Michael Power (bishop)

For other people of the same name, see Michael Power (disambiguation).

Michael Power
Bishop of Toronto
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Toronto
Province	Toronto
Diocese	Toronto
Enthroned	1841
Reign 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(1804-10-17) Halifax, Nova Scotia
Died	October 1, 1847(1847-10-01) (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^{[disambiguation needed ]} 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 Michael Power as portrayed in the film Death or Canada

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

1. ^ http://umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back%20Issues/CCHA1987/Nicolson.pdf
2. ^ "The Catholic Register - The story behind the Irish invasion of 1847". http://twitter.com/mayormiller/status/1276412883. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 

External links

• Michael Power at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Bishop Michael Power

Religious titles
Preceded by	Bishop of Toronto 1841–1847	Succeeded by Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel

Persondata
Name	Power, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 17, 1804
Place of birth	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Date of death	October 1, 1847
Place of death	Toronto, Canada West