Richard Gagnon

Richard Gagnon, born on June seventeenth, nineteen forty-eight, is a distinguished Canadian Catholic priest and retired prelate who served as the Archbishop of Winnipeg from two thousand fourteen until two thousand twenty-four. His leadership extended beyond the archdiocese as he held the position of President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops from two thousand nineteen to two thousand twenty-one, and previously served as the Bishop of Victoria.

Originally hailing from Alberta, Gagnon moved to Greater Vancouver during his childhood. He pursued his education in the region, attending high school and university before embarking on his theological studies at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome. After his ordination as a priest in nineteen eighty-three, he dedicated two decades to the Archdiocese of Vancouver, serving as both an assistant pastor and parish priest.

In two thousand two, Gagnon was appointed vicar general of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and two years later, he was consecrated as a bishop. Throughout his ministry, he has been recognized for his commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in both Victoria and Winnipeg. Notably, he initiated the first diocesan synod in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, marking a significant moment in the archdiocese's history.