Extraordinary Ordinaries

The role of diocesan shepherd is a complex one: teaching, sanctifying and governing for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. In the more than 17 decades since its founding in 1841, the Archdiocese of Toronto has been served by twelve ordinaries. This book records the fascinating stories of these bishops and archbishops – Michael Power, Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel, John Joseph Lynch, John Walsh, Denis O’Connor, Fergus McEvay, Neil McNeil, James McGuigan, Philip Pocock, Emmett Carter, Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, and Thomas Collins – in a single volume that is aimed at a broad readership. Through the telling of these stories, the key spiritual and social issues of the day in the archdiocese come to life: Catholic education, world wars, poverty, pastoral care of the sick and suffering, contraception, intolerance of Catholics, church building, politics, the role of religious orders, and more. Through it all, the gifts and personalities of the bishops and archbishops of the time shaped and guided the Catholic response and the Church’s priorities in the face of countless challenges. These are their extraordinary stories.Seamus Hogan