Brian Joseph Dunn

Brian Joseph Dunn (born 1955) is the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Antigonish.

Born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Dunn was raised in the mining community of Buchans where he attended primary and elementary school before moving to the fishing community of Harbour Grace where he attended secondary school.

Dunn attended Memorial University of Newfoundland for one year before transferring to King's University College of the University of Western Ontario where he graduated with a B.A. in 1976. Dunn completed seminary formation at St. Peter's Seminary, graduating with a M.Div. in 1979. Dunn undertook post-graduate studies and graduated with a J.C.L. and J.C.D. from St. Paul University in 1990 and 1991 respectively. He completed a M.Th. at University of Notre Dame in 2006.

Dunn was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Grand Falls on 28 August 1980, where he served as a Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Grand Falls-Windsor from 1980 to 1985.

Father Dunn then served as Pastor of St. Gabriel's Parish in St. Brendan's from 1985 to 1988, and then as Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Grand Falls from 1991 to 1996. He was subsequently Pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Harbour Breton from 1996 to 1999, followed by the position of Pastor for both Holy Cross Parish in Holyrood and St. Peter and St. Paul Parish in Harbour Main from 1999 to 2002.

Father Dunn served the Diocese of Grand Falls as Vice-Chancellor (1980–1996), Chancellor (1996–2008), Member of the College of Consultors (1991–2002), Bishop's Canonical Advisor (1990–2008), Judge for the Marriage Tribunal (1990–2008), and Associate Judicial Vicar of the Marriage Tribunal (2002–2008).

In 2008, Father Dunn was appointed to the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie as an Auxiliary Bishop, having been consecrated bishop at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador on 9 October.

On 21 November 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Dunn to be Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, as the permanent replacement for the former Bishop Raymond Lahey. Bishop Dunn was installed in a ceremony on 25 January 2010, replacing the Diocese's temporary Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Anthony Mancini of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, the Metropolitan See of the Province. He also automatically became Chancellor of St. Francis Xavier University, since the office of Bishop of Antigonish has historically been linked to St. Francis Xavier University with the current Bishop always serving as the University's Chancellor.

During the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization in October 2012, Bishop Dunn stated that the Catholic Church couldn't ignore the need, as part of finding new and authentic ways to evangelize, to "evangelize those who have been deeply hurt by clergy who have been involved in sexual abuse", partly because, as a result, many (both those directly and indirectly affected by the abuse, other members of the Church, and outsiders) have started to question (or are doing so even more) essential church teachings.

Educator

Dunn has also served a lecturer with the Atlantic School of Theology (1992–1999) for the Diploma Program for Theology and Ministry, lecturer in the Faculty of Canon Law at St. Paul University (2003–2004, 2007), and served on the faculty at St. Peter's Seminary (2002–2008) where he taught courses in Canon Law, Ecumenism, Ecclesiology, and Liturgical Law; he served as Dean of Studies from 2005 to 2008.