Church Roman Catholic Church In office June 3, 2007—present Ordination 1 June 1968 Spoken style Grace | See Kingston Successor incumbent Predecessor Anthony Giroux Meagher | |
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Previous posts Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland | ||
Brendan Michael O'Brien (born September 28, 1943) is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Kingston, having previously served as Archbishop of St. John's and Bishop of Pembroke.
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Early life and ministry
Brendan Michael O'Brien was born in Ottawa, the oldest of the seven children of Redmond and Margaret (née Foran) O'Brien. He attended the University of Ottawa and St. Paul University, from where he earned his licentiates in philosophy and theology, before being ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1968 at St George's Church (Ottawa).
Father O'Brien then did pastoral work in Ottawa and served as Co-Director of the Diocesan Synod. In 1971 he went to Rome, where he studied at the Pontifical Lateran University's Accademia Alfonsianum, from which he obtained a doctorate in moral theology. O'Brien, upon his return to Canada in 1975, taught at his alma mater of St. Paul University and served as pastor of an Ottawa parish.
Episcopate
On May 6, 1987, O'Brien was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa and Titular Bishop of Numana by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, with Bishops John Beahen and Gilles Bélisle serving as co-consecrators. O'Brien was later named Bishop of Pembroke on May 5, 1993, and Archbishop of St. John's on December 4, 2000.
Pope Benedict XVI, on June 3, 2007, named O'Brien to succeed the late Anthony G. Meagher as Archbishop of Kingston. O'Brien's installation as Kingston's ordinary took place on July 25, 2007.