Terrence Prendergast facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Grace, The Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast SJ |
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| Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa-Cornwall | |
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Prendergast in 2015
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| Church | Latin Church |
| Archdiocese | Ottawa |
| Enthroned | 26 June 2007 |
| Reign ended | 4 December 2020 |
| Predecessor | Marcel André J. Gervais |
| Successor | Marcel Damphousse |
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| Ordination | 10 June 1972 |
| Consecration | 25 April 1995 by Aloysius Ambrozic |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 February 1944 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
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| Styles of Terrence Prendergast |
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| Religious style | Archbishop |
Terrence Thomas Prendergast, born on February 19, 1944, is a Canadian leader in the Roman Catholic Church. He is a member of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. He used to be the Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall.
Before this, he was an auxiliary bishop in Toronto and the Archbishop of Halifax. On May 6, 2020, Pope Francis combined the Archdiocese of Ottawa and the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. Prendergast became the archbishop of this new area. He officially retired on December 4, 2020. Marcel Damphousse took over his role.
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Early Life and Education
Terrence Prendergast was born in Montreal in 1944. He was one of five children in his family. In 1961, he joined the Jesuit order, which is a religious group within the Catholic Church. He became a priest in 1972.
He studied at several universities. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University. He also received Master of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees from Saint Mary's University, Halifax. These degrees were earned through his studies at Regis College, Toronto.
Teaching and Other Roles
From 1967 to 1969, Prendergast taught Latin and Greek at Loyola High School in Montreal. After becoming a priest and finishing his studies, he taught at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax from 1975 to 1981.
He then served as the rector of Regis College in Toronto from 1981 to 1987. He was also the dean of theology there from 1991 to 1994. From 1992 to 1994, he helped with a special review of English-speaking seminaries in Canada for the Vatican. In 1995, he was a visiting professor at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem.
Leadership Roles in the Church
Pope John Paul II appointed Prendergast as a titular bishop and an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Toronto on February 22, 1995. He was officially made a bishop on April 25, 1995, at St. Michael's Cathedral. In Toronto, he was responsible for the Western Pastoral Region. He also worked with theological schools and helped plan for the Great Jubilee.
Archbishop of Halifax
In 1998, Prendergast became the Archbishop of Halifax. He started this role on September 14, 1998. As archbishop, he was also the chancellor of Saint Mary's University, Halifax until 2007.
He was also in charge of the Diocese of Yarmouth from January 2002 to May 2007. This diocese is now part of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. He also took part in a special review of the church in Ireland, which happened between 2010 and 2011.
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall
Pope Benedict XVI named Prendergast the ninth Archbishop of Ottawa on May 14, 2007. He began this role on June 26, 2007. In this position, he also served as Chancellor of Saint Paul University. In 2012, he welcomed members of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada into the Roman Catholic Church.
On January 13, 2016, he became the administrator for Alexandria-Cornwall. He then became the bishop there on April 27, 2018, while still being the Archbishop of Ottawa. The two areas were then officially joined on May 6, 2020, to form the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. He was the archbishop of this new combined area.
On November 30, 2020, he was appointed administrator of the Diocese of Hearst–Moosonee. He officially retired as archbishop on December 4, 2020. Marcel Damphousse became his successor.
Other Contributions
Prendergast supports the Tridentine Mass, which is an older form of the Catholic Mass. He has worked with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) many times. He has ordained many members of this group in Canada and the United States since 2015.
He has served on various committees for the Canadian Bishops. These include the Theology Commission and the Commission on Social Communications. He was also co-chair of the national Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. Since October 2014, he has been a member of the committee that works with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.
His other roles include being president of National Evangelization Teams Canada (NET Canada). He also chairs CNEWA (Catholic Near East Welfare Association) Canada. Both of these organizations are based in Ottawa.
Prendergast is also a teacher, writer, and retreat leader. From 1994 to 2005, he wrote a weekly column for the Catholic Register. A collection of his writings was published as Living God's Word: Reflections on the Sunday Readings for Year A, B, C. He has written for and edited several journals. He has also given lectures and led retreats across Canada, in the United States, and in Rome.
