Thomas Christopher Collins

Thomas Christopher Collins (born 16 January 1947) is a Canadian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto from 2007 to 2023, the Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta from 1997 to 1999, and Archbishop of Edmonton from 1999 to 2006. He was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 February 2012.

Early life and education Collins was born in Guelph, Ontario, the son of George Collins, circulation manager of The Guelph Mercury, and his wife, Juliana ( Keen), a legal secretary. He has two older sisters. As a child, he was an altar server at the Our Lady Immaculate Church. He attended St. Stanislaus Elementary School and Bishop Macdonell High School, where he was inspired by one of his English teachers to join the priesthood.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. Jerome College, Waterloo in 1969, Collins was ordained to the diaconate on 14 May 1972. In 1973, he received a Master of Arts in English from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Theology degree from St. Peter's Seminary, London.

Priesthood Collins was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, by Bishop Paul Reding on 5 May 1973. He then served as associate pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in Burlington and at Christ the King Cathedral, as well as an English teacher and chaplain at Cathedral Boys' High School.

Upon his return to Ontario in 1978, Collins served as a lecturer in English at King's College and in Scripture at St. Peter's Seminary, where he later became spiritual director (1981) and associate professor of Scripture (1985). Returning to Rome, he completed a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1986. He selected as his episcopal motto: "Deum Adora", meaning, "Worship God" .

In Edmonton Collins initiated monthly lectio divina sessions at St. Joseph's Cathedral Basilica. He also established St. Benedict's Chapel in a vacant store in Edmonton's City Centre Mall for ministry to downtown shoppers and office workers. He succeeded Aloysius Ambrozic there and was installed at St. Michael's Cathedral on 30 January 2007.

Collins is a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. He has also served as the Delegate of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for Anglicanorum Coetibus (providing for personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church).

On 11 February 2023, Pope Francis accepted his resignation as archbishop of Toronto. Collins remains a cardinal and eligible to vote in a papal conclave until the age of 80. His successor, Frank Leo, was made a Cardinal by Pope Francis on 7 December 2024. This means that there are two voting age cardinals in one episcopal see at the same time. Such a situation has likely occurred before (as the Pope is free to do as he wishes in this regard) but is generally avoided, in order to not have two voting-age cardinals from the same archdiocese. He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.

Honours Scholastic

Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships

Location Date School Position 2006Present University of St. Michael's College Chancellor

Honorary degrees Location Date School Degree Gave Commencement Address 21 June 2007 University of St. Michael's College Doctor of Divinity (DD) St. Francis Xavier University Doctorate