Bishop Donald Bolen
He was born in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan on February 7, 1961, the son of the late Joseph (+1968) and Rose (+2006) Bolen.
Upon completion of his High School education he undertook studies in English and Religious Studies at the University of Regina, completing a B.A. Honours.
He entered Saint Paul Seminary in Ottawa for the Archdiocese of Regina in 1986, eventually completing a B.Th., M.Th. and L.Th. through Saint Paul University.
He was ordained to the priesthood on October 12, 1991.
In the years following his ordination his ministry assignments have included:
- 1991-93 Associate Pastor, Estevan;
- 1993-94 Post-Graduate Studies, Saint Paul University, Ottawa; Priest Moderator at Church of Our Lady, Moose Jaw;
- 1994-97 Post-Graduate Studies, University of Oxford;
- 1997-99 Faculty, Dept. of Religious Studies, Campion College, University of Regina; Priest Moderator, Milestone and Lang Parishes; Administrator, Paroisse St. Jean Baptiste, Regina; Chair of Ecumenical Commission, Archdiocese of Regina;
- 1999-2000 Sabbatical to work on Doctoral Dissertation;
- 2000-2001 Faculty, Campion College; and Priest Moderator, St. Jean-Baptiste, Regina; Chair of Archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission;
- 2001-2006 Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Rome – relations with Anglican Communion and World Methodist Council (five year term);
- 2006-2008 Renewal of permission to continue working with the Pontifical Council;
- 2009 (Jan-May) Nash Chair in Religion, Campion College;
- 2009 (August-present) Vicar general of the Archdiocese of Regina; Pastor of St. Joseph, Balgonie, St. Agnes, Pilot Butte, and St. Peter’s Colony, Kronau; Chair of Archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission;
He is an Associate Priest of the Madonna House Apostolate, and an Oblate of St. Peter’s Benedictine Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan.
In November, 2008 he was awarded the Cross of Saint Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his service to relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
 Coat of Arms for
Most Rev. Donald Bolen,
Bishop of Saskatoon
At the centre of the Coat of Arms is the open word of God. On the book is the Latin phrase “Verbum Vitae,” that is, “the Word of Life.” The text comes in the first instance from the First Letter of John: “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, the word of life...” (1 Jn. 1:1). St. Paul also admonishes his hearers to “hold fast to the word of life”(Phil. 2:16).
At the bottom of the Coat of Arms is a small banner that reads “mercy within mercy within mercy.” The quotation is from Thomas Merton’s 1953 book The Sign of Jonas (Jonah), wherein Merton has God saying: “I have always overshadowed Jonas with my mercy.... Have you not had sight of me, Jonas, my child? Mercy within mercy within mercy.”
The shepherd’s crook – a bishop’s staff or “crosier”– represents the apostolic calling to be a good shepherd, to feed the sheep, to take care of the lambs (Jn.10; Jn. 21).
The sword is the traditional symbol of St. Paul, who is the patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.
The wheat sheaf, against the blue backdrop, speaks in the first instance of the Saskatchewan prairies under vast sheltering skies. Jesus also speaks of his own paschal mystery in terms of the grain of wheat which falls to the ground and dies, and bears much fruit (Jn. 12:24). Wheat is also thus a symbol of the Eucharist, of the Lord’s invitation to receive his life-giving presence into our lives, to allow our lives to be broken and poured out for others.
The shell is abundantly present in the iconography found within the Oratory of St. Francis Xavier “del Caravita” where Bishop Bolen served on the pastoral staff during his years in Rome, and which symbolizes one of four miracles attributed to the Jesuit saint during a missionary voyage to Malacca in 1546. As the wheat symbolizes Eucharist, the shell symbolizes Baptism; together they point to the sacramental life of the Church, but also to ecumenical efforts to come to a shared sacramental life.
The hat with six tassels on either side and the cross are emblematic of the hierarchical status of the episcopal office, and are present on every Roman Catholic bishop’s coat of arms. The Jerusalem Cross, depicted here, is often associated with the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. As with every cross it symbolizes the paschal mystery, but the specific associations with the Jerusalem Cross evoke in a particular way the Holy Sepulchre, the place where the crucified Lord was buried, and where God raised him from the dead.
The bishop makes Christ's mission present and enduring in the Church. He
undertakes
Christ's role as teacher, priest, and shepherd. (LG21)
As shepherd, a bishop exercises his authority in a spirit of service, considering
it as a vocation to serve the whole Church; so that it is all the more obvious
that he is in truth the servant of God and the servant of the servants of God
after the example of the high priest. (CD 16)
It is the bishop's responsibility to teach the word of God with authority
and bear witness to it, to faithfully guard and to authentically interpret
it (LG 24-25). He is to preside over Christian worship in the person of Christ
and dispense the mysteries of God (LG 26). It is his role to gather together
the particular churches of the diocese (LG 27). He is to choose and direct
their helpers in the sacred ministry (LG 28-29). And it is his role to pass
judgment on the goodness and orderly exercise of charisms (LG 12).
Since he bears the office of teacher, priest and shepherd, the bishop needs
the collaboration of the whole community, not only of priests and deacons,
but also of the laity. Lay people are called to take part in the common apostolate
in the Church and to cooperate with their pastors under the authority of the
bishop. Without this cooperation, the bishops hierarchical apostolate is for
the most part unable to achieve its full effect (AA10).
(LG) - Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) the Documents of
Vatican II
(CD) - Decree on the Bishopâs Pastoral Office in the Church (Christus
Dominus) the Documents of Vatican II
(AA) - Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem) the
Documents of Vatican II
In each diocese there is a council of priests who represent the Îpresbyterium
and who serve as the Bishop's senate. The council's role is to assist the Bishop
in the governance of the diocese, so that the pastoral welfare of the people
of God entrusted to the Bishop may be most effectively promoted.
About half of the members of the council are elected by the priests themselves,
some are members by reason of the office they hold, and some are appointed
by the Bishop.
The diocesan bishop convenes the council of priests, presides over it and
determines the matters to be discussed in consultation with the members. (Code
of Canon Law #495-501)
Previous Bishops
Bishop Albert LeGatt - July 26, 2001 - September 21, 2009
James Vernon Weisgerber, Fifth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1996-2000
James Patrick Mahoney, Fourth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1967-1995
Francis Joseph Klein Third Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1952-1967
Philip Francis Pocock, Second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1944-1951
Gerald C. Murray, CSsR, First Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1934-1944 |
