Archbishop Daniel Bohan - R.I.P.

Archbishop Daniel Bohan

1941 - 2016

Archbishop Daniel Bohan's earthly life ended January 15 at 6 a.m. in Regina Saskatchewan’s Pasqua Hospital after a battle with lung cancer.

Archbishop Bohan was born, November 8, 1941, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia where his father was in the military. He was the first child in a family of six who grew up in Moncton, New Brunswick where he received his early education. He entered Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Holy Heart Seminary in 1963 and ordained priest May 13, 1967. Along the way he obtained an Arts Degree, from St. Thomas University, Chatham, New Brunswick ;  a Theology degree from Holy Heart Seminary, a Sacred Theology Degree from Universite’ Laval, Quebec and a Masters of Theology Degree from Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. He taught Moral Theology at Holy Heart Seminary prior to his appointment as bishop.

He served as Pastor in several Maritime parishes before being appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto May 14, 2003 and ordained bishop in July 3, 2003 in his home parish of St. Augustine’s Church, Moncton. Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of the Regina Archdiocese, March 30, 2005. Archbishop Bohan was one of the last appointments made by Pope John Paul II now St. John Paul II.

The Archbishop began his long involvement in ecumenism in 1999 when he was appointed as the Roman Catholic representative to the Gospel, Ecumenical and Theology Committee of the Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada. Shortly after his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto he was appointed to the Social Affairs Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). He is past chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity, Religious Relations with the Jews, and Interfaith Dialogue and remained on the committee after his chairmanship.  He is past chair of the Board of the National Catholic Broadcasting Council and Past President of the Assembly of Western Bishops. He sat on the Ad Hoc Committee for Aboriginal Ministry of the Assembly of Western Bishops and was recently appointed co-chair of the newly formed National Roman Catholic/Evangelical Dialogue. In 2012 Archbishop Bohan was appointed to the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue and also became a member of the Board of Governors for Catholic Missions in Canada and in 2014 he was appointed as one of three CCCB delegates on the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC). As a member of the Pontifical Council, he presented letters from the council to members of the Regina, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities recognizing and acknowledging their religious days and building bridges with those communities. 


Archbishop Bohan is survived by his mother, Rita, in Moncton, New Brunswick, two sisters, three brothers all residing in the Maritimes, many nephews, nieces, grandnephews grandnieces and, the priests, religious, archdiocesan staff and lay people of the Regina Archdiocese.

When he was Auxilliary Bishop of Toronto, Bishop Bohan was responsible for the Northern Region - which Holy Martyrs of Japan (my former parish) was located. I had a great amount of respect for Bishop Bohan.

Peace