Archbishop of Toronto 2007-2023

Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, PH 100/06CP
Photograph of Cardinal Collins by Ashley and Crippen, Toronto, 2012

16 Jan 1947 | Date of Birth
05 May 1973 | Ordained Priest
14 Mar 1997 | Consecrated Bishop
25 Mar 1997 | Appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Saint Paul, Alberta
30 Jun 1997 | Succeeded as Bishop of Saint Paul
13 Sep 1999 | Installed as Archbishop of Edmonton
15 Mar 2001 | Appointed Apostolic Administrator of Saint Paul
16 Dec 2006 | Appointed Archbishop of Toronto
30 Jan 2007 | Installed as 12th Ordinary of Toronto
18 Feb 2012 | Elevated to Cardinal
11 Feb 2023 | Retired

Thomas Christopher Collins was born in Guelph, Ontario on January 16, 1947. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Jerome's College of the University of Waterloo, Ontario, in 1968. He followed this with a Bachelor of Theology from St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Western Ontario.

On May 5, 1973, Thomas Collins was ordained priest for the Diocese of Hamilton. He studied Scripture at the Biblical Institute in Rome and received a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture in 1978. Also in 1978, he began teaching Scripture and became a spiritual director at St. Peter's Seminary. In 1986, Fr. Collins completed his Doctorate in Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. He was rector of St. Peter's Seminary from 1995 to 1997.

On March 25, 1997, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of St. Paul and ordained Bishop on May 14, 1997. Bishop Collins was installed as Bishop of St. Paul on June 30, 1997. This was followed on February the 18th, 1999 by an appointment as Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton. On June 7, 1999 he succeeded Archbishop Joseph MacNeil as Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Edmonton where he successfully served for nearly eight years. While still serving Edmonton, he was named Apostolic Administrator of Saint Paul in 2001.

On the 16th of December, 2006, Archbishop Thomas Collins was appointed 10th Archbishop of Toronto by Pope Benedict XVI. He was installed on January 30, 2007 at St. Michael’s Cathedral.

During his time in Toronto, Cardinal Collins served the global church through his membership with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Congregation for Catholic Education and Commission of Cardinals for oversight of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR). He has participated in the Synod on the Eucharist, and the Synod on the Middle East, served as an Apostolic Visitor in Ireland and also as the Delegate of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for Anglicanorum Coetibus.

On January 6, 2012, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI announced the appointment of Cardinal Collins to the College of Cardinals. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals as Cardinal Priest of San Patrizio on February 18, 2012.

Cardinal Collins retired as Archbishop of Toronto on February 11, 2023.

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