James Francis Carney (June 28, 1915 – September 16, 1990) was a

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archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the

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. He served as the eighth

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

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, from 1964 until he died in 1990. He was the first Archbishop of Vancouver born in the city of

Early life

Carney was born on June 28, 1915, in what was then considered the "southern part" of

, Canada. His family was

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

. He had two brothers—John and Bernard—and one sister, Josephine, who became a nun and is Carney's last surviving sibling. His height was described as "towering".

Ordination and priestly life

On March 21, 1942, James Carney was ordained a priest by Archbishop William Mark Duke in Vancouver. He first worked at the Holy Rosary Cathedral as an

assistant pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicis ...

from 1942 to 1950. In addition to assisting at the cathedral, Carney also served as editor of '' The B.C. Catholic'' newspaper and

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the archdiocese. In 1950, Carney was transferred to St. Patrick's Church, where he worked for four years. Subsequently, he was chosen as assistant pastor to Corpus Christi and shortly afterwards he became the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the parish. In 1964, Carney was appointed as the Archdiocese's

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

. As a result, he was allowed to use the title "

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

". After two years, he was ordained as

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of Vancouver on February 11, 1966, by Cardinal

Sergio Pignedoli Sergio Pignedoli (4 June 1910 – 15 June 1980) was a prominent Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a top candidate for pope. He served as auxiliary bishop to Pope Paul VI when he was archbishop of Milan, and as President of the ...

, with then- Archbishop of Vancouver Martin Michael Johnson and Michael O’Neill of Regina acting as the co-consecrators.

Archbishop of Vancouver

After Archbishop Johnson resigned in 1969, Carney was chosen to succeed him and was installed as Archbishop of Vancouver on February 11, 1969. By assuming the position, Carney became the first Archbishop of Vancouver to have been born in Vancouver. According to ''

The Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'', Carney ruled during what was described as "the most tumultuous years" endured by the archdiocese. With the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

having just been completed, many Catholics in Vancouver who saw the council as a call for "revolution" viewed Carney as an ultra-conservative. This is because Carney gave his full support to

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

's controversial encyclical ''

Humanae Vitae (Latin, meaning 'Of Human Life') is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and dated 25 July 1968. The text was issued at a Vatican press conference on 29 July. Subtitled ''On the Regulation of Birth'', it re-affirmed the teaching of the Catho ...

''. Furthermore, he declined to accept money from the

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, as they were also funding pro-choice groups. As a result of his socially conservative stances, there were many deep divisions from within the archdiocese throughout Carney's tenure. Though he was known for his tall, imposing and yet shy demeanour, Carney was involved in controversy and labelled "

anti-union Union busting is a range of activities undertaken to disrupt or weaken the power of trade unions or their attempts to grow their membership in a workplace. Union busting tactics can refer to both legal and illegal activities, and can range anywhe ...

" when he ordered a Catholic school to close after its teachers had joined a

labour union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. Under Carney's

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, several key institutions in the archdiocese were created. In 1980, he asked the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception to create an archive office for the archdiocese. Six years later, Carney helped organize the Catholic Charities Justice Services in order to help those who are imprisoned. Known for his steadfast support of priestly vocations, Carney was chosen by Pope John Paul II to be a member of the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regard ...

in 1986.

Death

Carney developed cancer in 1989 and subsequently submitted his resignation in June of the following year in accordance with church policy, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. However, it had not been accepted at the time he died. Instead, he was invited to attend the Synod of Bishops, being the only Canadian cleric invited to the meeting held in late September 1990. He turned down the offer because of his frail health. On September 16, 1990, Carney died after suffering from cancer for fourteen months. He is buried inside the Resurrection Mausoleum at the Gardens of Gethsemani cemetery in

Surrey, British Columbia Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surr ...

Legacy

The Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School, located in

Port Coquitlam Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders ...

, British Columbia, was built and named in his honour. Carney also mandated that St. Paul's Hospital open its doors without hesitation to people with

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, even as other hospitals turned them away.

References

External links

Archdiocese of Vancouver former bishops

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carney, James Francis 1915 births 1990 deaths Canadian people of Irish descent People from Vancouver Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada