Sweeny, James Fielding

Fourth Bishop of Toronto; Fourth Metropolitan of Ontario (and Archbishop of Toronto).

James Fielding Sweeny was born in London, England in 1857. He was educated in Montreal, and attended McGill University, obtaining a B.A. in 1878. After he was ordained deacon on 1880, he became incumbent of St. Luke's Church. He received an M.A. from McGill in 1881, and was ordained priest the same year. In 1882, he became rector of St. Philip's Church in Toronto, where he stayed until 1909. During this time, he received an M.A. (ad eundem), a B.D., and a D.D. (ad eundem) from the University of Trinity College, and was made a canon of the Cathedral of St. Alban the Martyr, Toronto. He also served as Archdeacon of Simcoe, Toronto from 1905 to 1907, then of York and Simcoe from 1907 to 1909. He was consecrated as Bishop of Toronto in 1909, and was elected Metropolitan of Ontario and Archbishop of Toronto in 1932. He resigned the See of Toronto that year, and passed away in 1940.

Sweeny received several honourary degrees over the course of his life, including a D.C.L. (1914) from the University of Bishop's College; a D.D. (1917) from Wycliffe College; a D.D. (1919) from the University of King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia; and an LL.D. (1921) from McGill University.