Appointment of Hamilton Diocese Priest, New Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto

It is with great joy that I announce that our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Reverend Peter Joseph Hundt, a priest of the Diocese of Hamilton, as Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, to assist the Archbishop, His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic. He is Titular Bishop of Tarasa di Bizacena.

Father Hundt was born in Hanover, Ontario on August 26, 1956, the son of Gerard J. Hundt and Joan Marie Graf. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Jerome’s College in the University of Waterloo and a Master of Divinity Degree from St. Peter’s Seminary and the University of Western Ontario in London.

He was ordained to the priesthood on May 8, 1982 in St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Hamilton, by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Paul F. Reding, Bishop of Hamilton.

After serving as an Associate Pastor at St. Eugene’s Parish in Hamilton from 1982 until 1985, Father Hundt did graduate studies in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was awarded a Licentiate Degree in Canon Law in 1987.

On returning to Canada Father was Vice-Chancellor of the Hamilton Diocese from 1987 until 1990 and was appointed Chancellor in 1990.

In 1994 Father Hundt became fully involved in parish work as Pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Georgetown, where he serves with great distinction to this day.

Since returning to the Diocese in 1987 Father Hundt has assisted in several positions in addition to his primary appointments. He has been a Judge and Defender of the Bond in the Hamilton Branch Office of the Toronto Regional Marriage Tribunal, Dean of Halton, a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Hamilton, and Chair of the Priests' Pension Committee. Father Hundt is a founding member of the Diocesan Committee for Deacons. He is also a member of the group of Diocesan Consultors who advise the Bishop of the Diocese.

I am sorry to lose an excellent priest from the Diocese of Hamilton, but am pleased and confident that he can now serve the Church as an excellent bishop in the position of Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto.

Our prayers and best wishes are with him.

+A.F. Tonnos
Bishop of Hamilton

For further information, please contact the Most Reverend Gerard Paul Bergie, Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton, at 905-528-7988.