Most Reverend Peter J. Hundt

Bishop Peter Joseph Hundt was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto by Pope Benedict XVI on February 11, 2006. Bishop Hundt was born on a dairy farm in Hanover, Ontario, on August 26, 1956. He attended St. Peter's Seminary in London and was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Hamilton on May 8, 1982. After serving as an associate pastor at St. Eugene Parish in Hamilton from 1982 to 1985, Bishop Hundt completed graduate studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and in 1987 was awarded a license in canon law. On returning to Canada, he served as Vice-Chancellor of the Hamilton Diocese from 1987 until 1990 and as Chancellor from 1990 to 1994. From 1994 - 2006, Bishop Hundt served as the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Georgetown, Ontario.

Explanation of the Coat of Arms for Bishop Peter J. Hundt

The Coat of Arms of Bishop Peter Hundt is divided into two fields.

Atop the main design is a field known as the Chief. It is in green. On this field depicted in gold, appear the crossed keys symbolizing his patron Saint, Peter the Apostle. Suspended from the juncture of the crossed keys, worked in silver and embellished in gold, is the huntsman’s horn, a tribute to his Germanic heritage as well as a “cant” to his surname.

The main field of the shield is a Paly of twelve vertical stripes of alternating
green and silver, the Hundt family colours. The Paly itself is meant to represent the furrows of a ploughed field, calling to mind Bishop Hundt’s agricultural background as well as such scriptural references as 1 Kings 19:19-21, Luke 9:62 and 1 Corinthians 9:10. There are twelve furrows to represent the Twelve Apostles and the Apostolic Succession to which Bishop Hundt has been called.

Standing alone on the Paly is a simple Latin Cross worked in gold, emblematic of the words of Saint Paul: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14)

Surmounting the Episcopal shield is the pilgrim’s hat, the heraldic emblem for all prelates and priests of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. The pilgrim’s hat is green, the colour of the Office of Bishop. Behind Bishop Hundt’s coat of arms is found the Episcopal cross. The cross is worked with maple leaves in recognition of his nationality and includes a gemstone, specifically the amethyst which is the stone of the Catholic episcopacy and the official provincial stone of Ontario.

The motto “Deus Caritas Est” (God is love) is from 1 John 4:16. These three words are also the title and opening exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical to the Universal Church. It situates Bishop Hundt’s call to the episcopacy within the first year of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate and speaks to the call of the Bishop to be both preacher and exemplifier of God’s love.