Most Rev. Raymond J. Lahey Named Bishop of Antigonish


Bishop Raymond J. Lahey (CCCB - Ottawa) – His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named Most Reverend Raymond J. Lahey as Bishop of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. At the time of his appointment, he was Bishop of St. George’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Diocese of Antigonish has been vacant since the retirement of Bishop Colin Campbell in October 2002 for reasons of health.

Born May 29, 1940, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Bishop Lahey studied for the priesthood at Saint Paul’s Seminary in Ottawa and was ordained as a priest on June 13, 1963. He studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and pursued post-doctoral studies in Church history at the University of Cambridge, England.

Before being named Bishop of St. George’s in July 1986, he taught religious studies at Memorial University in St. John’s and served in various pastoral positions for the Archdiocese, including Vicar General and pastor of St. Peter’s Parish.

At present, Bishop Lahey is President of the Atlantic Episcopal Assembly and a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He has served on a number of commissions of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, the Episcopal Commission for Christian Education, and the Episcopal Commission for Ecumenism.

The Diocese of Antigonish has 137 diocesan priests, 12 religious priests, one permanent deacon, 332 religious (including both women and men other than religious priests), and 14 lay pastoral ministers serving a Catholic population of 139,990 in 123 parishes and missions.

The following is from the Canadian Catholic Church Directory (1999):

Name of the Bishop / Nom de I'Eveque:
Most Rev. Raymond J. Lahey, Ph.D., D.D.

Bishop Lahey was born in St. John's Nfld., on May 29, 1940. His elementary and secondary education was pursued at St. Bonaventure's College in St. John's. He studied for the priesthood at St. Paul's University Seminary at Ottawa and was ordained on June 13, 1963.

He received the degrees of B.Th. (1961), L.Th. (1963) and Ph.D. (magna cum Laude) (1966) from the University of Ottawa. During 1965-1966 academic year, Bishop Lahey studied Canon Law at the Gregorian University in Rome. And from 1966 to 1968 he did post-doctoral studies in Church history at the University of Cambridge, England.

From 1968 to 198&, Bishop Lahey held several important positions in the Archdiocese of St. John's, including: Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland; Proctor of St. John's College on the campus of Memorial; Associate Professor of Religious studies and Head of the Department of Religious Studies at the same University. He was a member of the University Senate. During a sabbatical leave in 1975-1976, Bishop Lahey used the. academic year to do research at the University of Cambridge.

Bishop Lahey at WYD in TorontoHis pastoral ministry includes Administrator of Holy Cross Parish, Holyrood in the Diocese of Grand Falls and Pastor of St. Peter's Parish in Mount Pearl, Archdiocese of St. John's. In 1981 he was named by the Archbishop of St. John's to be his Vicar General. In March 1985 he was awarded the title of Prelate of Honour by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

Bishop Lahey has also served on the Provincial Religious Education Committee, two School Boards, the Belvedere Orphanage Trust, and was Vice-Chairman of the Roman Catholic 200th Anniversary Committee, which included responsibility for the preparations for the Papal V+sit to Newfoundland in September 1984.

He is also author of a number of studies and articles on theology and Church history. Among his writings are substantial contributions to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. He has had memberships on several scholarly bodies, including the American Academy of Religion.

He was named Bishop of St. George's on July 8, 1986 and was ordained in Corner Brook in August 3, 1986
Bishop Lahey was named as the Bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish on April 5th, 2003. The date of his installation as Ordinary of the Diocese of Antigonish has yet to be announced. (The See of the Diocese of St. George became vacant with the annoucement of Bishop Lahey's appointment as the Ordinary of the Diocese of Antigonish. Since Bishop Lahey is already ordained a Bishop, the formalities of his installation consist of his formal installation in his new Cathedral of St. Ninian in Antigonish.

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