat and leather gloves and announced
that wouldn’t do. Into the closet he went and quickly produced a parka, down-filled gloves, a scarf and a toque. It was like being back
in second grade, with a concerned teacher making sure the children were properly bundled up (in Edmonton, unlike Toronto, kids
still go out for recess when it is bone-chillingly cold). Neither of us looked very elegant, but it was the right thing to do. There is much bella figura that goes with being a cardinal. Some coverage even makes it seem as if it is principally an occasion for fancy dress. Cardinal Collins will not be indulging in all that. He will of course wear what is appropriate to his office, but if the weather and common sense call for wearing a toque, he will. And because he cares about his friends, he will make them wear one too! Firm solicitude for his flock, humble and unpretentious, is the type of bishop he is. Some people like to send a new bishop or cardinal the gift See REJOICE on Page A19
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Rejoice in an honour to an outstanding churchman Continued from A18
of a zucchetto, the skull cap that prelates wear, but I hope at least one Edmontonian sends Cardinal Collins a red toque as a cardinalatial gift. It is not just the new cardinal’s head that will get a makeover in red, but also his chair. In a cathedral, the bishop’s chair (cathedra, in Latin, from which we get the word cathedral) usually includes his coat-ofarms. In archdioceses where the archbishop is customarily made a cardinal, often the cathedra itself reflects that the archbishop has been created a cardinal. For example, in New York’s Cathedral of St. Patrick, the great carved wooden cathedra remains the same, but the dais on which it sits is changed from green carpeting to red. Toronto being an eminently practical place, they keep two chairs for St. Michael’s Cathedral. One cathedra is upholstered in green, the other in red. Now that the archbishop is being made a cardinal, the green will go back in storage and the red will be brought out. It goes back and forth. From 1990 until 1998, the green cathedra was used, and when Aloysius Ambrozic was made a cardinal in 1998, the red one was used. Since 2007, when Archbishop Collins took over, the green has been used. Soon it will go, and
the red will be back. There is a lesson in that. The chairs come and go, but the church around them remains. No bishop is forever. Cardinals are created, they retire, they die. The Church continues. Even the great honour of being a cardinal is not permanent, and the day will come when Cardinal Collins no longer has a chair in St. Michael’s. Cardinal Collins will be the 16th Canadian cardinal. The first one is a figure of obscurity, having never been in Canada. Thomas Weld was an Englishman, appointed coadjutor archbishop of Kingston in 1826. Ill health prevented him from coming to Canada, but he was made a cardinal in 1830. It was likely a test to see what the reaction in England would be, where the hierarchy had still not been restored after the Reformation, and would not be until 1850. So it was an honour without responsibility. That won’t be the case for Canada’s 16th cardinal. That the Holy Father has deigned to confer the red hat on an outstanding churchman is cause for rejoicing. But I think it’s the toque that that explains why he is worthy. (Fr. de Souza is the editor-in-chief of Convivium, a Canadian magazine of faith in our common life: www.cardus.ca/ convivium.)
Development and Peace offers its congratulations
Ontario’s Catholic School Boards Congratulate Cardinal-designate Collins on the Occasion of His Elevation to the College of Cardinals May 6 – May 11, 2012 www.ocsta.on.ca
and prayerful best wishes to
Most Reverend Thomas Collins on his appointment as a Cardinal of the Church of Rome. His commitment to social justice and his solidarity with those in the Global South are a great inspiration to Catholics across Canada.
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A20 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
Congratulations to Cardinal-elect Thomas Christopher Collins Marguerite Bourgeoys Toronto
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tHomas caRdInal collIns The Congregation of the Resurrection offers prayerful support to
Archbishop Thomas Collins on his new role in the universal Church.
catholicregister.org | February 12, 2012 | A21
The Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton, Ontario sends congratulations and best wishes to His EminenceArchbishop Thomas Collins on the occasion of his elevation to the College of Cardinals
“All I want to know is Christ and the power of his Resurrection.� Phil. 3:10
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The Board of Directors of the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, responsible for the daily TV Mass, offer their congratulations to you, Archbishop Thomas Collins, on your elevation to the College of Cardinals.
A22 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
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A Coat of Arms fit for a cardinal With his elevation to the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Thomas Collins has updated his bishop’s coat of arms. The biggest change is an emphasis on the colour red of a cardinal. Here is an explanation of the new emblem. The motto “Deum Adora” (Worship God) is taken from Revelation 22:9. The shield with a gold cross on a red background is based on that of St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont., where Cardinal Collins studied, lectured and was eventually Dean of Theology and Rector. The Alpha and Omega recall Revelation 22:13, where Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The open Bible and the chalice represent the two great ways in which we experience Jesus in the Church, in Word and sacrament. The symbol above the coat of arms of a red galero (wide-brimmed hat) with 15 tassels on each side, commemoratES the tradition (prior to Second Vatican Council) of the Pope’s presentation of a redtasseled galero to new cardinals. The golden metropolitan cross behind the shield signifies Cardinal Collins’ position overseeing an archdiocese (a metropolitan see).
Congratulations and blessings Archbishop Thomas Collins on your elevation to the College of Cardinals The Centre for Teresian Carmelite Education and Spirituality - Toronto www.ocds.ca Euthanasia Prevention Coalition - London www.epcc.ca Newman Centre Toronto www.newmantoronto.com
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A24 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
Congratulations
ArchbishopThomas Collins on your elevation to the College of Cardinals Blessed Sacrament Church
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Our Lady of Guadalupe
Toronto
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St. Mary’s Church
Chinese Martyrs Catholic Church
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Markham
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Waubaushene
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catholicregister.org | February 12, 2012 | A25
Edmonton a path along the way to cardinal Collins follows MacGuigan through western diocese to Toronto, College of Cardinals BY GLEN ARGAN Canadian Catholic News EDMONTON
On Feb. 18, Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins will become the first former archbishop of Edmonton to be installed as a cardinal. Collins is no longer “our man,” nor is he the “man” of the St. Paul diocese where his episcopal career began. Nevertheless, we feel some stake in the man and are glad to experience a little of the reflected glory of his appointment. A little known fact, however, is that Collins will not be the first priest from this archdiocese to wear the red hat. That honour belongs to Cardinal James Charles MacGuigan, archbishop of Toronto from 1934 to 1971, who in 1946 became the first-ever English-speaking Canadian cardinal. MacGuigan was a native of Prince Edward Island who was
no doubt recruited to Edmonton by his fellow islander, Edmonton Archbishop Henry Joseph O’Leary. O’Leary ordained MacGuigan in 1918 and he became chancellor and vicar-general of the archdiocese as well as the first rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary. Pope Pius XI snatched MacGuigan in 1930 at the ripe old age of 35 to become archbishop of Regina where he served until his appointment to Toronto. He was obviously a man of exceptional ability. The Edmonton archdiocese has been greatly blessed by the quality of its shepherds over the years, Collins being but one of the blessings. In the past, Canadian cardinals have not been seriously considered when the time comes to choose a new pope. Some thought Montreal’s Cardinal Paul-Emile Leger would be a worthy successor to Pope John XXIII. It was not to be and Leger, having undergone a profound conversion at Vatican II, retired early as archbishop to work in a leper colony. Now, some have put Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops and another man with strong
Edmonton ties, on the short list of those who might succeed Pope Benedict. However, Collins himself may well be a worthy choice if the next conclave is not for a few years. The Toronto archbishop is a firstrate homilist, an apologist whose message and delivery might make even the most-hardened antiCatholic develop a love for Rome. An argument can be made that this is exactly the type of pope the Church needs for the coming years — a man in love with the Church, its teachings and its history and who can communicate that love to the average person. Few, if any, cardinals can do that with as much enthusiasm and flair as Collins. Should the other cardinals ever hear him preach, they may decide to replace his red hat with a white one. None of this should be construed as a campaign pitch for a Pope Thomas Collins. The cardinals, inspired by the Holy Spirit, will choose whomever they choose when the time comes. The reality is, however, that Collins is gifted in ways that may well make him a suitable, even the best, choice. (Western Catholic Reporter)
Artistic Glass & Associates congratulates & sends good wishes to Archbishop Thomas Collins on being called to be a member of the College of Cardinals Artistic Glass & Associates www.artisticglass.com
At Collins’ June 1997 installation as bishop of St. Paul, Edmonton Archbishop Joseph MacNeil hands him his first crozier. (Photo courtesy of the Western Catholic Reporter)
A26 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
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The Dominican Friars of Canada express their joy at the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will create Cardinal of Toronto, in the fourth consistory of his pontificate, Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins. It is “an honour” not only for the people of Toronto but also for all Catholics in Canada. Since his appointment to Toronto, Archbishop Collins has made his presence, here and even abroad, a significant one. The Dominicans take this opportunity to thank Archbishop Collins personally for his support of the Dominican mission in the Archdiocese of Toronto.
Dominican Friars of Toronto 372 Huron Street Toronto, ON M5S-2G4
On behalf of Campaign Life Coalition, Congratulations to Cardinal-elect Thomas Collins, on his elevation to the College of Cardinals. Over the years, the Cardinal-elect has been a vocal defender of children in the womb. He has shown his commitment time and again to protecting the most vulnerable of our society through his participation in the annual National March for Life in Ottawa, his appearances outside of Toronto abortion facilities praying with 40 Days for Life participants and his public objection against the awarding of the Order of Canada to an abortionist, to name a few. Thank you and God Bless! “That the scourge of abortion be lifted from our land, that those who promote it may be brought to a change of heart, that all who are tempted to abortion may be lovingly helped to protect the precious gift of life, and that all who have experienced an abortion may be comforted with the healing gift of love." His Grace, Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto Prayer intention, July 1, 2008, Toronto
tHomas caRdInal collIns Your Eminence, Thomas Christopher Cardinal Collins On the occasion of your elevation to the College of Cardinals, we the members of the Toronto Diocesan Council of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada offer our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes. May you continue to be blessed with God’s grace as you journey in your ministry both to the people of the Archdioceses of Toronto and of the universal church.
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tHomas caRdInal collIns Toronto well represented for historic moment
catholicregister.org | February 12, 2012 | A29
by Vanessa Santilli The Catholic Register TORONTO
About 150 pilgrims from Canada will make their way to Rome to watch history unfold as Archbishop Thomas Collins is elevated to cardinal. “Any time you can be part of history, people are going to want to experience it live, firsthand, to live it and breathe it,” said Neil MacCarthy, communications director for the archdiocese. “It’s happened four times in the history of the archdiocese of Toronto. And only 16 times in the history of Canada.” The pilgrimage group will include some priests from the archdiocese, women religious and lay people, friends and colleagues of the archbishop, along with Collins’ family from Guelph, including his sisters and other family from Ontario, said MacCarthy. Jim O’Leary, The Catholic Register’s publisher and editor, will also be travelling with the group to provide a bird’s eye view of the scene in Rome on The Register web site. All three auxiliary bishops from the archdiocese — Bishops John
Toronto Auxiliary Bishops John Boissonneau, William McGrattan and Vincent Nguyen will be part of Archbishop Collins’ entourage for the consistory at the Vatican. (Register file photos)
Boissonneau, William McGrattan and Vincent Nguyen — will be on the trip. Also in attendance will be Hamilton’s retired Bishop Anthony Tonnos and retired Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Ustrzycki, Montreal’s Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte and Archbishop PaulAndré Durocher from Gatineau, Que. A delegation from the federal government will also be joining
the pilgrims. Aside from the roughly 100 people journeying with the archdiocese, there will be anywhere from 50 to 100 pilgrims making their own way to Rome. “To journey with a shepherd of our faith is a moment of real grace, and as much as being part of all the excitement, it’s also a very faith-filled moment,” said
Congratulations and blessings to Cardinal-designate Thomas Christopher Collins on his elevation to the College of Cardinals Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles Chapel Limited 1403 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
MacCarthy. There’s a wide age range, starting with youth in their early 20s right up to people in their senior years, he said. “I think it will be a nice diverse group with different talents and experiences from many different aspects of life in the Church. And most importantly, different experiences with Archbishop Collins
that will be part of that wonderful celebration.” Along with attending Collins’ elevation to the College of Cardinals on Feb. 18 — which includes the presentation of the beretta and the ring — pilgrims will attend a special lectio divina with Collins at San Lorenzo, a small church just steps away from the Vatican. “Since lectio divina has been such an important part of the archbishop’s ministry both in Alberta and Ontario, we thought that would certainly be appropriate,” said MacCarthy. Pilgrims will also have the opportunity to take part in courtesy visits open to the public to meet and greet with the new cardinals. “It’s kind of a reception with all the new cardinals,” he said. “So all the new cardinals are assigned a particular space at the apostolic palace at the Vatican.” MacCarthy will be posting on the archdiocese blog during the pilgrimage at www.archdioceseoftoronto.blogspot.com. To follow The Register’s coverage, keep visiting www. catholicregister.org or follow us on Twitter @CatholicRegistr throughout the week.
A30 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
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Collins lives in the ‘House of the Word’ BY FR. THOMAS ROSICA, C.S.B. Catholic Register Special
When Archbishop Thomas Collins climbs the steps to the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica on Feb. 18 and kneels before Pope Benedict XVI to receive the red berretta, he begins a form of public martyrdom. He not only represents the great archdiocese of Toronto, but all of Canada, especially Anglophone Canada. Thomas Collins knows full well the difficulties of the complex ministry that he undertakes as cardinal. As cardinal, he does not lord it over others, but continues to serve the Church through the logic of humility and service — a logic which has distinguished his priestly and episcopal ministry for many years. Cardinals are chosen by the Holy Father to serve as his principal assistants and advisers in the central administration of Church affairs. Collectively, they form the College of Cardinals. The word cardinal is derived from two early Latin terms, cardo and cardinis. The English translation
has rendered these two words as “hinge,” a device that connects two opposing forces and brings harmony as a result. As a hinge permits a door to hang and open easily, so to it was believed that cardinals facilitated an easy relationship between the theological and governmental roles of the hierarchy of the Church. The role of the College of Cardinals remains a pivotal one in the Church of our time. The red colour of a cardinal symbolizes the blood shed by martyrs and witnesses for the faith. Giving public, clear witness to the faith lies at the heart of each cardinal’s mission. At the last consistory of cardinals in November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the new cardinals at the eucharistic celebration inaugurating their new ministry with these words: “This ministry is difficult because it is not in line with the human way of thinking — with that natural logic which, moreover, continues to be active within us too. But this is and always remains our primary service, the service of faith that transforms the whole of
life: believing that Jesus is God, that He is the King precisely because He reached that point, because He loved us to the very end. And we must witness and proclaim this paradoxical kingship as He, the King, did, that is, by following His own way and striving to adopt His same logic, the logic of humility and service, of the grain of wheat which dies to bear fruit.” In January 2007, “Toronto the good” became “Toronto the better” because Archbishop Thomas Collins said yes to Benedict’s invitation to come from Edmonton to Toronto. Five years later, we thank God that we have indeed received a good shepherd, a tireless pastor, a wise teacher and prudent steward of the mysteries and heritage of the Church. During the 2008 Ordinary Synod of Bishops on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, then-Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, evoked the significant moment during the episcopal ordination ceremony when the open book of the Gospels is held over the head of the newly
ordained bishop, who is kneeling beneath the open book. Re said: “The Word of God is for bishops the home from which we leave each morning to go and meet the flock that has been entrusted to us and the home to which we return each night.” Re’s description of the role of a bishop describes so well the ministry of Thomas Christopher Collins: one who is familiar with the Word because he lives in the House of the Word. And now a new title is added to that long list: Cardinal — hinge, door, public witness, peacemaker. Cardinals have the great responsibility of being instruments and agents of communion and harmony. They are constantly reaching out, listening to all generations, consulting, dialoguing with the secular and the sacred, and facilitating the complex but necessary relationship between the theological and governmental roles of the hierarchy of the Church. Many of us know that Cardinal-designate Collins has chosen to live not in a mansion but in the
rectory of St. Michael’s Cathedral, in the heart of downtown Toronto. But even more important than this physical dwelling is the real address of Toronto’s Cardinal Archbishop. For many years prior to his Toronto mission, he lived at addresses that were also the House of the Word of God: first in Hamilton, then London, then St. Paul, Alta., then Edmonton, now Toronto. The fruits of dwelling in such homes are obvious to anyone who meets him and has the inestimable privilege of working with him. The lectio divina that he regularly shares with the world from his home, through the medium of Salt + Light Television, have invited the world into the House of the Word! Ad multos annos among us, Your Eminence! (Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., is CEO of the Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation and President of Assumption University in Windsor. He serves on the Pontifical Council for Social Communications at the Vatican along with Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins.)
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We congratulate Cardinal Elect Thomas Collins on his elevation to the College of Cardinals and wish him every success as he follows his mission
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Among the 21 joining Toronto’s Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins in the College of Cardinals are, from left, Bishop John Tong Hon from Hong Kong, Portuguese Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, Syro-Malabar Archbishop George Alencherry of India, Italy’s Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello and American Archbishop Edwin O’Brien. (CNS photos)
The Catholic Church’s newest cardinals Pope Benedict XVI has named 22 men to the College of Cardinals. They are listed below.
o Italian Archbishop Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, 65. o Portuguese Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, 73. o Spanish Archbishop Santos
Abril Castello, archpriest of Basilica of St. Mary Major, 76. o Italian Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, president Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers, 74. o Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State, 69. o Italian Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Interpreting Legislative Texts, 73.
o Brazilian Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, 64. o U.S. Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, 72. o Italian Archbishop Domenico Calcagno, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, 69. o Italian Archbishop Giuseppe
Versaldi, president of Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, 68. o Syro-Malabar Archbishop George Alencherry of India, 66. o Archbishop Thomas C. Collins of Toronto, 65. o Czech Archbishop Dominik Duka of Prague, 68. o Dutch Archbishop Willem J. Eijk of Utrecht, 58. o Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Betori of Florence, 64. o U.S. Archbishop Timothy Dolan
of New York, 62. o German Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki of Berlin, 55. o Chinese Bishop John Tong Hon of Hong Kong, 72. o Romanian Archbishop Lucian Muresan of Fagaras and Alba Julia, 80. o Belgian Father Julien Ries, expert on history of religions, 91. o Maltese Augustinian Father Prosper Grech, biblical scholar, 86. o German Jesuit Father Karl Josef Becker, theologian, 83.
tHomas caRdInal collIns Canada’s Princes of the Church, 1870-2012 A32 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
Taschereau, Elzéar-Alexandre
Archbishop of Québec 1870-1898 Born: Feb. 17, 1820 (la Beauce, Québec, Canada) Ordained Priest: Sept. 10, 1842 Elected Metropolitan Archbishop of Québec: Dec. 24, 1870 Consecrated Bishop: March 19, 1871 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria della Vittoria: June 7, 1886 Died: April 12, 1898 (Québec)
Bégin, Louis Nazaire
Archbishop of Québec 1898-1925 Bishop of Chicoutimi 1888-1891 Born: Jan. 10, 1840 (La Pointe-Lévis, Archdiocese of Québec, Canada) Ordained Priest: June 10, 1865 Elected Bishop of Chicoutimi: Oct. 1, 1888 Consecrated Bishop: Oct. 28, 1888 Promoted Titular Archbishop of Cirene ad personam: Dec. 17, 1891 Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Québec: Dec. 22, 1891 Succeeded Metropolitan Archbishop of Québec: April 12, 1898 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of Ss. Vitale, Gervasio e Protasio: May 25, 1914 Died: July 18, 1925 (Québec)
Rouleau, Felix-Raymond-Marie, O.P.
Archbishop of Québec 1926-1931 Bishop of Valleyfield 1923-1926 Born: April 6, 1866 (Île-Verte, Diocese of Rimouski, Canada)
Ordained Priest (Order of Preachers): July 31, 1892 Elected Bishop of Valleyfield: March 9, 1923 Consecrated Bishop: May 22, 1923 Appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Québec: July 9, 1926 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Pietro in Montorio: Dec. 19, 1927 Died: May 31, 1931 (Québec)
Villeneuve, Jean-Marie-Rodrigue, O.M.I.
Archbishop of Québec 1931-1947 Bishop of Gravelbourg 1930-1931 Born: Nov. 2, 1883 (Montréal, Canada) Ordained Priest (Oblates of Mary Immaculate): May 25, 1907 (Ottawa) Elected Bishop of Gravelbourg: July 3, 1930 Consecrated Bishop: Sept. 11, 1930 Promoted Metropolitan Archbishop of Québec: Dec. 11, 1931 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria degli Angeli: March 13, 1933 D i e d : Jan . 1 7 , 1947 (Alhambra, CA, United States)
McGuigan, James Charles
Archbishop of Toronto 1934-1971 Archbishop of Regina 1930-1934 Born: Nov. 26, 1894 (Hunter Cardinal McGuigan R ive r P. E . I . ,
Diocese of Charlottetown, P.E.I) Ordained Priest: May 26, 1918 Elected Metropolitan Archbishop of Regina: Jan. 31, 1930 Consecrated Bishop: May 15, 1930 Appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto: Dec. 22, 1934 Elevated Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria del Popolo: Feb. 18, 1946 Resigned: March 30, 1971 Died: April 8, 1974 (Toronto)
Léger, Paul-Émile, P.S.S.
Archbishop of Montréal 1950-1968 Born: April 26, 1904 (Valleyfield, Canada) Ordained Priest: May 25, 1929 Elected MetropoliCardinal Leger tan Archbishop of Montréal: March 25, 1950 Consecrated Bishop: April 26, 1950 (in Rome, by Cardinal Adeodato Giovonni Piazza, O.C.D, Bishop of Sabina e Poggio Mirteto) Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria degli Angeli: Jan. 12, 1953 Resigned: April 20, 1968 Died: Nov. 13, 1991 (Montréal)
Roy, Maurice
Archbishop of Québec 1947-1981
Bishop of Trois-Rivières 1946-1947 Born: Jan. 25, 1905 (Québec, Canada) Ordained Priest: June 12, 1927 Elected Bishop of Trois-Rivières: Feb. 22, 1946 Consecrated Bishop: May 1, 1946 Promoted Archbishop of Québec: June 2, 1947 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of Nostra Signora del SS. Sacramento e Ss. Martiri Canadesi: Feb. 22, 1965 Resigned: March 20, 1981 Died: Oct. 24, 1985 (Québec)
Flahiff, George Bernard, C.S.B
Archbishop of Winnipeg 1960-1982 Born: Oct. 26, 1905 (Paris Ont, Diocese of Hamilton, Canada) Ordained Priest (Basilian Fathers): April 17, 1930 Elected Archbishop of Winnipeg: March 10, 1960 Consecrated Bishop: May 31, 1960 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria della Salute a Primavalle: April 28, 1969 Resigned: March 31, 1982 Died: Aug. 22, 1989 (Toronto)
C ar ter, Emmett
G erald
Archbishop of To r o n t o 1978-1990
Cardinal Carter
tHomas caRdInal collIns Bishop of London, Ontario 1964-1978 Born: March 1, 1912 (Montréal, Québec, Canada) Ordained Priest: May 22, 1937 Elected Titular Bishop of Altiburus and Auxiliary Bishop of London: Dec. 1, 1961 Consecrated Bishop: Feb. 2, 1962 Appointed Bishop of London: Feb. 17, 1964 Promoted Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto: April 29, 1978 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria in Traspontina: June 30, 1979 Resigned: March 17, 1990 Died: April 6, 2003 (Toronto)
Vachon, Louis-Albert
Archbishop of Québec 1981-1990 Born: Feb. 4, 1912 (Saint-Fréderic-deBeauce, Archdiocese of Québec, Canada) Ordained Priest: June 11, 1938 Elected Titular Bishop of Mesarfelta and Auxiliary Bishop of Québec: April 4, 1977 Consecrated Bishop: May 14, 1977 Promoted Metropolitan Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada: March 20, 1981 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Paolo della Croce a “Corviale”: May 25, 1985 Resigned: March 17, 1990 Died: Sept. 29, 2006 (Quebec City)
Gagnon, Edouard, P.S.S.
President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses 1991-2001 President of the Pontifical Council for the Family 1985-1990 Bishop of Saint-Paul in Alberta (Canada) 1969-1972
Born: Jan. 15, 1918 (Port Daniel, Diocese of Gaspé, Canada) Ordained Priest: Aug. 15, 1940 Elected Bishop of Saint-Paul in Alberta (Canada): Feb. 19, 1969 Consecrated Bishop: March 25, 1969 Resigned: May 3, 1972 Promoted Titular Archbishop of Giustiniana prima: July 7, 1983 Created Cardinal-deacon of the Deaconry of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina : May 25, 1985 Elevated Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Marcello: Jan. 29, 1996 Died: Aug. 25, 2007
Grégoire, Paul
Archbishop of Montréal 1968-1990 Born: 1911.10.24 (Verdun, Archdiocese of Montréal, Canada) Ordained Priest: May 22, 1937 Elected Titular Bishop of Curubi and Auxiliary Bishop of Montréal: Oct. 26, 1961 Consecrated Bishop: Dec. 27, 1961 Promoted Metropolitan Archbishop of Montréal: April 20, 1968 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of Nostra Signora del SS. Sacramento e Ss. Martiri Canadesi: June 28, 1988 Resigned: March 17, 1990 Died: Oct. 30, 1993 (Montréal)
Turcotte, Jean-Claude
Archbishop of Montréal 1990Member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organization and Economic Problems of the Holy See
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Born: June 26, 1936 (Montréal, Canada) Ordained Priest: May 24, 1959 Elected Titular Bishop of Suas and Auxiliary Bishop of Montréal: April 14, 1982 Consecrated Bishop: June 29, 1982 Promoted Metropolitan Archbishop of Montréal: March 17, 1990 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of Nostra Signora del SS. Sacramento e Santi Martiri Canadesi: Nov. 26, 1994
Ambrozic, Aloysius Matthew
Archbishop of Toronto 1990-2006 Member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments, and of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Born: Jan. 27, 1930 (Gaberje, A r c h diocese of Ljubljana, Slovenia) Emigrated to Canada Cardinal Ambrozic in 1948 Ordained Priest: June 4, 1955 Elected Titular Bishop of Valabriaand Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto: March 26, 1976 Consecrated Bishop: May 27, 1976 Promoted Coadjutor Archbishop of Toronto: May 22, 1986
Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro: Feb. 21, 1998 Resigned: Dec. 16, 2006 Died: Aug. 26, 2011 (Toronto)
Ouellet, Marc, P.S.S.
Archbishop of Québec (Canada) 2002-2010 Appointed Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops Rome June 30, 2010 Born: June 8, 1944 (Lamotte, Diocese of Amos, Canada) Ordained Priest: May 25, 1968 Consecrated Bishop: March 19, 2001 Promoted Metropolitan Archbishop of Québec (Canada) and Primate of Canada: Nov. 15, 2002 Created Cardinal-priest of the Title of S. Maria in Traspontina: Oct. 21, 2003 Appointed Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops Rome: June 30, 2010 President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America: June 30, 2010
Collins, Thomas C.
Archbishop of Toronto, 2007 - present Born: Jan. 16, 1947 (Guelph, Ont.) Ordained Priest: May 5, 1973 Consecrated bishop: May 14, 1997 Appointed Bishop of St. Paul, Alta: June 30, 1997 Promoted Archbishop of Edmonton: June 7, 1999 Promoted Archbishop of Toronto, Jan. 30, 2007 Created Cardinal-priest, Feb. 18, 2012 (Sources: www.gcatholic.com/canada/ cardinals.htm, www.catholic-hierarchy. org.)
Our membership extends best wishes and prayerful support to Thomas Christopher Cardinal-elect Collins
A34 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
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New cardinals will join 108 eligible to elect pope CATHOLIC REGISTER STAFF The following is the list of cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to elect the pope. They are listed in alphabetical order, with their country.
Agnelo, Geraldo Majella, Brazil Amato, Angelo, S.D.B., Italy Amigo Vallejo, Carlos, O.F.M., Spain Antonelli, Ennio, Italy Arinze, Francis, Nigeria Backis, Audrys Juozas, Lithuania Bagnasco, Angelo, Italy Baldelli, Fortunato, Italy Barbarin, Philippe, France Bergoglio, Jorge Maria, S.I., Argentina Bertone, Tarcisio, S.D.B., Italy Bozanic, Josip, Croatia Brady, Sean, Ireland Burke, Raymond, United States Caffarra, Carlo, Italy Canizares Llovera, Antonio, Spain Cipriani Thorne, Juan Luis, Peru Comastri, Angelo, Italy Cordes, Paul Josef, Germany da Cruz Policarpo, José, Portugal Damasceno Assis, Raymundo, Brazil Danneels, Godfried, Belgium Darmaatmadja, Julius Riyadi, S.I., Indonesia De Paolis, Velasio, C.S., Italy
Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, left, and Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras are two of the current cardinal electors. (Ouellet photo from Register files, Rodriguez from CNS)
Dias, Ivan, India DiNardo, Daniel, United States Dziwisz, Stanislaw, Poland Egan, Edward, United States Erdo, Peter, Hungary Errazuriz Ossa, Francisco Javier, Chile Farina, Raffaele, S.D.B., Italy George, Francis, United States Gracias, Oswald, India Grocholewski, Zenon, Poland Hummes, Claudio, O.F.M., Brazil Husar, Lubomyr, M.S.U., Ukraine
Kasper, Walter, Germany Koch, Kurt, Switzerland Lajolo, Giovanni, Italy Lehmann, Karl, Germany Levada, William, United States Lopez Rodriguez, Nicolas de Jesus, Dominican Republic Lozano Barragan, Javier, Mexico Mahoney, Roger, United States Martinez Sistach, Lluis, Spain Martino, Renato, Italy Marx, Reinhard, Germany Meisner, Joachim, Germany
Monsengwo Pasinya, Laurent, Democratic Republic of Congo Monterisi, Francesco, Italy Murphy-O’Connor, Cormac, England Naguib, Antonius, Egypt Napier, Wilfred, O.F.M., South Africa Nicora, Attilio, Italy Njue, John, Kenya Nycz, Kazimierz, Poland O’Brien, Keith, Scotland Okogie, Anthony, Nigeria O’Malley, Sean, United States Ortega Y Alamino, Jaime, Cuba Ouellet, Marc, P.S.S., Canada Patabandige Don, Albert, Sri Lanka Pell, George, Australia Pengo, Polycarp, Tanzania Pham Minh Man, Jean-Baptiste, Vietnam Piacenza, Mauro, Italy Poletto, Severino, Italy Puljic, Vinko, Bosnia-Herzegovina Quezada Toruno, Rodolfo, Guatemala Ravasi, Gianfranco, italy Re, Giovanni Battista, italy Ricard, Jean-Pierre, France Rigali, Justin, United States Rivera Carrera, Norberto, Mexico Robles Ortega, Francisco, Mexico Rodé, Franc, Slovenia Rodriguez Maradiaga, Oscar, S.D.B., Honduras
Romeo, Paolo, Italy Rosales, Gaudencio Borbon, Philippines Rouco Varela, Antonio, Spain Rubiano Saenz, Pedro, Colombia Rylko, Stanislaw, Poland Sandoval Iniguez, Juan, Mexico Sandri, Leonardo, Argentina Sarah, Robert, Guinea Sardi, Paolo, Italy Sarr, Theodore-Adrien, Senegal Scheid, Eusébio Oscar, Brazil Scherer, Odilo Pedro, Brazil Schonborn, Christoph, O.P., Austria Schwery, Henri, Switzerland Scola, Angelo, Italy Sepe, Crescenzio, Italy Stafford, James, United States Tauran, Jean-Louis, France Terrazas Sandoval, Julio, C.SS.R., Bolivia Tettamanzi, Dionigi, Italy Toppo, Telesphore Placidus, India Turcotte, Jean-Claude, Canada Turkson, Peter, Ghana Urosa Savino, Jorge Liberato, Venezuela Vallini, Agostino, Italy Vela Chiriboga, Raul Eduardo, Ecuador Vingt-Trois, Andre, France Vlk, Miloslav, Czech Republic Wuerl, Donald William, United States Zubeir Wako, Gabriel, Sudan
Cardinal Thomas Collins Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers our prayers and support as you begin a new chapter in ministry as Cardinal. Thank you for all that you do for marriage and family. Worldwide Marriage Encounter
North American Secretariat Canada Board District IV
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catholicregister.org | February 12, 2012 | A35
A Vatican insider’s observations on the new cardinals policies. In the case of Benedict XVI, that would translate into an assumption that his choices for cardinals ought to reflect his own fairly conservative theology and politics. While there certainly are no “liberals” among the appointments, at least as measured by the secular sense of the term, the list does not appear to be significantly skewed in any particular ideological direction. Mostly, it’s a crop of technocrats — Italians and Vatican officials known more as pragmatic managers than for their theological or ideological point of view. While there certainly are prominent “evangelicals” among the new bunch of cardinals, meaning men known as strong defenders of Catholic identity — Timothy Dolan of New York, for instance, and Thomas Collins of Toronto — for the most part, these are figures also known for openness and commitment to dialogue, as opposed to a hard ideological line. The appointments also contain at least two figures with a reputation as theological moderates: Archbishop João Bráz de Aviz of Brazil, president of the Vatican’s Congregation for Religious, who’s been sympathetic over the years to liberation theology in Latin America and who has deep ties to the Focolare movement; and Syro-Malabar Archbishop George Alencherry of India, committed to the Indian Church’s efforts on behalf of the tribal underclass. In that sense, it’s difficult to make the case that Benedict XVI has “stacked the deck” today in a political or ideological sense.
BY JOHN ALLEN JR. Catholic Register Special
Naming new cardinals is among the more important acts of any papacy, because the cardinals form the “electoral college” that will pick the next pope. That’s arguably even more significant this time around, given that Benedict XVI will turn 85 in April — and although there’s no sign of any health crisis, at that age it’s natural to begin thinking about what might come next. Here are five quick observations about the 21 new cardinals named by Benedict XVI, including 18 who are under 80 and therefore eligible to participate in a future conclave. The consistory, when the nominees will actually enter the College of Cardinals, is set for Rome Feb. 18. Bring on the Italians It was already a commonplace observation about Benedict XVI that in some ways he has “re-Italianized” the Vatican and the papacy, perhaps a product of his comfort level with Italian ecclesial culture after spending almost the last 30 years in Rome. Certainly these appointments will reinforce those impressions. Prior to these nominations, there were 24 Italians among 108 voting-age cardinals, representing 22 per cent of the total. With seven Italians among the 18 cardinal electors named, their share will rise to 25 per cent, fully onequarter of the number of cardinals who will elect the next pope. That’s by far the largest national bloc in the College of Cardinals; the next largest is the Americans, who will have 18 cardinals in total and 11 eligible to vote for the pope. The preponderance of Italians, however, doesn’t necessarily make it more likely that the next pope will be an Italian. Historically, the Italians have often been divided among themselves, unable to agree on a single candidate, and it’s possible that scenario could repeat itself the next time around. For instance, Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan enjoys tremendous support in some quarters, but some Italians remain leery of his deep ties with the Communion and Liberation movement. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, is widely admired for his erudition and outreach to secular culture, but he doesn’t really have a natural base of support among the established Italian “camps.” In any event, one thing seems certain: Given the high number of Italian electors, it’s difficult to imagine that the next pope could be elected without at least some strong support in Italian circles. More (and more) Vatican cardinals Perhaps the most obvious observation about the new crop of cardinals is that it’s top-heavy with Vatican personnel. Ten of the 18 voting-age cardinals, a majority, are officials of the Roman curia or hold some other Vatican job. Including cardinals who are retired but still under 80, current or former Vatican
U.S. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, one of 22 new cardinals named Jan. 6 by Pope Benedict XVI. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
officials already accounted for 34 of the 108 cardinal-electors, or 31 per cent. Including the new nominees, Vatican officials will represent 44 out of 126 electors, or 35 per cent. All things being equal, the strong representation of Vatican officials in the College of Cardinals probably strengthens the possibility that the next pope could be a curial figure — or, at least, it may reduce the bias against electing someone whose last job was in Rome. Snub to Africa? During his recent trip to Benin, his second voyage to Africa as Pope, Benedict XVI praised the African continent as a “spiritual lung” for humanity and pointed to it as a critically important zone for the future of the Catholic Church. Yet in the new appointments, Africa was conspicuous by its absence. It was widely believed that at least two Africans would be on the list: Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu of Lusaka, Zambia, and Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga of Kampala in Uganda. In the end, however, neither made the cut. At the moment, there are 11 Africans among the voting-age cardinals. Once the Feb.18-19 consistory takes place, there will still be 11 Africans, alongside 11 cardinal electors from the United States alone —
despite the fact that Africa has more than twice the Catholic population of the United States. In November, the number of African electors will drop to 10, as retired Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria turns 80. Part of the problem may be that Benedict’s picks were disproportionately skewed to Vatican officials, and the two Africans who hold senior positions in the Roman Curia are already cardinals: Peter Turkson of Ghana, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Robert Sarah of Guinea, president of Cor Unum. In general, the nominations reinforce the dominance of the West in the College of Cardinals. Only three of the 18 new electors come from the developing world — one Brazilian, one Indian and one from China (Hong Kong). In that sense, the College of Cardinals will continue to be unrepresentative of Catholic demography, given that two-thirds of the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world today live in the global south, a share projected to rise to three-quarters by midcentury. Technocrats, not ideologues From the outside, people often assume that when a pope picks new cardinals, he must be tempted to “stack the deck” with men who think like him, thereby ensuring that his successor will consolidate his own
Dolan’s star still rising It’s hard to find anyone in the Catholic world these days whose rise up the career ladder has been more meteoric than Dolan of New York. First made auxiliary bishop of St. Louis in 2000, the 62-year-old Dolan has been promoted twice in the last decade: he became the archbishop of Milwaukee in 2002, and then took over the biggest bully pulpit in the American Church as the archbishop of New York in 2009. He’s also the elected president of the U.S. bishops’ conference and more and more he’s the Vatican’s go-to guy in America. Benedict XVI tapped Dolan to lead a review of seminary life in Ireland as part of the response to the sex abuse crisis, and the pontiff also included him among a set of global heavy-hitters named as members of the Council for New Evangelization. It’s striking that Benedict XVI was willing to step outside his own skin, if just a little bit, to include Dolan on the list of new cardinals. Benedict has been a stickler for the custom that a new cardinal is not named until the previous cardinal of that diocese turns 80 (unless, of course, the retired cardinal dies in the meantime). Yet Benedict made an exception in Dolan’s case. His predecessor, Cardinal Edward Egan, is still 79, and won’t turn 80 until April 2. It’s another small, but telling, indication that Dolan clearly enjoys the favour of the Pope. (Allen is senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter in the United States and a Vatican analyst for CNN.)
A36 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
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Salt+Light has consistory covered Catholic digital channel will carry cardinal installation live Catholic Register Staff
Although the consistory to elevate Archbishop Thomas Collins to cardinal is being held in the Vatican, the events of this historic week are only an alarm clock (or rooster) away for most Canadians. Salt + Light Television will be carrying the major events live and showing others on tape delay. That means that, due to the six-hour time difference between Rome and Toronto, viewers will need to be in front of their televisions in the wee hours of the morning to witness Collins receive his red hat from Pope Benedict XVI. “As a TV network, we’re thrilled to be covering these events,” said Fr. Thomas Rosica, chief executive officer of Salt + Light. “And personally, it is a great honour for me to be accompanying the archbishop. “I had the privilege of being with him when he received his palliums when he was installed as archbishop in Edmonton and then in Toronto. I always knew there’d be a third event to cover.” Rosica will provide the live commentary from the Vatican while a team of producers, technicians and on-air personalites contribute via hookup in Toronto. The Salt + Light
Kris Dmytrenko is one of the producers/presenters at Salt+Light TV who will be working on the station’s coverage of the Feb. 18 consistory and other events. (Photo courtesy of Salt+Light TV)
coverage is being co-ordinated with Vatican Television and the international news agency Rome Reports. “Our people in Toronto will be arriving for work at 1 a.m.,” Rosica said. “For every person that is seen on screen, there will probably be 10 more working behind the
ASSEMBLY OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF ONTARIO ASSEMBLÉE DES ÉVÊQUES CATHOLIQUES DE L’ONTARIO
scenes.” The consistory to install the new cardinals will be televised live on Feb. 18 starting at 4:30 a.m. eastern time. It will be repeated six hours later in English and at 3:50 p.m. in French. The following day, Salt + Light will also
provide live coverage of the papal Mass with the new cardinals, starting at 3:30 a.m. eastern time (repeated at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.). Collins will say his first Mass as a cardinal on Monday, Feb. 20 from the Tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican crypt and, again, Salt + Light will be there. This time, though, the Mass will be taped to be televised later in the day. In addition to those main events, Rosica said his cameras will be following Collins throughout the days leading up to the consistory to capture all the “special moments.” These will include interviews with Collins and other Vatican figures, Masses that Collins will say for the delegation of about 150 people who will be joining him in Rome, plus coverage of the weekly papal public audience. Additionally, Salt + Light will be on hand when Collins leads lectio divina at the International Youth Church of San Lorenzo on Feb. 17. From those many hours of film, Salt + Light will be producing a documentary of the week in Rome to be released later in the year. “All our coverage will be available on television and through our web site (saltandlighttv.org),” Rosica said. “I also hope to be sending five-minute daily news reports.” Salt + Light is available by subscription for under $3 per month through local cable providers.
Prayers and blessings to
Cardinal-elect Thomas Cristopher Collins The bishops of Ontario offer their heartfelt congratulations to Archbishop Thomas Collins on his elevation, by the Holy Father, to the College of Cardinals. The members of the ACBO also wish to express their profound gratitude for Cardinal-designate Collins’ faithful discipleship, dedicated service, and leadership as ACBO President since 2008. The Catholic Bishops of Ontario
On the ocassion of your elevation to the College of Cadinals irthright 777 Coxwell Ave., Toronto, ON M4C 3C6 Tel: 416-469-1111 Toll Free: 1-800-550-4900 International toll free number
www.birthright.org
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catholicregister.org | February 12, 2012 | A37
Turcotte expects nothing less than excellence from Collins BY DEBORAH GYAPONG Canadian Catholic News OTTAWA
When asked what advice or encouragement Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins might need in his new position, Cardinal JeanClaude Turcotte laughed. “I will it say it’s courage,” the cardinal said from his office in Montreal. “To be a cardinal, it’s a lot of work. It is not only to elect the Pope!” Collins will become a member of many congregations, or dicasteries, in the Holy See, Turcotte said. “Cardinals are the counsellors of the Pope in those different congregations.” He can expect to do a lot more travelling to Rome, he added. But Turcotte noted Collins already has much experience in running a large, busy and important diocese. “He will be very good,” he said, noting that he has known Collins for many years. “I think he’s a good organizer of his time.” The best advice he can give is to find “many, many assistants to help him in his job,” the cardinal said. “He will have to delegate to his assistants in his diocese some
Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte. (CNS photo)
work he was able to do before to find time for all the demands he will receive from the Pope.” Turcotte suggested staying informed through finding confidence in assistants, and becoming more of a supervisor than he was before. But he expected that in such a large diocese as Toronto, Collins already knows a lot about successful delegation. Turcotte pointed out that he has reached retirement age of 75, so he appreciates that a younger
bishop like Collins has been made a cardinal. “I will have to leave very soon,” he said. Canada will now have three cardinals, two based in Canada and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, based in Rome as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Turcotte received his red hat in the consistory of 1994 and took part in the Conclave of 2005 that elected Pope Benedict XVI. He does not know how Collins will feel when he receives his red
hat in Rome Feb.18, but he recalled how impressive the ceremony was and what a honour it is to be so close to the Pope in an inclusive group of about 150 cardinals. And he recalled what went through his mind at the time. “My own feeling: I’m going to have more work than I have now!” he said. Turcotte said he accepted the honour with humility. “I come from a very humble family,” he said, stressing it is important not to take him for someone other than who he is. “I think it is important to serve.” He said he suspected that Collins, like himself, had no ambitions to become a bishop or a cardinal when he was ordained to the priesthood. “We accept to serve the Church and to serve the people,” he said. “When the Pope asks you to serve, the only thing you can say is yes, I accept to serve.” Collins will also have a wonderful sense of being received by all his confreres as a member of the College of Cardinals, among important and bright men from all over the world. “We become friends all together,” he said. “It’s like a team
or club, very exclusive,” that will give the new cardinal a chance to know very well some “very important men in the Church.” He praised Collins’ Scripture scholarship, a competence that will be most useful for the Church. “The most important thing we have to do is teach the Gospel, and on that topic Tom Collins is a very good specialist,” he said “It was not a surprise for me that he was chosen by the Pope to be a cardinal,” Turcotte said, noting the importance of the Toronto diocese in Canada and the fact that his predecessors were named cardinals as well. As archbishop of Toronto he was already an important man in the Church in Canada, he said. “Tom is going to be an important man in the Universal Church, too.” The archbishops of Montreal, Toronto and Quebec are ex-officio members of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Permanent Council, another important responsibility. This entails meetings four or five times a year for a couple of days. Turcotte has spent 20 years on the Permanent Council, and has observed Collins’ contribution there over recent years.
A sly sense of humour couples with serious love of the faith BY DEBORAH GYAPONG Canadian Catholic News OTTAWA
Over the years, Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast has come to appreciate the depth of Archbishop Thomas Collins’ scholarship, his love for the Scriptures, his joy in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and his courage in professing his faith in the public square. Though Prendergast had crossed paths many times with Collins, it wasn’t until the two were in Rome together in 1999 to receive the pallium that they began to know each other. The pallium is a wool band the Holy Father presents to Metropolitan Archbishops as a sign of their jurisdiction in the Universal Church and of their closeness to the Pope. Prendergast, who had about a dozen members of his family with him for that celebration, said he was struck by the fact that Collins brought no one with him to Rome. “He’s a very humble person,” Prendergast said. So in Rome, they shared a private, common celebration that year. Collins had just become archbishop of Edmonton; a year
Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
earlier Prendergast had become archbishop of Halifax. In Rome, the two discussed their similar circumstances as new archbishops in dioceses where the retired bishop had been there for a long time. They discussed what it was like to be a new bishop when vocal Catholics wanted to preserve the practices of the previous bishop. “Why are you considering changing what the previous bishop has done? they would ask,” said Prendergast. “Every new bishop has that.” They also shared a background as Scripture scholars, though Prendergast considers Collins more widely read in literature and in the culture. They both served together
on the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ theology (now doctrine) commission. “He’s a good theologian,” said Prendergast. “I really appreciated that.” Coincidentally, the two archbishops were both in Rome in 2007 to receive the pallium again after Collins was named archbishop of Toronto and Prendergast was named archbishop of Ottawa. That second time, Collins brought his sisters to Rome and a priest or two. “He doesn’t make a big deal of the fact that he’s called to a leadership role,” Prendergast said, though he anticipated he would have more accompanying him to Rome when he receives his red hat as a cardinal. Naturally reserved and on the quiet side, Collins tends to be more comfortable giving individual people attention than in greeting people in large crowds, but he has made himself accessible for people to communicate with him, to “touch base” with him, said Prendergast. Prendergast also appreciates Collins’ subtle sense of humour. “It’s a sly humour,” he said. “He’s a punster. You have to catch it; it sneaks up on you.”
Collins will often have a little sly smile on his face as he waits for people to get his joke. “He sometimes teases about solemnity of episcopal things and pokes fun at our pretentiousness.” But underlying that sense of humour is a deep seriousness about the Catholic faith and the courage to proclaim it. Collins was the first bishop to protest against the awarding of the Order of Canada to abortionist Dr. Henry Morgentaler, issuing a condemnation on the 2008 July 1 holiday. He has regularly attended the National March for Life every May in Ottawa; prayed on the sidewalk in front of abortion facilities during 40 Days for Life campaigns; and steadfastly defended life from conception to natural death. He is also deeply concerned about young people in high schools being exposed, in the name of anti-bullying policies, to pressure to engage in inappropriate sexual behaviour or being pushed to embrace a lifestyle not in keeping with Church teaching, Prendergast said. Collins has also made himself available to the news media, recognizing that Toronto is the
“media hot spot in Canada,” he said. Being in the media spotlight is not something Collins gravitates towards, but he does not avoid the responsibility that comes with his position, Prendergast said. When there was debate about whether to continue saying the Lord’s Prayer in the Ontario Legislature, Collins wrote a large article that Prendergast credits with preserving the tradition of saying the prayer while recognizing other traditions. “He’s persuasive with his pen,” he said. With his 15 years’ experience as a bishop, serving major Sees like Edmonton and Toronto, he brings wisdom and experience to the table. What he says is not based on theory but on being “on the firing line from day one.” Collins is also a man of prayer, who when in Edmonton and now in Toronto, keeps a private chapel in his apartment and finds consolation and strength there, said Prendergast. “He’s going to bring great wisdom to the counsel of the Holy Father,” said Prendergast, noting the new cardinal will be asked to serve on some dicasteries. Wherever he serves, he will bring “wisdom and solidity.”
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A38 | February 12, 2012 | catholicregister.org
The cardinals of the Holy Roman Church The most important duty of a cardinal is to elect the Pope, but the responsibilities of the College of Cardinals have steadily evolved over the centuries. Cardinals are personally selected by the Pope. They give counsel to the Pope, contribute to the governance of the Church and act as papal envoys. Some are officers of the Roman Curia while many serve as bishops of major diocese around the world. Cardinals have been responsible for electing popes since 1059. They remain eligible to vote until age 80 and the number of voting cardinals is limited to 120. The following summary of the role of a cardinal is from the Latin Code of Canon Law, 1983.
Italian Cardinal Carlo Caffarra and Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley are embraced by fellow cardinals after being elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in 2006. (CNS photo/Chris Helgren, Reuters)
the law. o A person promoted to the dignity of cardinal, whose creation the pontiff announces, but whose name he reserves in pectore (in confidence), is not at that time bound by the obligations nor does he enjoy the rights of a cardinal. When his name is published (made public) by the pontiff, however, he is bound by these obligations and enjoys these rights, but his right of precedence dates from the day of the reservation in pectore. o The dean presides over the College of Cardinals. When he is unable to do so, the sub-dean takes his place. The dean, or the sub-dean, has no power of governance over the other cardinals, but is considered as first among equals. o When the office of dean is vacant, those cardinals who have a suburbicarian title, and only those, under the presidency of the sub-dean if he is present, or of the oldest member, elect one of their number to act as dean of the college. They are to submit his name to the pontiff for approval. o Cardinals assist the Supreme Pastor of the Church in collegial fashion particularly in consistories, in which they are gathered by order of the pontiff and under his presidency. Consistories are either
ordinary or extraordinary. o In an ordinary consistory all cardinals, or at least those who are in Rome, are summoned for consultation on certain grave matters of more frequent occurrence, or for the performance of especially solemn acts. o All cardinals are summoned to an extraordinary consistory, which takes place when the special needs of the Church and more
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Vocation always reaches its fulfilment in mission. The gift of the Holy Spirit always impels us out to mission.
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o The cardinals of the Holy Roman Church constitute a special College, whose prerogative it is to elect the Roman pontiff in accordance with the norms of a special law. The cardinals are also available to the Roman pontiff, either acting collegially, when they are summoned together to deal with questions of major importance, or acting individually, that is, in the offices which they hold in assisting the Roman pontiff especially in the daily care of the universal Church. o The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: 1. the episcopal order, to which belong those cardinals to whom the pontiff assigns the title of a suburbicarian church (episcopal sees near Rome), and eastern-rite patriarchs who are made members of the College of Cardinals; 2. the presbyteral order; and 3. the diaconal order. o Cardinal priests and cardinal deacons are each assigned a title or a deaconry in Rome by the pontiff. o Eastern patriarchs within the College of Cardinals have their patriarchal see as a title. o The Cardinal dean has the title of the diocese of Ostia, together with that of any other church to which he already has a title. o Those to be promoted cardinals are men freely selected by the pontiff, who are at least in the order of the priesthood and are truly outstanding for doctrine, virtue, piety and prudence in practical matters; those who are not already bishops must receive episcopal consecration. o Cardinals are created by a decree of the pontiff, which in fact is published in the presence of the College of Cardinals. From the moment of publication, they are bound by the obligations and they enjoy these rights defined in
Thomas Collins Catholic Register, July 20, 2008
serious matters suggest it. o Only an ordinary consistory in which certain solemnities are celebrated can be public, that is when, in addition to the cardinals, prelates, representatives of civil states and other invited persons are admitted. o Cardinals who head the departments and other permanent sections of the Roman Curia and of Vatican City, who have completed their 75th year, are requested to offer their resignation from office to the pontiff, who will consider all the circumstances and make provision accordingly. o It belongs to the cardinal dean to ordain the elected pontiff a bishop, if he is not already ordained. If the dean is prevented from doing so, the same right belongs to the sub-dean or, if he is prevented, to the senior cardinal of the episcopal order. o The senior cardinal deacon announces the name of the newly elected Supreme Pontiff to the people. Acting in place of the pontiff, he also confers the pallium on metropolitan bishops or gives the pallium to their proxies. o Cardinals have the obligation of co-operating closely with the pontiff. For this reason, cardinals who have any office in the curia
and are not diocesan bishops are obliged to reside in Rome. Cardinals who are in charge of a diocese as diocesan bishops are to come to Rome whenever summoned by the pontiff. o When a cardinal has taken possession of a suburbicarian church or of a titular church in Rome, he is to further the good of the diocese or church by counsel and patronage. However, he has no power of governance over it, and he should not for any reason interfere in matters concerning the administration of its good, or its discipline, or the service of the church. o A cardinal may be deputed by the pontiff to represent him in some solemn celebration or assembly of persons as a Legatus a latere, that is, as his alter ego; or he may, as a special emissary, be entrusted with a particular pastoral task. A cardinal thus nominated is entitled to deal only with those affairs which have been entrusted to him by the pontiff himself. o When the Apostolic See is vacant, the College of Cardinals has only that power in the Church which is granted to it by special law. (Source: Holy See Press Office)
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Collins will enter College of Cardinals as a cardinal priest CATHOLIC REGISTER STAFF
When Archbishop Thomas Collins accepts the ring and biretta from Pope Benedict XVI he will be a cardinal priest — the middle rank between cardinal deacons and cardinal bishops. Some time after the ceremony he will also receive a titular church in Rome. Dividing the College of Cardinals into bishops, priests and deacons can be a tad confusing, given that all cardinals must receive episcopal ordination upon being named to the college if they aren’t already bishops. The internal ranking of cardinals reflects a number of historical precedents. As a cardinal priest, Collins will be one of the majority of cardinal electors — bishops and archbishops of dioceses around the world plus a few bishops who head up Vatican councils and committees are cardinal priests. Bishops of the seven suburbicarian dioceses surrounding Rome, plus Easternrite patriarchs, are appointed to the order of bishops within the College of Cardinals. At present, that’s a total of 11 cardinal bishops. In most cases, cardinal deacons either
hold Vatican positions, such as Stanslaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, or they are distinguished priests above the age of 80 who have been honoured by the Pope with the order of cardinal. At their age they do not exercise a vote or even enter a consistory. Among those who will be made cardinal this year, 92-year-old Belgian history professor Fr. Julien Ries is an example of someone honoured by the Pope but not called on for active participation. Cardinal deacons may request to be raised to the order of priests after 10 years. Because the college of cardinals began as a body of distinguished Roman priests with responsibility for electing their bishop, about 150 Roman churches are set aside as titular churches for the cardinals. The cardinals have no responsibility for administering the churches, but they are encouraged to preach there when they are in Rome. The word cardinal originally meant “hinge,” indicating their important role in running the diocese of Rome. The bird got its name from the red vestments cardinals wear.
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Congratulations to Cardinal-Designate Thomas Collins from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
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Congratulations and every blessing as you assume this new leadership role in the Church. Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins “A good pastor, a pastor according to God’s heart, is the greatest treasure that the good Lord could grant.” – St. John Marie Vianney
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Catholic Charities oers our prayers, heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Archbishop Thomas Collins on being called to be a member of the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI.
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Installation ceremony more streamlined than in the past Ritual revised to maintain prayerful atmosphere By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY
In part to avoid giving the impression that becoming a cardinal is a sacrament or quasi-sacrament, Pope Benedict XVI will use a revised, streamlined prayer service to create 21 new cardinals Feb. 18. In previous years, the installation ceremony consisted of the consistory on Saturday where the new cardinals received their red hats and the assignment of their titular churches in Rome, followed by a Mass on Sunday where the Pope presented each new cardinal with a ring as “the sign of dignity, pastoral care and the most solid communion with the See of Peter.” This time, the new cardinals will receive their hats, rings and assignments during the Feb. 18 ceremony. They still will celebrate Mass with the Pope the next day. At the beginning of the Mass, the first of the new cardinals — Cardinal-designate Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples — will express thanks to the Pope on behalf of the group. The ritual was revised in order to maintain an atmosphere of prayer, while not giving the impression that becoming a cardinal is a liturgical event, said the Vatican
Cardinal Marc Ouellet kisses the ring of Pope John Paul II during the 2003 consistory elevating him to cardinal. Changes have been made for this year’s consistory. (CNS photo /Reuters)
newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. “The creation of new cardinals should be located within a context of prayer while avoiding any element that could give the idea of a ‘sacrament of the cardinalate,’ ” it said. “In fact, historically the consistory was never considered a liturgical rite, but rather a meeting of the Pope with the cardinals in relation to the governance of the Church.” Within the consistory itself, giving the cardinals their rings is not the only change being made. The opening and closing prayers will be the ancient prayers, which were drawn upon in 1969 when Pope Paul
VI held his first consistory using a prayer service designed after the Second Vatican Council, the paper said. The prayer service also will be shorter, eliminating the first reading and including only the Gospel reading: Mark 10:32-45, in which Jesus explains to the disciples that He came to serve, not be served. The rituals associated with the bestowal of the Cardinal rank are centuries old and steeped in symbolism. The ceremony is not sacramental, like being ordained a priest or bishop, but one that recognizes the special role of the cardinal as a pastor who serves
the Bishop of Rome in a unique apostolic way. The consistory is held in the Paul VI Audience Hall, which seats more than 6,000 people. The cardinal-designates enter the hall in a specific order that establishes their order of precedence within the Sacred College for the remainder of their lifetimes, unless they are promoted to a higher class within the College. The first cardinal-designate addresses the Pope on behalf of the group and pledges their unified support and fidelity. After the homily, the group approaches the Pope and offers their Profession of Faith in Latin. One by one, each cardinal-designate then genuflects before the Pope and the scarlet watered-silk zucchetto and biretta are placed on his head. The cardinal-designate immediately becomes a full member of the Sacred College once the Pope recites these words: “In praise of God and in the honour of the Apostolic See, receive the red hat, the sign of the cardinal’s dignity. For you must be ready to conduct yourself with fortitude, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith; for the peace and tranquility of the people of God and for the kingdom of Heaven and for the Holy Roman Church.” The new cardinal then embraces the Pope and greets the other members of the College. (With files from the archdiocese of Toronto.)
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