New appointment surprises bishop

Shepherd thought he would serve current diocese longer

Bishop Murray Chatlain

The B.C. Catholic has a story by Deborah Gyapong about the "shocking" appointment of Bishop Murray Chatlain of the Diocese of Mackenzie - Fort Smith to archbishop of Keewatin—Le Pas:

When Bishop Murray Chatlain first came to serve as coadjutor Bishop of MacKenzie-Fort Smith in 2007, his flock greeted him with the words “Welcome, for 31 years!”

“Being appointed bishop is different from being appointed as a priest,” he said in an interview following the announcement Pope Benedict XVI had chosen him to become Archbishop of Keewatin—Le Pas, filling the vacancy left by Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie’s resignation last July for health reasons.

A priest is only assigned to one place for five or six years, he said. “As a bishop you intend to be there possibly for the rest of your active ministry.”

So, Bishop Chatlain said the news of his new appointment “came as a surprise and a shock.”

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.