Michael Power (bishop)
| Michael Power | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Toronto | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Toronto |
| Province | Ontario |
| Diocese | Toronto |
| Installed | 1841 |
| Term ended | 1847 |
| Predecessor | None - newly created diocese from Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston |
| Successor | Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | August 17, 1827 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 17, 1804 Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Died |
October 1, 1847 (aged 42) Toronto, Canada West |
| Buried | St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Parents | William Power and Mary Roach |
| Occupation | Bishop of Toronto |
| Alma mater | Seminary of St. Sulpice, Montreal and Seminary of Quebec |
Michael Power (October 17, 1804 – October 1, 1847) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Toronto.
Early years
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to Captain William Power and Mary Roach. He went to Seminary of St. Sulpice, Montreal and Seminary of Quebec and was ordained a priest in 1827 by Bishop Dubois.[1] 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.
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.
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 and the growth of Ontario's separate schools.
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.
In 2009, Bishop Power was featured prominently in the docudrama Death or Canada, which tells the story of the Irish Famine and its impact on Toronto in 1847. Power is portrayed as the hero of Toronto and is described as a "martyr of charity."[2] A book, also called Death or Canada, accompanies the film and is written by Dr. Mark G. McGowan.
Death
Power's tenure was short, dying from typhus in Toronto on October 1, 1847 while ministering to recently arrived Irish immigrants, escaping the Great Irish Famine. 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.
References
Further reading
- "Michael Power". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2005.
- Mark G. McGowan. Michael Power: The Struggle to Build the Catholic Church on the Canadian Frontier (2005)
External links
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by |
Bishop of Toronto 1841–1847 |
Succeeded by Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel |
|