Vernon James Weisgerber OC SOM (born May 1, 1938) is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the retired sixth archbishop of Winnipeg, serving from August 2000 until October 2013.


Vernon Weisgerber
Archbishop Emeritus of Winnipeg
ArchdioceseWinnipeg
InstalledAugust 24, 2000
Term endedOctober 28, 2013
PredecessorLeonard James Wall
SuccessorRichard Gagnon
Other post(s)Bishop of Saskatoon (1996–2000)
Orders
OrdinationJune 1, 1963
ConsecrationMay 3, 1996
Personal details
Born (1938-05-01) May 1, 1938 (age 86)

Early life and education

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Weisgerber was born in Vibank, Saskatchewan, to Jack and Catherine Weisgerber. Following his schooling at Vibank, he attended St. Peter's College at Muenster and then Saint Paul University in Ottawa, where he obtained licence degrees in Philosophy and Theology.

Priesthood

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He was ordained a priest at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina on June 1, 1963, and named a prelate of honour on October 16, 1991.

Weisgerber was Dean of Arts at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, where he taught philosophy, religious studies, and French. He worked several years in the archbishop of Regina's office serving as the director of the pastoral and social justice offices. He served as rector of Holy Rosary Cathedral and pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, both in Regina, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows Parish at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 2009) in Fort Qu'Appelle, which included pastoral ministry with neighboring aboriginal communities.

In 1990 he was elected general secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Episcopal career

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On March 7, 1996, Weisgerber was appointed the fifth bishop of Saskatoon by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 3 from Archbishop Peter Mallon, with Archbishop Joseph MacNeil and Bishop Joseph MacDonald serving as |co-consecrators.

Weisgerber was later named the sixth archbishop of Winnipeg on June 7, 2000. He succeeded Leonard James Wall, and was installed at St. Mary’s Cathedral on August 24, 2000. In 2005, he received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 2013, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his work as a champion of reconciliation and social justice, promoting deeper understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people".[1]

References

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  1. ^ "Governor General Announces 90 New Appointments to the Order of Canada". December 30, 2013.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Saskatoon
1996–2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Winnipeg
2000–2013
Succeeded by