TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2011 /CNW/ - With great sadness, the Archdiocese
announces that His Eminence, Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic, retired
Archbishop of Toronto, died earlier today, after a lengthy illness, at
the age of 81. The late Cardinal was a priest for 56 years, bishop for
35 years and served as 9th Archbishop of Toronto from 1990 to 2006.
Aloysius Ambrozic was born in 1930 in Gaberje, Slovenia, the second of
seven children. In May 1945, the entire family fled to Austria, living
in several refugee camps, where the young Ambrozic completed his high
school education. In September 1948, the family immigrated to Canada
and settled near Markham, Ontario. Shortly afterwards, Aloysius
Ambrozic entered St. Augustine's Seminary, a spiritual home he would
return to often as a student, professor, bishop, archbishop and
cardinal.
After almost 21 years as a diocesan priest, Fr. Ambrozic was named an
Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1976. Bishop Ambozic
served alongside Archbishop Philip Pocock and Emmett Cardinal Carter,
before his appointment as Archbishop of Toronto on March 17, 1990. In
January 1998, Pope John Paul II nominated him as Cardinal, a position
that resulted in his participation in the conclave of 2005 that elected
Pope Benedict XVI.
Cardinal Ambrozic served on a number of Vatican committees related to
immigration, culture, worship and the economy. He also hosted the
largest gathering of Catholic youth in Canadian history, World Youth
Day 2002, that culminated in the celebration of Mass by Pope John Paul
II at Downsview Park for more than 750,000 pilgrims.
The Cardinal's legacy is commemorated in several places throughout the
GTA, including Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School in Brampton
as well as the Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence, the long-term
care facility in Scarborough, where the Cardinal spent his final
months.
Archbishop Thomas Collins, the cardinal's successor as Archbishop of
Toronto, offered his condolences to the Ambrozic family and Catholics
across the Archdiocese:
"Cardinal Ambrozic's tremendous contributions to the spiritual life of
the faithful of our Archdiocese and the heritage of his wisdom, his
knowledge, and his love of the priesthood will remain with us all."
The Cardinal will lie in state at St. Michael's Cathedral for a public
viewing, dates and times to be determined. His funeral Mass will also
take place at the Cathedral, the mother church of the Archdiocese.
An online tribute to Cardinal Ambrozic including photos, a complete
biography and other relevant information can be found at: www.archtoronto.org.
