Brendan Michael O'Brien (born September 28, 1943) is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church . He served as Archbishop of Kingston [ 1] Archbishop of St. John's (Newfoundland) and Bishop of Pembroke (Ontario) .
Early life and ministry
Brendan Michael O'Brien was born in Ottawa , the oldest of the seven children of Redmond and Margaret (née Foran) O'Brien. He attended the University of Ottawa and St. Paul University , from where he earned his licentiates in philosophy and theology , before being ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1968, at St George's Church (Ottawa) .
Father O'Brien then did pastoral work in Ottawa and served as Co-Director of the Diocesan Synod . In 1971 he went to Rome , where he studied at the Pontifical Lateran University 's Accademia Alfonsianum , from which he obtained a doctorate in moral theology . O'Brien, upon his return to Canada in 1975, taught at his alma mater pastor of an Ottawa parish .
Episcopate
On May 6, 1987, O'Brien was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa and Titular Bishop of Numana by Pope John Paul II . He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, with Bishops John Beahen and Gilles Bélisle serving as co-consecrators . O'Brien was later named Bishop of Pembroke on May 5, 1993, and Archbishop of St. John's on December 4, 2000.
Pope Benedict XVI , on June 3, 2007, named O'Brien to succeed the late Anthony G. Meagher as Archbishop of Kingston . O'Brien's installation as Kingston's ordinary took place on July 25, 2007.
He was once State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus in Ontario . From 2003 to 2005, he was President of the Canadian Episcopal Conference , of which he currently sits on the Social Affairs Commission.
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