Richard Joseph Gagnon

Richard Joseph Gagnon (born June 17, 1948) is a Canadian retired Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Winnipeg from 2014 until 2024. He was President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) from 2019 to 2021, and previously served as the Bishop of Victoria.

Gagnon was born in Alberta and relocated to Greater Vancouver as a child. There, he attended high school and university before studying for the priesthood at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1983 and served in the Archdiocese of Vancouver as an assistant pastor and parish priest for two decades. He became vicar general of the archdiocese in 2002 and was consecrated as a bishop two years later. Gagnon has been noted for his work toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Victoria and Winnipeg. He is also noted for calling the first diocesan synod in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg.

Early life Gagnon was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, on June 17, 1948, to Thérèse Demers Gagnon and George Gagnon. The Gagnon family moved to British Columbia (BC) during his childhood, and he graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School in North Vancouver. Gagnon went on to study philosophy, history and English at Simon Fraser University, obtaining a BC Teaching Certificate in 1976. Starting in 1978, he attended seminary at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome. On June 24, 1983, Gagnon was ordained to the Catholic priesthood at Holy Rosary Cathedral by James Carney, the Archbishop of Vancouver at the time. after the latter was appointed as Bishop of Kamloops earlier in January. Gagnon was made a Prelate of Honour of His Holiness in February 2003, in recognition of his service and dedication to the local church. Adam Exner, the Archbishop of Vancouver, noted at the investiture ceremony that Gagnon had "rendered outstanding distinguished service in the Church in Vancouver as a loving, effective, and dedicated pastor, a man who is ever ready to meet new challenges – a servant ready to go wherever called." He was consecrated bishop and installed on July 20, 2004, at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria, with Roussin serving as the principal consecrator. The red field and gold Latin cross in his coat of arms was influenced by that of Modeste Demers, Gagnon's aforementioned ancestor and predecessor as bishop of the diocese.

Gagnon oversaw the conclusion of a financial and legal debacle for the Diocese of Victoria that began in the 1980s under his predecessor, Remi De Roo. It saw the lending of diocesan funds for an investment in Washington state that subsequently failed. In November 2006, the diocese sold its land in Washington, enabling it to settle its debts completely – this included "full payment to the bond owners", many of whom were parishioners. Parishioners alleged that it was Favero's refusal to dismiss the administrator that led to himself being forced out by Gagnon, which Favero later confirmed in an interview with a local television station and to the Times Colonist. At a parish town hall meeting, Gagnon contended that Favero had requested to resign in late spring of 2006 – before the issue arose – for personal reasons, with Gagnon asking him to remain. Favero was reluctant to do so and decided to consult with the parish council. Favero said that this incensed Gagnon, who reprimanded him for breaching confidentiality. and concelebrated the first Mass there ten months later. The Times Colonist reported in 2013 that Favero "took responsibility for not honouring confidentiality and misrepresenting events". He was also on the board of Catholic Missions in Canada starting in 2009. He approved the sale of St. Andrew's Elementary School, located in downtown Victoria, in 2010. This was part of the Diocese's C$20 million plan to renovate and combine its schools. The 150-year-old school closed in June 2013, Also in 2010, Gagnon went on an 18-day pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, where he hiked at least a day. and installed at St. Mary's Cathedral on January 3, 2014. Since the Archbishop also serves as the Chancellor of St. Paul's College and has canonical responsibility for it, Gagnon was installed to that position on April 6 of that year. Philip S. Lee, the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and alumnus of the college, was in attendance. The funds, which were raised at a Mass held at MTS Centre on May 3 to celebrate the centennial of the archdiocese, would go toward teaching people about First Nations residential schools. The director gave him the feather of an eagle, which is the "highest honour that can be bestowed" in First Nations tradition. In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Gagnon articulated his belief that a future papal visit to Canada – which he supports – should not be made merely for the purposes of an apology, since "that ground has been covered already". That meeting was organized by Gagnon's immediate predecessor as archbishop, James Weisgerber. In another interview with the CBC's Power & Politics in 2018, Gagnon expounded on how he did not want a visit by the Pope and a resulting apology from him to be reduced to "just a matter of ticking off a particular call to action". Three months later, he called the first diocesan synod in the history of the archdiocese. The two-year-long process consisted of six sessions in which delegates from the local Catholic community "deliberate on the pastoral needs of the diocese". He also reached out to lapsed and former Catholics for their input as to what direction the local church should take moving forward. Gagnon made his second ad limina visit on March 27, 2017, alongside the other bishops of the Assembly. Several weeks later, he voiced his dismay at the decision by the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation to allow casinos in the province to open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday for the first time. He observed how this placed profit-making before the welfare of employees, adding how the long Easter weekend was one of the rare times in the year in which "families get together". Later that September, Gagnon was elected as the CCCB's vice president. The trio met again with the Holy Father on December 6, 2018.

At the CCCB's annual gathering in September 2019, Gagnon was elected as President of the Conference for a two-year term. Reacting to his selection, he said he felt humbled that his fellow bishops had "placed their confidence and trust in me." He emphasized how his role was not to advance "any kind of platform or agenda" or to "issue orders", but to instead be a facilitator and offer guidelines. His tenure as CCCB president ended in October 2021 and he was succeeded by Raymond Poisson.

Later life After a decade of serving as Archbishop of Winnipeg, Gagnon reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in June 2023. His resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on December 30 of the following year, and he was succeeded by Murray Chatlain. Gagnon subsequently returned to the Archdiocese of Vancouver to reside in Abbotsford.

Distinctions Order of the Holy Sepulchre (May 18, 2012)