Michael Power (Canadian bishop)
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Michael Power (October 17, 1804 – October 1, 1847) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Toronto.
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[edit] Early years
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, he was ordained a priest in 1827. He served as missionary priest of the Archdiocese of Québec and the Diocese of Montréal until 1839 when he was appointed Vicar General of Montréal.
[edit] First Bishop of Toronto
Power was canonically erected as Bishop of Toronto in 1841 by Pope Gregory XVI. Father Michael Power was appointed the first Bishop of the new See. He was also the first English-speaking Bishop to be born in Canada.
[edit] Legacy
Bishop Power's most notable achievements were the building of St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto and the Bishop's Palace on Church Street. He also invited the Loretto Sisters (Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary) from Rathfarnham, Ireland to establish schools in the city, starting education for women.
In 2005, Dr. Mark G. McGowan wrote a book about him called, Michael Power: The Struggle to Build the Catholic Church on the Canadian Frontier.
The Michael Power/St. Joseph High School in Toronto is named in his honour. Power Street in downtown Toronto was also named after the bishop.
[edit] Death
Power's tenure was short, dying from typhus while ministering to immigrants on October 1, 1847. Power's remains are buried in a crypt beneath St. Michael's Cathedral where he had laid the cathedral's cornerstone on May 8, 1845 and dedicated it after his diocese's patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel.
[edit] External links
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rémi Gaulin Bishop of Kingston, Ontario and Laprairie, Québec |
Bishop of Toronto 1841–1850 |
Succeeded by Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel |
