The Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert will see a change in leadership after Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Stephen Hero as the eighth Archbishop of Edmonton on Nov. 21.
The Prince Albert Catholic School Division was sad to see another Bishop who was a supporter of Catholic Education in the province leave after the late Bishop Albert Thevanot passed away in April.
“I can say with Bishop Thevanot and now Bishop Stephen Hero, we have been so well served in our diocese with our bishops,” education director Lorel Trumier said. “They’ve been very engaged in our Saskatchewan Catholic School Board Association as education, as holding the education portfolios so I feel we have been so blessed.”
While the board was sad to see Hero move on, they also agreed with the appointment.
“(I) can’t think of a better person for this appointment to happen to,” Trumier said. “We know that he will serve the Archdiocese of Edmonton very well.”
Hero was born in Quebec, but was raised in Edmonton from the age of 10. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 2000 and served as Bishop of Prince Albert since March 25, 2021.
“I am very humbled and grateful for the trust placed in me to take up this new mission in the Church and to serve in a community that is close to my heart,” Hero wrote in a letter to the Edmonton Archdiocese.
Trumier said the appointment makes sense because of Hero’s Edmonton roots.
“I know that’s a place that he’s called home for many years,” she said. “It seems to be a very natural transition for him, but we have been blessed. He’s done so much to support our schools and our school division that we can’t thank him enough for that. We will continue to pray for his successes here in his new appointment.”
In a statement on Nov. 21, Hero said he was excited about the new opportunity, but sad to leave Prince Albert.
“You welcomed me with such kindness when I was ordained your Bishop on June 11, 2021, and it has been a privilege to come to know the different communities, parishes, and peoples who inhabit this land we share by Treaty,” the statement reads.
“I have learned so much from you all. There is a river that flows from Edmonton to Prince Albert that will always be a sign to me of the connection between us and the same grace of God that gives us life.”
Hero will be formally installed on Jan. 23 at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton. Until then, he will serve as administrator of the Diocese of Prince Albert.
-With files from Emokhare Paul Anthony/Daily Herald
