# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton

The Archdiocese of Edmonton (Latin: Archidioecesis Edmontonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese in the Canadian civil province of Alberta and the seat of its archbishop is at St. Joseph Cathedral, a minor basilica in Edmonton. The Archdiocese of Edmonton is the metropolitan see of its ecclesiastical province, which also contains two suffragan dioceses: the Dioceses of Calgary and Saint Paul in Alberta.
From 2007 to 2025, Bishop Richard W. Smith served as the Archbishop of Edmonton, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. On Saturday, July 14, 2012, an official news release from Vatican Information Service (VIS), an arm of the Holy See Press Office, stated that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Gregory Bittman, who until then had been serving as the Judicial Vicar and as Archdiocesan Chancellor, as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Edmonton and Titular Bishop of Caltadria. On February 6, 2018, Pope Francis appointed him the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Nelson in southeastern British Columbia. He left the Archdiocese of Edmonton and took possession of the Diocese of Nelson on April 25 that same year. Archbishop Smith was appointed Archbishop of Vancouver on February 25, 2025. He will continue to serve as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until his installation in Vancouver.

## Ecclesiastical province

The Ecclesiastical province has the following suffragan sees:
* Diocese of Calgary
* Diocese of Saint Paul in Alberta

## History

Established on 22 September 1871 as the Diocese of St Albert (Latin Sancti Alberti), on territory split off from the then Diocese of Saint-Boniface, to which it lost territory again in 1889 (meanwhile Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface)
Promoted on 1912.11.30 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Edmonton / Edmontonen(sis) (Latin), having lost territory to establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary as its first suffragan.
Lost territory again on 1948.07.17 to establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Paul, Alberta, which became its second suffragan.
It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II in September 1984.
The Archdiocese of Edmonton was later criticized for its handling of sex abuse allegations against Rev. Patrick O'Neill and was sued by one of O'Neil's alleged victims in 2012.
From March 28 to April 1, 2022, a delegation of 32 Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors, and youth – as well as support staff – journeyed together from across the country to meet with Pope Francis, accompanied by a small group of Canadian Bishops. Metis, Inuit and First Nations delegations met with the Pope over three days. The delegation was supported by Archbishop Richard Smith on the Archdiocese of Edmonton's behalf.
Their visit to Rome concluded in a final audience with Pope Francis on April 1 with all three Indigenous groups. At that time, the Pope made an historic apology for the Church's role in the residential school system, and promised to come to Canada to apologize on Canadian soil. During that encounter, Pope Francis said he was very sorry during his Final Audience with all the Indigenous delegates:
"I also feel shame … sorrow and shame for the role that a number of Catholics, particularly those with educational responsibilities, have had in all these things that wounded you, and the abuses you suffered and the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values. For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God's forgiveness and I want to say to you with all my heart, I am very sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon."
His Holiness said it was his hope to visit Canada “soon” and possibly “in the days” around the Feast of St. Anne, which is on July 26. This date was chosen by Pope Francis because the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage has been a traditional place of gathering for Indigenous peoples, and is also the largest annual Catholic gathering in Western Canada. First called Wakamne or God's Lake by the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation who live on the west end of the Lake, and Manito Sahkahigan or Spirit Lake by the Cree, Lac Ste Anne, about 75 km northwest of Edmonton, is the site of the annual pilgrimage, one of the most unique and memorable spiritual gatherings in North America. This choice thus demonstrated Pope Francis' intent to help reconcile indigenous and settler populations, respecting both cultures simultaneously.
Pope Francis then visited sites across the Archdiocese of Edmonton:
* Sunday, 24 July 2022: Arrival and welcome at Edmonton International Airport
* Monday, 25 July 2022: Meeting with indigenous peoples: First nations, Métis and Inuit at Maskwacis, and meeting with indigenous peoples and members of the Parish Community of Sacred Heart at Edmonton
* Tuesday, 26 July 2022: Holy Papal Mass at "Commonwealth Stadium" in Edmonton and participation in the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage and Liturgy of the Word at the Lac Ste. Anne
In August 2023, a former student of St. Mary's Salesian Junior High School, Stephen Bounds, filed a lawsuit claiming he was groomed and sexually assaulted as a 12-year-old by a teacher, Marc Desjardins, in the 1980s. Bounds says he asked for "protection" from the school's acting principal, Father Stephen Whelan, who instead "chastised" Bounds for making the allegation of assault. Whelan himself had previously been accused of sexual abuse when he was vice-principal of a California Salesian high school in the 1970s. A year later, three other men came forward with allegations of sexual abuse at the school.

## Diocesan episcopate

(all Roman rite)

### Suffragan Bishops of Edmonton

* Vital-Justin Grandin, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.) (1871.09.22 – death 1902.06.03), previously Titular Bishop of Satala (1857.12.11 – 1871.09.22) as Coadjutor Bishop of Saint-Boniface (1857.12.11 – 1871.09.22)
* Émile-Joseph Legal, O.M.I. (1902.06.03 – see promoted 1912.11.30 see below), succeeding as previous Coadjutor Bishop of Saint Albert (1897.03.29 – 1902.06.03) and Titular Bishop of Pogla (1897.03.29 – 1902.06.03)

### Metropolitan Archbishops of Edmonton

* Émile-Joseph Legal, O.M.I. (see above 1912.11.30 – death 1920.03.10)
* Henry Joseph O'Leary, (1920.09.07 – death 1938.03.05), previously Bishop of Charlottetown (1913.01.29 – 1920.09.07)
* John Hugh MacDonald, (1938.03.05 – retired 1964.08.11), previously; later Bishop of Victoria 1934.08.11 – 1936.12.16) and Titular Archbishop of Mocissus (1936.12.16 – 1938.03.05) as Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton (1936.12.16 – succession 1938.03.05); emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Mediana (1964.08.11 – death 1965.01.17)
* Anthony Jordan, O.M.I. (1964.08.11 – retired 1973.07.02), previously Titular Bishop of Vada (1945.06.22 – 1955.04.27) as Apostolic Vicar of Prince Rupert (1945.06.22 – 1955.04.27), then Titular Archbishop of Silyum (1955.04.27 – 1964.08.11) as Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton (1955.04.27 – succession 1964.08.11); died 1982
* Joseph MacNeil, (1973.07.02 – retired 1999.06.07), also President of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1979 – 1981); previously Bishop of Saint John, New Brunswick (1969.04.09 – 1973.07.02)
* Thomas Collins (1999.06.07 – 2006.12.16), also Apostolic Administrator of suffragan Saint Paul (Canada) (2001.03.16 – 2001.09.08); previously Coadjutor Bishop of Saint-Paul (1997.03.25 – 1997.06.30) succeeding as Bishop of Saint-Paul (Canada) (1997.06.30 – 1999.02.18), Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton (1999.02.18 – 1999.06.07); later Archbishop of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) (2006.12.16 – 2023.02.11), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Patrizio (2012.02.18 [2012.10.23] – ...), Member of Commission of Cardinals overseeing the Institute for Works of Religion (2014.01.15 – ...)
* Richard William Smith, (2007.03.22 – 2025.02.25), previously Bishop of Pembroke (2002.04.27 – 2007.03.22), later Archbishop of Vancouver (2025.02.25 – ...)

### Coadjutor bishops

* John Hugh MacDonald (1936-1938)
* Thomas Collins (1999), future cardinal

### Auxiliary bishop

* Gregory John Bittman (2012-2018), later appointed Bishop of Nelson, British Columbia

### Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* James Charles McGuigan, appointed Archbishop of Regina in 1930; future Cardinal
* Charles Leo Nelligan, appointed Bishop of Pembroke, Ontario in 1937
* Edward Quentin Jennings, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Vancouver, British Columbia in 1941
* Michael Cornelius O'Neill, appointed Archbishop of Regina in 1947
* Wilfrid Emmett Doyle, appointed Bishop of Nelson, British Columbia in 1958
* Paul Terrio, appointed Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta in 2012
* Stephen Andrew Hero, appointed Bishop of Prince Albert in 2021

## Statistics and extent

The archdiocese (not including its suffragan dioceses) covers Central Alberta, Edmonton Capital Region and the middle and upper half of the Alberta's Rockies region. The Archdiocese includes the greater Edmonton area but also covers a geographic region stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Saskatchewan boundary in the east, from Olds in the south to Grande Cache in the north.
It acknowledges that the Archdiocese is situated on traditional lands, parts of which are within Treaty 6, Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 territories of the Alexander First Nation (Cree), Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation (Stoney), Enoch Cree Nation (Cree), Ermineskin Cree Nation (Cree), Louis Bull Tribe (Cree), Montana First Nation (Cree), O’Chiese First Nation (Western Ojibwa), Paul First Nation (Cree/Stoney), Samson Cree Nation (Cree), and Sunchild First Nation (Cree). Mass is celebrated in at least 16 different languages, including Cree, French, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Croatian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Italian, Hungarian, Korean, Latin, Sudanese, and American Sign Language.
As of 2020, it pastorally served 436,792 Catholics (26.4% of 1,899,097 total) on 150,000 km² in 122 parishes and missions with 126 priests, 40 permanent deacons, 163 religious sisters, 8 religious brothers, 5 members of lay institutes, 15 lay missionaries and 12 seminarians.

### Rural parishes

* Saint Joseph's Basilica, Edmonton
* Sacred Heart Church, Edmonton

## Archdiocesan Media

The Western Catholic Reporter was a weekly newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that covered the Catholic religion.
The newspaper was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton. Its declared mission was to serve its readers by helping them deepen their faith through accurate information and reflective commentary on events and issues of concern to the Church.
The Reporter closed in 2016 and was replaced by the news website Grandin Media. Grandin Media lasted until the website was shut down in early 2024. All stories from the Grandin Media website were then transferred on to the Archdiocesan website, .
* Canada portal
* Catholicism portal