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November 22, 2009 - 8:06 am

By: Bill Dicks

Close to 130,000 Catholics who are a part of the Diocese of Antigonish now have a new Bishop.

The announcement by the Pope that 54-year old Newfoundland native Bishop Brian Dunn replaces disgraced former Bishop Raymond Lahey was made Saturday.

Bishop Dunn says he's aware of the problems facing the congregation, but before he puts his stamp on his new charge, he wants to learn what he can about the diocese.

"For the next several weeks I'll need to get as much information about the diocese, about the people, about how people are responding," Dunn said. "I know a little bit now from the media but I don't know enough now to even say 'this is how I'm going to do it.'"

Bishop Dunn was first ordained to the priesthood in 1980 - he's spent a number of years working within the Diocese of Grand Falls Newfoundland.

He comes to Antigonish from Ontario where lately he was the Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie.

He replaces Raymond Lahey who is facing child-pornography charges.

Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn 

Bishop of Antigonish, Nova Scotia  

(Information from Catholic Hierarchy website)

8 Jan 1955:         Born Saint John’s, Newfoundland

28 Aug 1980:     Ordained Priest Priest of Grand Falls, Newfoundland, Canada

16 Jul 2008:       Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada

16 Jul 2008:       Appointed Titular Bishop of Munatiana

9 Oct 2008:        Ordained Bishop Titular Bishop of Munatiana

21 Nov 2009:      Appointed Bishop of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada

At time of his appointment (as Archbishop of Antigonish)

    a priest for 29.24 years

    a bishop for 1.12 years

Principal Consecrator (at Brian Dunn's consecration as bishop):

           Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe

Principal Co-Consecrators (at Brian Dunn's consecration as bishop)

           Bishop Raymond John Lahey

          Bishop David Douglas Crosby, O.M.I.

Ottawa Sun

Last Updated: 22nd November 2009, 2:19am

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

Bishop Brian Dunn, appointed yesterday by Pope Benedict, takes over the diocese of Antigonish two months after his predecessor, Bishop Raymond Lahey, was charged with possessing and importing child pornography.

Dunn, the auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, said it will be a challenge to restore people's faith in a parish also tarnished by decades-old charges of sexual abuse by its priests.

"Whenever there's a tragic situation like this, you know, healing takes time," he said from Sault Ste. Marie after the announcement was made.

"So I'm very aware that it's going to be difficult."

Dunn said he won't take up his role until the new year, when he expects to begin travelling through the sprawling diocese.

REHABILITATION

His test will be to rehabilitate the diocese and appeal to increasingly disenchanted congregants who began turning their backs on the Catholic church in the days after the charges against Lahey surfaced.

Father Paul Abbass, spokesman for the Antigonish diocese, said he's relieved the Vatican made the rare move of quickly appointing a replacement for Lahey.

"There's a lot of pain and struggle that so many people in the diocese feel," he said from Sydney, N.S. "It really changed in some ways how people see church ... Right now it's a struggle and he is going to step into the middle of that struggle."

Lahey was charged in September with possessing and importing child pornography after he was stopped at the Ottawa airport.

The 69-year-old clergyman resigned his position and has been staying with other priests in Ottawa since he was granted bail Oct. 1. He is due back in court next month.

Shouts in the Piazza blog

http://shoutsinthepiazza.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-bishop-of-antigonish-nova-scotia.html

Fr. Selvester

New Jersey, United States

21 November 2009

Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn was born on January 8, 1955 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He received his primary and elementary education at St. Teresa’s School in Buchans, NL and his high school education at St. Francis Central High School in Harbour Grace, NL. After studying at Memorial University of Newfoundland for one year, he attended King’s College in London, Ontario and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1976. He completed his seminary formation at Saint Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario. After graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1979, he was ordained to the priesthood on August 28, 1980 for the Diocese of Grand Falls, Newfoundland. He was ordained bishop at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Grand Falls-Windsor, NL on October 9, 2008 and, since then, has served as one of the Auxiliary Bishops of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

Toronto Globe and Mail

Published on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 8:47AM EST

Last updated on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 8:51AM EST

Jennifer MacMillan

Globe and Mail Update

.A new bishop has been named to lead the Catholic church in a rural Nova Scotia community rocked by a child porn scandal two months ago.

Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to oversee the diocese of Antigonish, starting early next year.

Bishop Dunn is presently Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese of Sault Ste Marie in Ontario.

In a statement, church spokesman Father Paul Abbass acknowledged that the community has been deeply affected by the revelation that former Bishop Raymond Lahey is facing child pornography charges.

"While our diocese is facing times of challenge and struggle we are also a diocese with a history of deep faith and working together," Father Abbass said. "It is in this spirit that we continue to seek pathways to healing and rebuilding."

Bishop Lahey was charged Sept. 25 — 10 days after he was detained and questioned by Canada Border Services Agency officers at Ottawa airport.

Bishop Lahey, 69, stepped down as bishop of the diocese in Antigonish, N.S., just before the charges were announced and he has been staying with other priests in Ottawa since he was granted bail Oct. 1.

Police say they found hundreds of files and dozens of videos on Bishop Lahey's laptop after he arrived in Ottawa on a flight from the United Kingdom, many of them showing young males engaged in sex acts. Police warrants say some images show boys as young as eight, though none of the allegations made in the search warrants have been proven in court.

Court documents say border officials flagged Bishop Lahey because he was a man travelling alone and his passport showed several trips to Southeast Asia, Germany, Spain and other areas known for child pornography. The documents also say Bishop Lahey's evasive answers and shifty eyes piqued their interest.

He is alleged to have told one officer he is attracted to young men, aged 20 or 21, and that he had never done anything abusive to a child and would “never have any sexual interest in a person under 18.”

Halifax Archbishop Anthony Mancini will said in a statement he will continue to oversee the diocese until Bishop Dunn is installed at a date to be announced later.

Bishop Lahey is due in court again in Ottawa on Dec. 16.

Global News

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Amy Husser, Canwest News Service:

A new bishop has been appointed to lead a Roman Catholic community in Nova Scotia that has been left stunned and outraged after child-pornography charges were laid against its previous spiritual leader.

And newly named Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn says he knows he faces major challenges in dealing with the fallout of a scandal that has stretched from the Diocese of Antigonish right across the country.

"I'm excited about the appointment," Dunn told Canwest News Service on Saturday.

"I am very happy to be able serve the people of Antigonish. But there's also lots of hesitation as I look and see the difficulties that seem to be ahead of me."

Dunn has been named by Pope Benedict XVI to replace Raymond Lahey.

Lahey was charged on Sept. 25 with possessing and importing child pornography after a search of his laptop at an Ottawa airport allegedly discovered the graphic images.

Two weeks prior to his arrest, Lahey had surprised the Antigonish diocese by suddenly announcing his resignation. The 69-year-old had overseen a historic, $15-million legal settlement to victims of priest sexual abuse in his diocese, before announcing that he was stepping down for "personal reasons."

Lahey is living at a Catholic priests' residence in Ottawa while awaiting his next court appearance on Dec. 16.

Dunn has most recently been an auxiliary bishop with the Catholic diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, in northern Ontario.

Speaking from his office in that community Saturday, Dunn said he was both excited and nervous to take on the role.

Dunn will likely be front and centre as the Catholic Church tries to deal with Nova Scotian parishioners who have expressed outraged over the charges against Lahey.

"It seems that the people are very troubled by the latest developments there, so I'm hoping to just be with them to know how they are hurting and how they need to be healed," Dunn said. "Hopefully we can work together to bring healing to the whole situation."

Dunn said he has only heard about the reactions from Catholics in Antigonish so he will not be able to formulate a "healing strategy" until he assumes his office.

"But I have a lot of experience in parish work and experience with tragic situations and being with people in difficulty. But this is a different situation. There will be people in that region losing respect (for the church)."

In a statement released Saturday, diocese spokesman Father Paul Abbass also acknowledged the church is facing a trying period.

"While our diocese is facing times of challenge and struggle, we are also a diocese with a history of deep faith and working together. It is in this spirit that we continue to seek pathways to healing and rebuilding," he wrote.

"We are grateful to the Holy Father for recognizing the particular needs of our church by naming a new Bishop in such a timely manner."

Dunn, 54, becomes the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish, which serves a population of about 130,000 parishioners. Dunn was born in St. John's, N.L., and grew up in the central part of the province.

He and was ordained in 1980.

Most of his parish work has been in Newfoundland, but he also taught theology for six years at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ont.

He suspects that his Atlantic roots also had something to do with his selection as the new bishop. Dunn said he knows the "mindset" of people in the Maritimes and Newfoundland and that will be an advantage in taking on this posting.

"I would know the area in general and the mindset of Eastern Canada. I have a lot of gratitude for this appointment and I'm looking forward to serving the people there. But I know there is going to be a lot of hurt."

He said he expects to be in his new post by mid to late January.

With files from the National Post

Halifax Chronicle Herald

Sat. Nov 21 - 10:00 AM

By OUR STAFF

Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn has been appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish.

The appointment was announced today.

Bishop Raymond Lahey resigned from the position in September. Just days later, it became public knowledge that Bishop Lahey had been charged with possessing and importing child pornography.

The charges came just weeks after his Roman Catholic diocese reached a $15-million settlement with people who said they were abused by priests as children.

Bishop Dunn will be formally installed in the new year, the news release said.

He's finishing his assignment in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

(webeditors@herald.ca)

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops website

21 November 2009

 (CCCB - Ottawa) – His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today appointed Most Rev. Brian Dunn, Bishop of Antigonish in Nova Scotia. He was previously Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie in Ontario.

Since the resignation this past September of Most Rev. Raymond Lahey, Most Rev. Anthony Mancini, Archbishop of Halifax and Apostolic Administrator of Yarmouth, had been appointed Apostolic Administrator of Antigonish for the duration of the vacancy, while continuing with his responsibilities for the Archdiocese of Halifax and the Diocese of Yarmouth.

Bishop Brian Dunn was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in 1955 and ordained to the priesthood in 1980. He was then assigned to a number of parishes in the Diocese of Grand Falls until 1988, when he moved to Ottawa in order to complete his Doctoral studies at Saint Paul University. In 1991, he was assigned to parish ministry and also worked as Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor for the Diocese of Grand Falls while teaching theology in the Maritimes. In 2002, he became a faculty member at St. Peter’s Seminary, in London, Ontario. From 2005 until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie in 2008, he had served as Dean of Studies. 

The Diocese of Antigonish has a Catholic population of 129,730 in 118 parishes and missions, served by 114 diocesan priests, three priests who are members of religious orders, one permanent deacon and 272 religious Sisters.

Antigonish Casket

21 November 2009

By Brian Lazzuri editor@thecasket.ca

Parishioners of the Diocese of Antigonish can rejoice as they prepare to celebrate the Holy season of Advent. Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Brian Dunn to lead the Diocese.

     The announcement was made via press release Saturday morning and at weekend Masses throughout the Diocese. Bishop Dunn is currently auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Sault Ste-Marie, Ont.

     “I look forward to coming to the people of Antigonish even recognizing there is a little difficulty there,” Bishop Dunn said during an interview Saturday afternoon.

      “I am very happy to be appointed. I am looking forward to working with the people . . . I am looking forward to getting down there, settling in and just trying to be with people in the midst of the difficult situation we are in.”

     Bishop Dunn’s appointment was made necessary when former Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey resigned suddenly Sept. 26. It was later learned that Bishop Lahey had been charged with the possession and importation of child pornography Sept. 25 after being stopped by a Canadian Border Services agent in Ottawa earlier that month.

     Bishop Lahey has been staying at a priests’ residence in Ottawa while he awaits his due process. His lawyers asked for more disclosure of evidence during a plea hearing Nov. 4. Bishop Lahey is due in court Dec. 16.

     “All I know is what I have learned through the media,” Bishop Dunn said when asked about the allegations against Bishop Lahey.

     “I am learning lots of details from the Diocese and I am trying to get the information from there. Until I know more I cannot make any comment on that.”

Bishop Dunn said he was shocked at the charges against a fellow Bishop he knew well.

“I am still trying to understand what has happened. I am aware that this is causing great hurt for the people of the Antigonish Diocese,” he said.

The Bishop-elect said he knows little about the Diocese of Antigonish

     “It is going to take me awhile to get used to the place, get to know people, the situation there and to try to be able to help people as much as possible.”

     Bishop Dunn has been an auxiliary bishop for a little more than a year. He said he made an effort to get to know the parishes, schools, priests and people of the two regions he was responsible for in the Diocese of Sault Ste.-Marie.

     “It is a sense of presence to people. That is one of the gifts that I have and one of the things I nurtured over the years. That is one of the things I will bring to the situation,” Bishop Dunn said.

     “I am looking forward to the installation and being with the people.”

Bishop Dunn was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in 1955. He has two sisters in Newfoundland and one in Halifax. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 serving in the Diocese of Grand Falls until 1988.

     Bishop Dunn then completed his doctoral studies in canon law at Saint Paul University in Ottawa in 1991. He returned to parish ministry and worked as Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor for the Diocese of Grand Falls while teaching theology in the Maritimes.

     In 2002, he became a faculty member at St. Peter’s Seminary, in London, Ontario. From 2005 until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie in 2008, he had served as Dean of Studies at the seminary.

     The date for Bishop Dunn’s installation as the shepherd of the Diocese of Antigonish will occur early next year. Bishop Dunn hopes to visit the Diocese in the near future.

CBC News

21 November 2009

The Roman Catholic Church has appointed a replacement for Raymond Lahey, the bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish, N.S., who is facing child pornography charges.

Bishop Brian Dunn, currently auxiliary bishop in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., expects to be in the new post in January.

The promotion will be challenging, he said.

"My first response was a response of gratitude but at the same time, I really realized that there will be difficulties in the whole assisting people to be healed," said Dunn.

"And so there were some hesitations — do I have enough experience? Am I able to be with people in their difficulties? So there were some hesitations," he said.

"But ultimately, I have a sense of the church, I have a sense of a call, I have a sense of faith that I believe will be helpful to this appointment.

"The only thing that I can say is that I'm with people in their difficulties, their sense of betrayal, their hurt and I'll be able to support them and try to move people, help them be able to respond in faith in a new way, in a renewed way and I realize that will take time."

Lahey, who is facing charges of importing and possessing child pornography, retired in September, before the charges against him became public.

On Sept. 15, he was detained at the Ottawa airport after border officials said they found what they suspected were pornographic images of young males on his laptop. Lahey was released at the time, then charged 10 days later after investigators confirmed several of the subjects were underage.

Lahey has been living in a priest's residence run by the archdiocese of Ottawa and is scheduled to be back in court on Dec. 16.

Dunn, who is originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, says he has not spoken with Lahey.

CNews

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/11/21/11854316-cp.html

21 November 2009

By Alison Auld, THE CANADIAN PRESS

HALIFAX, N.S. - The bishop appointed to oversee a Nova Scotia diocese tainted by sex abuse allegations and child pornography charges says he recognizes it will take time to bring people back to the embattled church.

Bishop Brian Dunn, appointed Saturday by Pope Benedict, takes over the diocese of Antigonish two months after his predecessor, Bishop Raymond Lahey, was charged with possessing and importing child pornography.

Dunn, the auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., said it will be a challenge to restore people's faith in a parish also tarnished by decades-old charges of sexual abuse by its priests.

"Whenever there's a tragic situation like this, you know, healing takes time," he said from Sault Ste. Marie after the announcement was made.

"So I'm very aware that it's going to be difficult."

Dunn said he won't take up his role until the new year, when he expects to begin travelling through the sprawling diocese and its 118 parishes and missions. 

His test will be to rehabilitate the diocese and appeal to increasingly disenchanted congregants who began turning their backs on the Catholic church in the days after the charges against Lahey surfaced.

Father Paul Abbass, spokesman for the Antigonish diocese, said he's relieved the Vatican made the rare move of quickly appointing a replacement for Lahey.

"There's a lot of pain and struggle that so many people in the diocese feel," he said from Sydney, N.S. "It really changed in some ways how people see church...Right now it's a struggle and he is going to step into the middle of that struggle."

Abbass, who is a priest in four parishes, said he knows a couple of families in each of his parishes who walked away from the church in the wake of the latest allegations.

Lahey was charged in September with possessing and importing child pornography after he was stopped at the Ottawa airport.

The 69-year-old clergyman resigned his position and has been staying with other priests in Ottawa since he was granted bail Oct. 1. He is due back in court next month.

Police said they found hundreds of files and dozens of videos on his laptop, many of them showing young males engaged in sex acts.

Police warrants indicate some images show boys as young as eight, though none of the allegations made in the warrants has been proven in court.

Court documents state that border officials flagged Lahey because he was a man travelling alone and his passport showed several trips to Southeast Asia, Germany, Spain and other areas known for child pornography.

One warrant said Lahey told Ottawa police he "had no time for child exploitation, no time for child pornography."

He is alleged to have told one officer he is attracted to young men, aged 20 or 21, and that he had never done anything abusive to a child and would "never have any sexual interest in a person under 18."

Two search warrants were used to seize more devices from Lahey's apartment in Sydney, N.S., and his office and home in Antigonish, where he served as bishop for the past six years.

The Antigonish diocese has also been named in a civil lawsuit by a Nova Scotia man who alleges that he was abused by a priest decades ago.

Philip Latimer opted out of a landmark $15-million sexual abuse settlement negotiated by Lahey, arguing that he wants more information on what the church knew at the time of the alleged abuse and if it failed to act on that knowledge.

The settlement, which was certified by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge in September, is intended to compensate anyone who was allegedly and known to have been sexually assaulted by a priest of the Catholic Episcopal Corp. of Antigonish since Jan. 1, 1950.

Dunn was born in St. John's, N.L., in 1955 and ordained in 1980. He served a number of parishes in the diocese of Grand Falls, N.L., until 1988 and then moved to Ottawa to complete his doctoral studies.

He became a faculty member at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ont., in 2002 and was ordained as a bishop last year.

Sault Star

21 November 2009

Posted By Brian Kelly, The Sault Star

An auxiliary bishop with the Catholic diocese of Sault Ste. Marie will replace a disgraced east coast bishop accused of having child pornography in his possession.

Pope Benedict named Bishop Brian Dunn as the new bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish, N.S., on Saturday.

He succeeds Raymond Lahey, who was allegedly caught with graphic sexual images of boys on his laptop computer in September. Lahey was questioned by a Canada Border Services agent after arriving in Ottawa from England.

Dunn's appointment comes just about a year after his episcopal ordination for the Sault diocese.

He will care for 130,000 Catholics in northeastern Nova Scotia.

A statement by Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie made no reference to the Lahey case in a statement released Saturday morning.

"This is a real sacrifice for our diocese, Bishop (Noel) Simard and me," he said.

"However, I am sure that out of love for our church in Canada, all will understand this appointment of the Holy Father at this particular time. It makes our loss easier to accept."

Dunn was based at Precious Blood Cathedral. He served in the Sault Ste. Marie, North Shore and Manitoulin regions.

During his 13 months with the diocese, he visited every parish from Manitouwadge to Espanola and Manitoulin Island.

"Even though his episcopal ministry among us was brief, we will always remember him for his kind and jovial approach to people," said Plouffe.

Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast blogspot

http://archbishopterry.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-bishop-for-antigonish-presentation.html

21 November 2009

Pope Benedict XVI today moved to fill quickly the vacancy in the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia created by the sudden resignation in scandalous circumstances of Bishop Raymond Lahey on September 26.

Bishop Brian Dunn, 54, was born in St. John’s, NL and received a Master of Divinity degree from St. Peter’s Seminary, University of Western Ontario. Ordained to the priesthood in 1980, he has received a Licentate degree and Doctorate in Canon Law from Saint Paul University, Ottawa and the University of Ottawa. In 1996, he completed a Masters in Theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Father Dunn's priestly ministry in his home diocese included service in Grand Falls-Windsor, St. Brendan’s, Harbour Breton, Holyrood and Harbour Main; he has also been extensively involved in teaching and lecturing at Halifax's Atlantic School of Theology, Saint Paul University and St. Peter’s Seminary.

On his nomination, I told Bishop Dunn how helpful serving as an auxiliary can be in learning the ropes, as it were, of episcopal ministry. Just last month he told me how much he enjoyed his meetings with the people in the English sector of the Sault diocese, especially carrying out the Episcopal Visitation. Little did he know how soon he would be asked to take on a difficult challenge! However, he has a wonderful disposition that fits him well for what lies ahead.

Ad multos annos, Bishop Brian!

May Our Blessed Mother Mary, whose Presentation in the Temple we celebrate today, intercede with her Son to obtain for him ghe many graces he will need to help with the healing and renewal of the Roman Catholic community on Cape Breton Island and in the mainland counties of Antigonish, Guysborough and Pictou.