PRINCE ALBERT — On Aug. 22, clergy and guests gathered at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral in Prince Albert for the Episcopal Ordination of Kenneth Reid Thorson O.M.I. as the ninth bishop of the diocese.
The diocese, established in 1907, has 79 parishes and missions stretching from Lloydminster to Hudson Bay, and south to Hague, serving a Catholic population of 32,000.
OMI stands for Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Thorson was a seminarian for the Diocese of Prince Albert before he entered the Oblate Novitiate in Ontario in 1992, where he professed his perpetual vows in 1997 and was ordained to the priesthood in Nipawin in 1999.
He was born in Saskatoon, and his family moved to Nipawin when he was 12. He has two brothers and two sisters.
In his autobiography recorded in the bulletin, he says, “The Church, for me, is a community of pilgrims learning to recognize God’s presence in one another and in the world around us. I look forward to walking with the people of the Diocese of Prince Albert for years to come as we listen for, and respond to, the Holy Spirit, together.”
Even though the ordination was over two hours long, it didn’t seem that long. There was a choir of 38 people with a piano, organ, two guitars and a flute accompanying them and the lead singer, who had a beautiful voice. A lot of the service was sung. There were 21 bishops and 33 priests attending the event.
At this kind of occasion, the diocese has available matching vestments to be worn by all of the participants.
Unlike the Anglican tradition, the Roman Catholic appointment process for a bishop is quite different. Every year a presiding bishop sends a letter to the Nuncio in Ottawa (an ambassador to the Pope in Italy) with the names of priests they feel could potentially be a bishop.
When a vacancy occurs, the Nuncio goes over these letters and makes a choice of a candidate. He then contacts the reference names (15) as to their opinion and observations of his choice.
This is carried on in the strictest secrecy and once he makes his decision, he then contacts the candidate. In Fr. Ken’s case, he was in the process of packing up his belongings to move to a large parish in Ottawa as their priest. He was given a few days to decide, and once he accepted, the Nuncio then informed the Pope, who then made the announcement.
Bishop Richard Reed from Prince Albert, Bishop Helen Kennedy from Regina and Bishop Chad McCharles from Saskatoon were some of the guests, along with the bishop of the Saskatchewan Synod of the ELCIC, Rev. Dr. Ali Tote. Twice a year, the LAURC (Lutheran, Anglican, Ukrainian and Roman Catholic bishops) meet to share concerns, build relations and work on joint initiatives under their ecumenical covenant.
If you have never been to Sacred Heart Cathedral, you might not know that some of Bertholdt Imhoff’s iconic paintings can be viewed on the walls and the ceiling of the church. Like St. Alban’s Cathedral, the best time of day to see the glory of the stained-glass windows in both churches is late morning into early afternoon.
There were about 500 people at the event and all were encouraged to cross the street to St. Mary’s High School to partake of a delicious lunch provided by St. Michael’s Parish in Prince Albert.