Archbishop originally from Sydney dead at 93
A Sydney native who went on to become Archbishop Emeritus of Edmonton has died.
Most Rev. Joseph N. MacNeil died Sunday at age 93. He died at Grey Nuns hospital in Edmonton after suffering a stroke.
MacNeil was ordained a priest in 1948 for the Diocese of Antigonish, and went on to earn a doctorate in canon law in Rome. He was named Bishop of the Diocese of Saint John in 1969 and appointed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 1973.
Archbishop MacNeil served as vice-president and president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and also acted as consultor for several of its offices, as member on the executive committee and what was then called the administrative board, his obituary notes.
MacNeil was also a member of the Congregation for Bishops of the Holy See 1978-1983.
During his 26-year term as Archbishop, he committed himself to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, empowering lay people in the Church, building friendships with other faith communities, and extending the Church’s efforts in social justice, a statement posted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton on its website noted.
The archdiocese’s statement noted that MacNeil was instrumental in arranging the visit of Pope John Paul II to Edmonton in 1984.
“But in all his time in Alberta, he said one of the biggest thrills was having a school named after him. He had a gift for connecting with young people, and loved to visit the students at ‘his school’ in southwest Edmonton,” the statement notes.
He officially retired in 1999, but MacNeil continued to serve by filling in official functions and presiding at confirmations, and celebrating mass at schools.
MacNeil’s body will lie in state in St. Joseph’s Cathedral Basilica in Edmonton Thursday from 1-9 p.m. The final mass
will take place Friday at noon in the Cathedral Basilica, followed by interment in Holy Cross Cemetery. The funeral will be
broadcast live on the website of the Archdiocese.