San Bonifacio, Archdiocese of

SAN BONIFACIO, ARCHDIOCESE of. - City and archdiocese in the province of Manitoba (Canada). The archdiocese of S. B. covers an area of 100,000 sq. km. The Catholic population is 65,085; 84 diocesan priests and 128 religious exercise the sacred ministry in the 61 parishes, 80 churches, 58 chapels, and 122 other stations. There are 1 major seminary, 2 colleges, 1 apostolic school, 8 novitiates, 1 retreat house, and 6 hospitals. There are also 760 nuns belonging to 15 different congregations.

The diocese of S. B. was erected by Pio IX on 4 June 1847, when the apostolic vicariate of the Northwest (Hudson Bay and James Bay) was raised to a diocese. The same Pio IX, on 22 Sept. 1871, raised the diocese to an archdiocese.

S. B. played an important role in the development of the Catholic Church in the West. In 1818, the priest Giuseppe Norberto Provencher left the eastern part of the country for the missions of the Red River as vicar general

of the diocese of Québec. On 1 February he was appointed bishop of Juliopolis and coadjutor of Québec for the territories of western Canada. On 6 April 1844 Gregory XVI created the apostolic vicariate of the Northwest for the territory extending between the Great Lakes and the North Pole. All the dioceses and vicariates of western and far northern Canada have emerged from this original vicariate.

When he came to the West, Msgr. Provencher had with him only a few secular priests, but shortly after the vicariate was erected he succeeded in obtaining the Missionaries Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The latter, having arrived in Montréal in 1841, landed at Rivière Rouge on 25 April 1845. One of them, Alessandro Taché, became coadjutor to Msgr. Provencher on 24 June 1850, and is today regarded as one of the greatest figures in the history of western Canada. In 1862 the entire territory tributary to the Arctic Sea was detached from S. B. to form the apostolic vicariate of Athabaska-Mackenzie, with Msgr. Enrico Faraud as its first bishop; in 1871 the northwestern part was detached to form the new diocese of S. Alberto; while in 1890 the northeastern part became the apostolic vicariate of Saskatchewan, with Msgr. Alberto Pascal as its first pastor. From then on, the territories were repeatedly divided to form archdioceses, dioceses, and apostolic vicariates. On 3 December 1907 the diocese of Prince Albert was detached; on 4 December 1910 Regina was elevated to a diocese. In 1910 the Holy See erected the apostolic vicariate of Keewatin, and Msgr. O. Charlebois, whose cause of beatification is in progress, was appointed bishop. On 30 November 1912 the see of Calgary was erected; on 4 December 1915 Winnipeg was formed, and in 1921 the « nullius » abbey of S. Pietro di Münster was created. In 1930 Pius XI erected Gravelbourg;

Saskatoon in 1933 and the apostolic vicariate of Hudson Bay in 1931. Pius XII created the new see of S. Paolo in 1948. Meanwhile, the diocese of S. Alberto was transformed into that of Edmonton (1931), and the apostolic vicariate of Athabaska became the apostolic vicariate of Grouard, in honor of Msgr. Emilio Grouard. - Vedi tav. CX.