Hundreds remember Archbishop Exner’s legacy at cathedral Mass

Hundreds of faithful, dozens of priests, and three bishops gathered at Holy Rosary Cathedral Tuesday to celebrate and remember the life and contribution of Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, who died last week at the age of 94 in Grayson, Sask.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller celebrated Mass with his previous Vicar General Bishop Gary Franken of St. Paul’s, Alta., Bishop David Monroe, and about 30 priests from around the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

In his homily, Vicar General Msgr. Gregory Smith reflected on his time serving as Chancellor for Archbishop Exner.

“After almost 14 years of working together, I never heard him say an unkind thing about anyone,” he said. 

“Nothing I can say about Archbishop Exner is half so important as the fact that he laid one of the foundation stones in the unfolding of the divine plan for our local Church” with his call for the Archdiocese of Vancouver to move “from maintenance to mission,” he said.

Drawing a line between the Archdiocesan Synod begun by Archbishop Exner in 1998 and “the evangelizing energy all around us today,” Msgr. Smith said, “With his passionate conviction that we are called to bring the good news to those who need it most, a new era began” as well as “a new springtime of Christian faith and mission.”

Read Msgr. Smith's homily here

Turning to Archbishop J. Michael Miller, he said, “Your Grace, we can only pray that the synod you are about to attend in Rome is as fruitful as our own has been.”

Click here to send us a letter to the editor.