His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic - Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto
Cardinal Ambrozic was born
in Gaberje, Slovenia, the second of the seven children of Aloysius Ambrozic and
his wife, Helen Pecar. He attended elementary school in Dobrova and high school
in Ljubljana. In May, 1945, the entire family fled to Austria, where they lived
in the displaced persons' camps at Vetrinj, Peggez and Spittal an der Drau.
While in these camps, he completed his high school education.
In September of 1948 the family immigrated to Canada and settled near Toronto. Shortly afterwards, he entered St. Augustine's Seminary to study philosophy and theology. On June 4, 1955, he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto by His Eminence, James C. Cardinal McGuigan.
The first year of his priesthood he served as Curate at St. Teresa's Parish in Port Colborne, Ontario. He then taught Latin for a year at St. Augustine's Seminary, Toronto. The years 1957-1960 were devoted to postgraduate studies in Rome, where he received a Licentiate in Theology at the Angelicum and a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Returning to Toronto, he taught scripture at St. Augustine's Seminary from 1960-67. In 1967 he began further studies in Germany, obtaining a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Würzburg in 1970. From 1970-76 he was professor of New Testament exegesis at the Toronto School of Theology, serving also as Dean of Studies at St. Augustine's Seminary from 1971-76. From 1971-75 he was a member of the Archdiocesan Senate of Priests. He was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto on May 27, 1976. His responsibilities within the Archdiocese included pastoral care of the Central Region and of the ethnic communities. During the school year 1984-85 he made a pastoral visitation to all 43 of the Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese in order to strengthen and support the religious education programs. He was a member of the Christian Education Commission of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and was active in the evasion of the Canadian Catechism.
He was elected as one of four Bishops to represent Canada at the 1990 Synod on the Formation of Priests. He was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop on May 22, 1986. He became Archbishop of Toronto on March 17, 1990.
A member of the Theology Commission, he also served as a member of the Pastoral Team of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and as Chairman of the Commission for Migrants.
He was appointed to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in June, 1990 to the Congregation for Clergy in February, 1991 to the Pontifical Council for Culture in 1993, and to the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments in 1999. He was appointed by the Holy See as one of the Canadian delegates to the 1994 Synodon the Consecrated Life.
He was named Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 18 January 1998 and invested on 21 February 1998. He has published The Hidden Kingdom: A Redaction-Critical Study of the References to the Kingdom of God in Mark's Gospel (Washington, D.C., 1972), Remarks on the Canadian Catechism (Toronto, 1974), Oce, posveceno bodi tvoje ime (Tinje, Austria, 1980), Oce, zgodi se tvoja volja (Ljubljana , 1996), and many articles of both a professional and a popular nature. His articles have been published regularly in The Catholic Register.
Explanation of the Coat of Arms for His Eminence, Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic
"Azure a lion rampant
guardant winged and with a Nimbus about the Head Or langued and armed Gules; in
a bas Crescent compony counter compony God and Gules; all within a Bordure per
pale that to the dexter parted wavy Gules and Or and that to the sinister
parted similarly Azure and Gold”.
The principal charge of the shield is the gold winged lion, symbolizing the Risen Lord. The lion is also symbolic of Saint Mark in whose Gospel the Cardinal did his doctoral studies. In base the crescent chequy is taken from the arms of the former duchy of Carniola, now part of Slovenia, where the Cardinal was born. The Cardinal's motto, Jesus est Dominus, (Jesus is Lord) is one of the earliest professions of faith in Jesus Christ.
Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School Established 2009
During the 40th year anniversary of celebrating a tradition of excellence in Catholic Education in Dufferin-Peel, it was fitting that a new Catholic Learning Community opened its doors to students. On September 8, 2009 Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School became the crowning joy of this region rich in the Catholic tradition. The school was established in March 2006, when the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board approved the building of Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School in response to the on-going growth in the Brampton East District. The school is located in the area of the historic hamlet of Wildfield, which is home to the second oldest Catholic Parish in the Archdiocese of Toronto, St. Patrick's Church. The Church buildings original footprint dates back to 1830, while the present red brick building was constructed in 1894.
Our Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School story begins with the work of a prophetic and hard working pastor; Father O'Reilly. The education seeds he first sowed provided the solid root system from which Wildfield, Peel Region and ultimately the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board grew.
Father Eugene O'Reilly was St. Patrick's parish priest from 1837 to 1860. During that time his pastoral zeal is evidenced by the nearly 4000 couples who celebrated the sacrament of matrimony and the nearly 200 people who were initiated into the Church community through the sacrament of baptism. Father O'Reilly was also involved in promoting the establishment of a local agricultural school that operated from the 1860s to the 1890s, planting the seeds for quality education in the community. In 1907, the fruits of that education seed began to grow as the first Catholic School in Peel County, St. Patrick's School, welcomed young Catholic students from the area. That first structure would serve the needs of the community until 1950, when an extension was built on the school. Who would have imagined 60 years later a Catholic Secondary School would rise out of the fields?
Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School was named after His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto. It is an honour and privilege to have a school named after such an icon within the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Roman Catholic Church. A refugee and immigrant himself, Cardinal Ambrozic represents the courageous story of so many of our current students. The school Coat of Arms proudly displays the colours and symbols the Cardinal's Coat of Arms; specifically, the gold winged lion representing the Risen Lord and Gold Cross. The lion is also the symbol of the Gospel of Mark: the Gospel used for Cardinal Ambrozic's doctoral thesis. The School Coat of Arms also displays Cardinal Ambrozic's motto "JESUS EST DOMINUS", JESUS IS LORD. The "River Hawk" is a bird indigenous to the North Brampton area and represents our relationship to the local environment. Our sporting teams and clubs proudly wear the River Hawk on their uniforms. The "Canadian Flag" represents our pride to be citizens of Canada and our hope and aspirations for a future full of peace and respect. The "Catholic Diploma" representing the characteristics of a Dufferin-Peel Graduate. The book symbolizes knowledge and wisdom. Also displayed are the "Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board emblem" and "St. Patrick's Catholic Church" representing our Dufferin-Peel Catholic story.
Our School blessing and official opening presided over by Rev. V. Papais, the Pastor of St. Patrick's Parish, Rev., N. Roberts a teacher at the school, John Kostoff the Director of Education at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, and Principal T. Lariviere, on November 12, 2009 was blessed to welcome the family of Cardinal Ambrozic. The ceremony captured the spirit of our intimate relationship with our local Parish community and the Archdiocesan Church. Weaved throughout the celebration was the art of "story telling" as we connected the story of the local community to the story of the Archdiocesan Church and the story of Cardinal Ambrozic. These three stories meet at the doors of Cardinal Ambrozic Secondary School to make salvation history a reality for today. Recognizing that we are a pilgrim Church the ceremony started with the procession of a Cross that would later be carved by our students into smaller Crosses to be used in our classrooms. Priest, chaplain, administration, support staff, teachers and students joined together to carry the Cross from the parish Church of St. Patrick's to the School Chapel and into the celebration. The pilgrimage of the Cross imitated the World Youth Day pilgrimage of the Cross, recognizing Cardinal Ambrozic's leadership in bringing that historic celebration and Pope John Paul II to Canada in 2002. The evening ended with an inspirational and emotional speech by Cardinal Ambrozic's niece.
On September 8, 2009 the doors Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School opened to 326 grade nine students. Each student helped to decorate a canvas by placing their hand in paint and placing it on the blank canvas, creating a collage of hands from the first students. This symbolized their commitment to live their lives as God's Hands, inspired by the prayer of St. Teresa of Avilla. The two large canvasses with the student's hands are proudly displayed in the front entrance of the school in the main hallway referred to as Cardinal Avenue.
The school today works closely with our parish community of St. Patrick's. Our pastoral plan recognizes the central role our parish plays in the life our faith community at Cardinal Ambrozic High School.
Our mission statement echo's Cardinal Ambrozic's motto "Jesus is Lord". Following the example and leadership of His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic our learning community is committed to the full formation and development of our students as the Children of God.
The Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School Learning Community is committed to student achievement and Catholic Faith development all in the name of His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic and Jesus Our Lord. The school's mission statement is a living document and can be updated collaboratively within the school community. The McCarthy school uniform consists of a "burgundy blazer"," white dress shirt", "khaki pants" and "solid black shoes". The school uniform will be a proud symbol of who we are and will allow our students to differentiate themselves within the community.