Ontario, Arctic bishops announce retirement

Bishop Peter Mason, of the diocese of Ontario, has announced he will retire at the end of September.

Last fall, he said, he realized his “spirit was weary,” a condition that “may be related to burnout.” This year marks his 10th anniversary as diocesan bishop and also marks the beginning of a new 10-year strategic plan for the diocese. “I want to give the opportunity for new and fresh leadership,” he said.

Bishop Mason, who is 58, was consecrated bishop in May, 1992. He was previously principal of Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto and served parishes in Halifax and Montreal. He is married to Carmen and they have three grown children.

He was elected bishop of Ontario in the aftermath of a sexual abuse scandal at the cathedral involving a former choirmaster who was eventually jailed.

After September, he said he intends “to have a good three or four-month rest with my wife and our dog.” They will probably have an apartment in Toronto and Bishop Mason said he is interested in part-time ministry. “I’m looking forward to taking in spiritually. Being bishop you are constantly giving out. I’m looking forward to not being at a desk where ‘the buck stops here,'” he said.

The diocese will hold an electoral synod on June 8 to choose a successor for Bishop Mason.

Meanwhile, the diocese of the Arctic has scheduled an episcopal election for May 25, to select a successor to Bishop Christopher Williams, who retires at the end of August.

In a letter published in Arctic News, the diocesan magazine, Bishop Williams, who is 65, noted that he had served in the Arctic for 42 years, 15 of them as suffragan or diocesan bishop.

Born in Cheshire, England, Bishop Williams was ordained deacon in England and emigrated to Canada in 1960. He was ordained a priest in Salluit, Que. in 1962.

He served parishes in Salluit, Cape Dorset and Baker Lake, both in Nunavut, and Yellowknife, N.W.T. He was also a canon of St. Jude’s Cathedral, Iqaluit. He was elected bishop of the Arctic in 1991. He is married to Rona and they have two grown children.