THUNDER BAY — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay remains without a bishop following the quiet retirement earlier this year of Bishop Fred Colli.
After 25 years in the post, Colli celebrated his final mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral and resigned in June upon reaching the prescribed age limit of 75.
Father Joseph Arockiam, the parish priest at St. Peter's Church in the east end and the chancellor of the diocese, is serving as the diocesan administrator pending the Vatican's appointment of a new bishop.
Bishop Emeritus Colli now lives in North Bay.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1975 at St. Alfred's Parish in St. Catharines, and served in numerous capacities in the Niagara region before being appointed auxiliary bishop of Ottawa in 1994, and bishop at Notre-Dame Basilica in Ottawa the following year.
In 1999 he was appointed bishop of Thunder Bay by the late Pope John Paul ll.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said Tuesday there is no word yet on when his replacement will be announced.
The diocese has 43 parishes and missions, serving a Catholic population of 74,000.
