Adam Joseph Exner (born December 24, 1928, Killaly, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

prelate and former archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Vancouver The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver ( la, Archidioecesis Vancouveriensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Holy Rosary Cathed ...

from 1991 to 2004.

Training and early religious life

Adam Exner holds

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s in philosophy and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and holds a

Doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

in theology from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

. He served as

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

and superior at St. Charles Scholasticate in

Battleford, Saskatchewan Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" by S ...

, and as professor of moral theology at

Newman Theological College Newman Theological College (NTC) is a Roman Catholic school of theology founded in 1969 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. Founding NTC was founded in 1969 in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. NTC grew out ...

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

. He entered the

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecra ...

of the

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

in 1950 in

St. Norbert, Manitoba St. Norbert (french: Saint-Norbert) is a bilingual (French and English) neighbourhood and the southernmost suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. While outside the Perimeter Highway (the orbital road that surrounds most of Winnipeg), it is st ...

and was

ordain Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform vari ...

ed as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1957. In 1974, Exner was appointed Bishop of

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, ...

and in 1982, Archbishop of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Archbishop of Vancouver

Adam Exner was appointed Archbishop of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

on May 25, 1991. He served in that position until reaching the mandatory retirement for Archbishops in January 2004. That year, the Catholic Civil Rights League created the Archbishop Exner Award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life in honour of the occasion. He resides at St. Peter's Abbey, Muenster, Saskatchewan.

Advocacy and activities

In 1995, Archbishop Exner secured from then-Premier

Michael Harcourt Michael Franklin Harcourt, OC (born January 6, 1943) served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, BC's largest city, from 1980 to 1986. Early life and education Harcourt was ...

, the Denominational Health Association, a legacy of his predecessor, Archbishop James Francis Carney.A Fierce Grace
thefreelibrary.com; accessed April 10, 2014. During his tenure, Exner objected to efforts by the Minister of Health,

Colin Hansen Colin Hansen (born 1952) is a former provincial politician for the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1996 to 2013. Hansen's most recent cabinet position was Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier from June 10, 2009 to March 13, 2011. He h ...

, to close St. Mary's Hospital (Vancouver). While Exner was Archbishop of Vancouver, civil litigation resulting from the Mount Cashel Orphanage sexual and physical abuse scandal threatened assets of the

Congregation of Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. Their first school was opened in Waterford, Irela ...

located in British Columbia. These included

Vancouver College Vancouver College (abbreviated informally to VC) is an independent university-preparatory Catholic school for boys located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1922, it is the only independent Catho ...

and

St. Thomas More Collegiate St. Thomas More Collegiate, commonly abbreviated as STMC, or just STM, is an independent private school located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The school is co-educational, offering academic, fine arts, and business programs, as well as a ...

, which faced closure and liquidation in order to pay the victims. Archbishop Exner was closely involved with the efforts to prevent the closure of those schools. Archbishop Exner assisted

Covenant House Covenant House is a large, Catholic, privately funded agency in the Americas, whose primary purpose is to promote Catholicism. It provides shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and other services to homeless and runaway young people. Covenant Hou ...

, a home for runaway street kids, in establishing a branch of its services into Vancouver. Under direction from Archbishop Exner, the Archdiocese of Vancouver sought and obtained intervenor status during litigation involving

Trinity Western University , mottoeng = A Mighty Fortress Is Our God , established = Trinity Junior College (1962–1972), Trinity Western College (1972–1985), Trinity Western University (1986–present) , type = Privat ...

relating to its training policies. The litigation involved a dispute between Trinity Western, a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

university, and the

British Columbia College of Teachers The British Columbia College of Teachers (BCCT) was formerly the professional self-regulatory body for teachers in British Columbia. It was responsible for setting and enforcing standards for teachers in the province. It assessed applicants to the ...

, which believed that TWU could not train teachers for public schools because it required students to abstain from homosexual relations. TWU won in the Court of Appeal and the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. In 2003, Exner directed four Catholic schools to divest from a school banking program operated by

VanCity Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, commonly referred to as Vancity, is a member-owned financial co-operative headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. By asset size, Vancity is the largest community credit union in Canada , with ...

, in protest of the Archdiocese's position that VanCity was actively promoting homosexuality through its sponsorship of a homosexual film festival and by giving an award to a lesbian bookstore."VanCity Savings Affair: Letter from the Archbishop"
catholiceducation.org, October 1, 2003; accessed April 10, 2014.

Honours

Archbishop Exner was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre as well as Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of Canada.

Memberships

In his role as Archbishop, Exner became a member of the following: * Sacred Congregation for Bishops * Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, with which he was involved in the Theology and Christian Education Commissions and the National Catholic-Lutheran dialogue * Member of the Social Communications Commission

References

External links

Archdiocese of Vancouver former bishops
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exner, Adam Living people 1928 births Roman Catholic archbishops of Winnipeg Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada University of Ottawa alumni Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic bishops of Kamloops Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate