1 Archbishop James Charles Cardinal McGuigan

Born in Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, James Charles McGuigan (1894-1974) was a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto and later a cardinal. After completing studies in theology at Université Laval and Grand Séminaire in Quebec City, McGuigan was ordained in 1918. He taught at St. Dunstan’s University in Charlottetown, and earned his doctorate in Canon Law in 1927. McGuigan served as rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta before being consecrated as Archbishop of Regina by Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) in 1930. Archbishop McGuigan was appointed to the See of Toronto in December 1934. While Archbishop of Toronto, McGuigan successfully managed diocesan debt and raised funds for separate Roman Catholic schools. In 1946, McGuigan was created cardinal-priest of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, becoming Canada’s first English-speaking cardinal. McGuigan established several national parishes specifically targeting new immigrants to the city, increasing the population of the Archdiocese of Toronto from 125,000 in 1929 to 750,000 in 1973. After expanding the Archdiocese of Toronto and creating the new diocese of St. Catharines, McGuigan retired from his post in 1971.

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