News & Events

Ordinations to the Priesthood - 2012

News - Vocations

On the evening of Friday, June 22, in an overflowing St. Mary's Cathedral in Calgary, Bishop Frederick Henry ordained four men from Southern Alberta to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. These ordinations were the culmination of a long period of preparation for the priesthood by the new priests, all of whom obtained Bachelor degrees in philosophy and Master's degrees in theology during this time.
The four men are:

  • Fr. Cristino Bouvette, 26, of Medicine Hat. Fr. Bouvette attended McCoy High School in Medicine Hat and undertook all of his seminary studies at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario.

  • Fr. Lukas Drapal, 30, of Calgary, Fr. Drapal went to St. Mary's High School and also attended St Peter's seminary for his entire studies.

  • Fr. Matthew Emmelcamp, 34, of Calgary, graduated from Bishop Grandin High School and attended St. Peter's Seminary for his philosophical studies. He obtained his Master's degree from St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton.

  • Fr. Simon Zak, 26, of Calgary, attended St. Mary's High School in Calgary. He is a graduate of both St. Peter's and St. Joseph's seminaries.
    

On Saturday June 30, the historic ordinations of Fr. Lee Kenyon and Fr. John Wright by Bishop Henry, took place at St. Mary's Cathedral in Calgary. These are the first ordinations that have taken place in Canada for the newly established Catholic Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a specialized form of diocese for persons of the Anglican tradition who have entered the Catholic Church.

Both men are former Anglican priests who are married, and who have been given special permission to be ordained in the Catholic Church. In December of 2011, the majority of parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Anglican-Use Parish in Calgary were received into the full communion of the Roman Catholic Church. 

  • Fr Lee Kenyon was born and raised in Manchester, Lancashire, England. He was educated at the University of Lancaster, and at the University of Leeds. He trained for the Anglican ministry at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, Yorkshire, and was ordained into the Church of England in 2005. He served a curacy in the Diocese of Blackburn before coming to serve as Priest-in-Charge at St John the Evangelist, Calgary in 2009.  

  • Fr John Wright was born and raised in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. He was educated at Notre Dame University, Nelson, BC, the Vancouver School of Theology, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He trained for the Anglican ministry at Emmanuel and St Chad's, Saskatoon, and was ordained in 1987 into the Anglican Church of Canada. He served parishes in Oyen and Calgary, latterly serving as the Honorary Assistant Priest at St John the Evangelist. He was also Chaplain to HMCS Tecumseh from 1991-2011.

View the Photo Albums here:

    Left to Right: Fr. Simon Zak, Fr. Cristino Bouvette, Bishop Henry, Fr. Lukas Drapal and Fr. Matthew Emmelkamp.

    Left to Right: Fr. Lee Kenyon, Bishop Henry and Fr. John Wright