EDMONTON (CCN) — Bishop Stephen Hero has been named the new Archbishop of Edmonton.
The announcement came just days after the Nov. 17 announcement of Father Susai Jesu, OMI, as the new Archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Pope Leo XIV announced the current Bishop of Prince Albert in neighbouring Saskatchewan will succeed Archbishop Richard Smith as the eighth Archbishop of Edmonton. Smith earlier this year was appointed Archbishop of Vancouver.
The 56-year-old Archbishop-elect is a native of Lachine, Que., whose connection to Edmonton dates back to his days studying at St. Joseph Seminary in the 1990s. He was ordained a priest for the archdiocese in 2000 and has served in numerous capacities, including as vocations director, part of the seminary’s formation team and a continuing lecturer at Newman Theological College.
In 2021, Pope Francis appointed Hero Bishop of Prince Albert. As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Hero has served on the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine and currently sits on the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy and the Sacraments (English Sector).
Archbishop-Elect Jesu said the words of Mary’s Magnificat came to his mind on hearing of his appointment. “It is a humbling experience to receive God’s calling to serve as a bishop,” he said, adding that his heart was “filled with gratitude and joy.”
Born in 1971 in Pushpavanam, Tamil Nadu, India, he entered the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and was ordained to the priesthood in 2000. He later earned degrees in psychology and counselling, and came to Canada in 2007 at the invitation of the Oblates.
