Our Bishop

 

 

Bishop Frederick J. Colli, D.D.

Diocese of Thunder Bay

 

As the Roman Catholic Church was about to enter the new millennium, the Most Reverend Frederick Joseph Colli became the fifth bishop of the Thunder Bay Diocese. "Jubilee Year 2000" was more than simply another "Holy Year" or a "year of remission". His Holiness Pope John Paul II saw it as a new beginning for all Christians. Bishop Colli explained it this way in his installation address delivered in St Patrick Cathedral on 25 March 1999:

The greatest challenge of our journey will lead us into the new millennium - in the new "era of faith". As our Holy Father has noted, it will be a time of struggle and testing as we promote the "culture of life" against the assaults of the culture of death in our world. It will challenge us to bear witness to Christ and the life He has shared with us, from our Baptism. It will be a challenge, and at the same time an opportunity to show to the world our faith and our trust in the Lord, and our cooperative spirit toward one anoth­er. It will be a challenge, but also a wonderful experience. I look forward to sharing that journey with you as a faith family here in our diocese.

Bishop Colli began sharing this journey by energetically and enthusiastically par­ticipating in the special events and liturgical celebrations of parishes and missions which extended across the vast expanse of north-western Ontario.

Frederick Joseph Colli was born in St Catharine’s, Ontario on 17 June 1949.  After completing his Catholic elementary and secondary education there, he entered St Augustine's Seminary, Toronto in 1968 and seven years later was ordained to the priesthood by the Most Reverend Thomas J. McCarthy, Bishop of St Catharine’s, on 21 June 1975. Apart from a two-year interlude of post graduate study in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University where he earned a Masters Degree in Canon Law, Father Fred Colli served the St Catharines Diocese at the pastoral and administrative levels for almost two decades. He served first as associate pastor of St Theresa (Port Colborne) and St Kevin (Welland) parishes and then as pastor of St Julia Parish, St Catharine’s from 1985 to 1995. During this period, he was also Chancellor of the St Catharine’s Diocese and Associate Judicial Vicar of the Catholic Marriage Tribunal.

On 22 February 1995, the Feast of St Peter, in Ottawa's Notre Dame Cathedral, Father Frederick Colli was ordained a bishop by Archbishop Marcel Gervais of Ottawa. He became Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa with specific respon­sibilities for the English sector of the Archdiocese.

Four years to the day of his episcopal ordination, the Most Reverend Frederick J. Colli was named Bishop of Thunder Bay by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Bishop Colli took possession of his diocese on 25 March 1999.

 

 

 

 

 

Bishop Frederick J. Colli's Coat of Arms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crest is divided into two sections by a chevron. The upper half contains a "peace dove" which is a symbol from the crest of the Diocese of St Catharine’s, Bishop Colli's place of birth. The dove also represents Bishop Colli's first name which is "Frederick" and means "peaceful ruler." The Lily represents the Blessed Virgin Mary who was a faithful servant of God, and whose words are in the motto of Bishop Colli's crest, "Holy is God's Name," from Mary's great prayer, the Magnificat. The lower part of the crest contains a red cross, showing that a bishop is a servant of Jesus and the three hills at the bottom of the crest, represent the bishop's surname, "Colli", which means "hills".

 

 

Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide

 

 

My Dear People in Christ,


    I write to bring to your attention a matter of grave importance that calls for our prayer and quick action. Our Federal Parliament could, in the very near future, be debating a private member's bill concerning 'euthanasia' and 'assisted suicide'. Bill C-407 was given first reading in the House of Commons in June of this year and reports indicate that it will be given a priority by the government. The Attorney General of Canada has declared that it was time to look closely at the case for euthanasia and assisted suicide.


    Promoters of this bill will tell us, that this will show compassion to those who are gravely ill or suffering. Compassion however, consists in support, love, showing respect and helping to comfort those who are weak and vulnerable, not in taking away their life. This is what this bill is proposing - the taking of a human life when a person is most vulnerable. It could be the life of a grandparent, a weak or challenged child, or a person with a serious disease.


    Our Catholic faith has always taught us that life is a 'gift' from God, and therefore it is to be respected and protected from conception to natural death. Euthanasia and assisted suicide, or mercy killing, is not natural death. Do we want the killing of weak persons as a part of our society and sanctioned by our laws?


    I ask that you please contact your local members of parliament and make clear to them your concerns and opposition to Bill C-407 that would legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. We must act immediately for the good of all. We will all be older and vulnerable one day....do we want a bill like this, threatening to take away our life?

 


Sincerely in Christ,
 


Bishop of Thunder Bay

 


Mr. Joe Comuzzi MP                    Mr. Ken Boshcoff MP              Mr. Roger Valley MP
215 Van Norman St.                    126 Centennial Square           101 Duke St.
Suite 4                                           Thunder Bay, ON                      Dryden, ON
Thunder Bay, ON P7A4B6          P7E 1H3                                   P8N 1G4
807-345-4305                              807 - 623-6000                         807-223-8000

 

 

 

 

Bill C-407 threatens the gift of life

 

 

    Each day, as we awaken, we begin a sharing in the gift of life. We seldom think about it, and we only recognize how fortunate we are when we see life threatened or hear of the many deaths that occur throughout our world each day. The gift of life is precious to each of us.

 

    I am deeply worried about a private member's bill now before the House of Commons (Bill C-407) that proposes to make euthanasia legal in Canada. This bill threatens the gift of life which we all share. The bill was given its first reading last June and is now being debated for second reading.

 

    Whether it be called euthanasia, mercy killing or doctor-assisted suicide, the reality is that this bill proposes to make certain types of murder legal in our country. I believe that this bill is immoral and will deny the most vulnerable of our society their basic and fundamental "right to life."

I am worried about the direction this bill could give to our country, since it risks sending us down the "slippery slope" that could lead us to regard "living: as just another issue that must be dealt with expeditiously - where we make judgments on the quality and usefulness of the lives of others.

 

    Canadians have been known as a compassionate people. We should be following the road of compassion and concern for the most vulnerable, particularly for the weak, the sick and those especially challenged on our society.

 

    Some might argue that passing this bill will prevent people from suffering long periods of pain or discomfort before they die. but we know that there has been much research in the area of pain control and that modern medicine has developed the ways and the means to assist all those in these difficult circumstances.

 

    Others might argue that everyone should have the "right to die" is not one of them. We use the term "rights" so often today to justify what we want to legislate.

 

    It sounds so correct, but what about the duties that comes with rights? In this case, we have a duty as a nation to care for the most vulnerable. Certainly, we will all be vulnerable someday. We must assure those who are weak and elderly in our society that they are not burdens for us but are loved and respected and have dignity, as do all persons, young and old.

 

    As Canadians, we must examine this bill and, in our wisdom and insight, see how it is flawed and how it represents a dangerous direction for our nation. The aged, the handicapped, anyone with a difficult disease, such as cancer, AIDS, etc. will feel threatened by this bill.

We all should feel threatened, since the passing of this bill into law would eventually affect each of us - especially at our most vulnerable time in life.

 

    I hope and pray that our government will not pass this bill in the hopes that through it we will save dollars for health care. Then we would be trading dollars for lives. This is truly a frightening scenario!

 

    I have written to my members of parliament indicating my objection to Bill C-407. I feel it is my duty as a Canadian to do so. I want a society based on compassion, respect and concern, which I believe most Canadians desire. The only way this can happen is if we make our desires known to those who represent us in our government, to those who make our laws.

 

 

Bishop of Thunder Bay

 

 Bishop letter about Lent 2007

 

Lent 2007

“Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection and teach us to reflect it in our lives”

This opening prayer of the Mass on the first Sunday of Lent, sets the tone and theme of our journey together in these forty days. We seek to better understand and to live the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We call it the ‘Paschal Mystery’. This is the foundation of our faith, and each day, as we follow Jesus in our experiences and encounters, we live the Paschal Mystery.

As believers, we enter this time of penance and prayer with humility. We know that it is a special time of prayer, and in the busyness of our hectic lives, we seek to find some time, a little extra time, to spend with the Lord. Lent is a time for change. Not only do we decorate our churches in purple and cease to proclaim alleluia, but we know that within our hearts we seek a deeper link to Jesus. We desire to know Him more intimately and to discover Him, especially in the difficult moments of our lives. Pope Benedict XVI has reassured us of the love of God for us and the understanding that as we practice love and generosity in our lives, we transmit this love to the world.

More than anything, we ask God for peace in our world. Peace among countries and peace in our families will be our common petition. As we examine the world and the many areas of unrest and turmoil, we pray for peace. May world leaders work for peace and justice, and may the horrors of terrorism, famine and the killing of the innocent be eliminated in our world. Let us make this Lent a true time of working together for peace and justice, in particular through our sharing in Development and Peace. This 40th Anniversary of Development and Peace urges us to continue this great work through our generosity and concern.

Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have taught us that our actions affect our young people. They look to us for guidance and for examples of faith lived and active in one’s life. This is a great challenge for all – yet during Lent God gives us the grace and the support to be those witnesses and to influence transformations in our lives and the lives of those around us.

During Lent we reach out in any way that we can to those who are struggling. We pray for those seeking employment, we pray for the poor seeking food and shelter, we pray for the lonely seeking encouragement, we pray for families struggling with multiple burdens, we pray for our youth seeking guidance, we pray for the Church in its mission, and we pray for grace and holiness in our lives. Lent is a time of prayer as we enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. Let us travel this road together in order to share in the glory of new life in Christ on the great feast of Easter.

 

+Fred J. Colli

Bishop of Thunder Bay

 

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