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News Release

Attn: News/Assignment Editors

Click here to download a pdf of the news release.

Catholic Community Mourns the Loss of
Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic 

 

Toronto (August 26, 2011). With great sadness, the Archdiocese announces that His Eminence, Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic, retired Archbishop of Toronto, died earlier today, after a lengthy illness, at the age of 81. The late Cardinal was a priest for 56 years, bishop for 35 years and served as 9th Archbishop of Toronto from 1990 to 2006.

 

Aloysius Ambrozic was born in 1930 in Gaberje, Slovenia, the second of seven children. In May 1945, the entire family fled to Austria, living in several refugee camps, where the young Ambrozic completed his high school education. In September 1948, the family immigrated to Canada and settled near Markham, Ontario. Shortly afterwards, Aloysius Ambrozic entered St. Augustine’s Seminary, a spiritual home he would return to often as a student, professor, bishop, archbishop and cardinal.

 

After almost 21 years as a diocesan priest, Fr. Ambrozic was named an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1976. Bishop Ambozic served alongside Archbishop Philip Pocock and Emmett Cardinal Carter, before his appointment as Archbishop of Toronto on March 17, 1990. In January 1998, Pope John Paul II nominated him as Cardinal, a position that resulted in his participation in the conclave of 2005 that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

 

Cardinal Ambrozic served on a number of Vatican committees related to immigration, culture, worship and the economy. He also hosted the largest gathering of Catholic youth in Canadian history, World Youth Day 2002, that culminated in the celebration of Mass by Pope John Paul II at Downsview Park for more than 750,000 pilgrims.

 

The Cardinal’s legacy is commemorated in several places throughout the GTA, including Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School in Brampton as well as the Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence, the long-term care facility in Scarborough, where the Cardinal spent his final months.

 

Archbishop Thomas Collins, the cardinal’s successor as Archbishop of Toronto, offered his condolences to the Ambrozic family and Catholics across the Archdiocese:

 

“Cardinal Ambrozic's tremendous contributions to the spiritual life of the faithful of our Archdiocese and the heritage of his wisdom, his knowledge, and his love of the priesthood will remain with us all.”

 

The Cardinal will lie in state at St. Michael’s Cathedral for a public viewing, dates and times to be determined. His funeral Mass will also take place at the Cathedral, the mother church of the Archdiocese.

 

An online tribute to Cardinal Ambrozic including photos, a complete biography and other relevant information can be found at: www.archtoronto.org.

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Media contacts:
Neil MacCarthy, Director, PR & Communications        Bill Steinburg, Communications Manager
(416) 934-3400 x 552 (w)  (416) 879-2846 (cell)     (416) 934-3400 x 558 (w) (416) 708-9655 (cell)
neilm@archtoronto.org  www.archtoronto.org         bills@archtoronto.org  www.archtoronto.org

 

Burial of a Cardinal

 

Coat of Arms for His Eminence, Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic   The principal charge of the shield is the gold winged lion, symbolizing the Risen Lord. The lion is also symbolic of Saint Mark in whose Gospel the Cardinal did his doctoral studies. In base the crescent chequy is taken from the arms of the former duchy of Carniola, now part of Slovenia, where the Cardinal was born.   The Cardinal’s motto, Jesus est Dominus, (Jesus is Lord) is one of the earliest professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

Soon after death, the Cardinal is vested in sacred vestments.  He is dressed in his choir cassock of scarlet, the watered-silk fascia of scarlet, and stockings of the same colour and fabric. On top of this he is vested in his best alb, over which is placed the pectoral cross suspended from a cord of red and gold. The alb is girded by a cincture.  The amice is worn into the grave by the deceased.  Over the alb is the chasuble in white. The pallium, the symbol of his authority of a diocese, is worn around the Cardinal’s neck.  The scarlet watered-silk zucchetto and the white damasked mitre are placed on his head. The cardinalatial ring given to him during the consistory is displayed prominently on his finger.

After the body is prepared at the funeral home it is brought to St. Michael’s Cathedral where he is received at the entrance of the Cathedral by the Rector who sprinkles the casket with holy water. After this reception, the casket is carried in procession through the Cathedral and the liturgy called the Rite of Reception and Office of Readings for the Dead takes place.  The purpose of this ceremony is to welcome the body of the Cardinal to the Cathedral. 

 

After this liturgy, the casket is opened and the Cardinal lies in state at the Cathedral so that the faithful can gather, pray and pay their respects. The body displayed with candles surrounding with an honour guard from the Knights of Columbus. The body of the Cardinal is never left unattended from the time of transfer until the final commendation.

 

After the lying in state ends, the casket is closed and the Mass of Christian Burial begins.  The senior presiding prelate, Archbishop Thomas Collins, is vested for the Mass of Christian Burial according to the Roman burial rite of cardinals. In addition to the faithful of the Archdiocese and surrounding area, Cardinals and Bishops from across Canada are invited to pay their respects and participate in the funeral liturgy.

The Mass of Christian burial, according to the Vatican’s burial rite for cardinals, should always be as solemn a function as possible.

 

Terms/Explanations:

 

Alb - A white robe worn during Mass by priests to cover street clothes.

 

Amice – is a rectangular piece of linen with two strings at the upper corners.  The purpose is to completely cover the cassock so that it is not visible while in sacred vestments.

 

Cardinalatial ring – This is a ring that a Cardinal receives from the Holy Father. It is gold with a modernistic bas-relief design that depicts a scene from the public life of Christ.

 

Cincture – is commonly known as the sash. It is made of linen or silk rope, with knots, tassels or tufts at each end.

 

Chasuble – The vestment worn over the alb by priests when celebrating Mass.

 

Choir Dress – for the prelature, choir dress is the most formal vesture of the church for liturgical and non-liturgical events.   Choir dress always consists of the scarlet cassock and fascia, the rochet, the mozzetta, the  zucchetto, the biretta and the pectoral cross.

 

Choir Cassock – it is worn by prelates in choir at the public ceremonies of the church. On this ankle length cassock there are 33 buttons, regardless of the height of the wearer, symbolizing the earthly years Christ spent on earth.  In addition, there are 5 buttons on each sleeve cuff, symbolizing the five wounds of Christ.

 

Damasked Mitre - A head dress, made of white silk, 40cm in height, worn at liturgical functions by Cardinals.

 

Holy Water – water that has been blessed.

 

Knights of Columbus – a Catholic fraternal organization founded in 1882. 

 

Lying-in-State - Popes, cardinals and ordinaries lie “in state.” Titular archbishops and bishops lie “in repose’. This protocol provides distinction in rank and respect.

 

Liturgy – Liturgy is the collective name for the official rites and acts of public worship in the Catholic Church.

Pallium - Special lamb’s wool stole (white with small black crosses) worn over the chasuble by the Pope and archbishops as a symbol of their authority.

 

Pectoral Cross – is a small cross, traditional no more than 6 inches in length, made of precious metal and worn at the breast by the pope, cardinals, bishops and abbots, and is suspended from the neck on a metal chain or silk cord.

 

Zucchetto – is also known as the skullcap.  It is made of silk in eight equal triangular parts. The zucchetto must always be worn under a mitre.