Bishop Paul Terrio celebrates 55 years of priestly ministry on May 23, 2025.
We have asked close friends to reflect on Bishop Terrio’s priestly ministry, but most importantly his love of the people of God.
Paul Terrio was born on May 4, 1943, in Montreal. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a teaching certificate from Concordia University and post-graduate degrees in theology and philosophy from the University of Montreal and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1970.
As a priest, he worked as the parochial vicar of the Cathedral of Montreal and then, in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, he was the pastor of St. Peter’s Parish in Villeneuve from 1995 to 2002 and of Holy Trinity Parish from 2002 to 2012 He also served as the director of vocations. He was part of the formation team of St. Joseph Seminary and president of Newman Theological College. Bishop Terrio served the Diocese of St. Paul from 2012 until his retirement in 2022 at age 79.
Upon his retirement, Bishop Paul provided a reflection on his years of ministry
Matt and Laurie Meeuwissen
We have been blessed to know Bishop Paul for over 20 years. We first met him in 2002 when he was Pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Spruce Grove. His wisdom, pastoral nature, and great knowledge of theology and philosophy helped Matt in his journey through RCIA and his entrance into the Church in 2005, as well as encouraged Matt’s participation in parish life with the Parish Pastoral Council. Father Paul also fostered Eucharistic Adoration in the parish, and brought together Laurie and Sheila in order to undertake organization of this devotion, which has continued on after all these years.
Over the years we have formed a friendship with him that has developed through the parish, as well as shared meals and wonderful conversations. We came to see the great love he has for Jesus and for the members of our parish. It is clear to us that he is truly a holy man.
When Father Paul became Bishop Paul in 2012 on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we knew that the Church had chosen wisely. However, we still think of him as “Father” Paul and informally refer to him as “Father Bishop Paul,” a moniker he seems to be pleased with, and one that reflects his pastoral nature in conjunction with the enormous responsibilities and administrative duties of being a bishop.
Even with Bishop Paul’s busy schedule and move to St. Paul, he was able to make time for several visits and dinners. We still turn to him for advice in matters of the Church and our spiritual life, and he always finds time to guide us with thoughtfulness and wisdom. His friendship is a great blessing and something we will always cherish.
Fr. Andrew Schoenberger, rector, St. Paul’s Cathedral and vicar-general, Diocese of St. Paul:
I first met Bishop Paul Terrio at my cousin’s wedding in 2002 in Riviere Que Barre where he was the pastor. I had just finished my Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario and I was transferring to St. Joseph Seminary and Newman Theological College for my ongoing formation in theology.
I asked him if he would be my spiritual director and he graciously accepted. I was blessed to have him as my spiritual director for ten years. After my ordination in 2007, I asked him if I could continue coming to him for spiritual direction and he generously said yes. He is a wise and caring man who understood my soul and helped me in my sincere desire to do the will of the Lord.
When he was named Bishop of St. Paul in the fall of 2012, I had to look for a new spiritual director because a priest cannot receive spiritual direction nor the Sacrament of Reconciliation from his bishop. The nature of our relationship changed but we continued to have our common desire to serve the Lord and His people. Bishop Terrio was not afraid to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. He led with courage and a forthrightness that put the needs of the Church and the diocese ahead of simply pleasing people.
Bishop Terrio is a wonderful conversationalist and it is very easy to sit down with him and have a conversation on just about anything. We still sit and visit when he makes his trips to St. Paul to celebrate Mass for the Poor Clare Sisters here.
I have several meaningful memories of Bishop Terrio, but I will always remember and appreciate his willingness to give the homily at my first Mass of Thanksgiving as a priest. He was still a busy pastor at that time but he found a way to be there to support a younger newly ordained brother.
I am still very grateful for support, prayers, and guidance he has and continues to provide me. Thanks be to God for the gift of his priestly and episcopal ministry and may the Lord bless him always!
Mike Landry, chaplain, Evergreen Catholic School Division:
I first met Bishop Paul Terrio in the spring of 1999, when my Bible School outreach team visited his parish in Mearns to host a retreat. It was the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, and at Mass that day I remember being struck by his love for St. Joseph and his love for his young people. Both of these loves would have a profound impact on my life when in 2006 he hired me as youth minister at Holy Trinity Parish in Spruce Grove.
Bishop Terrio’s love for Joseph (families) and for young people guided much of the work we did at the parish. Our parish team worked hard over many years to build a youth ministry that served young people of all ages, offering regular gatherings for younger children (K4J), middle schoolers (Challenge & Conquest), high school students (LIFE TEEN), and various young adult ministries.
We worked together through many mountaintop experiences and the heartache that often come from investing to much in young people. The fruit of those years is plentiful. Two of our young men are now ordained priests in the Archdiocese of Edmonton (Fr. Robert Lee and Fr. Jake Mullin), and many others discovered their vocation to marriage – and their future spouses – in the context of that youth ministry, and I still see many of these young families around the church.
But as significant as all those remembrances of Bishop Terrio are, I’d have to say that Bishop Paul means much more to me personally. In many ways, he embraced my family and I as extensions of his own, showing great kindness to my children each and every Sunday. He encouraged and sponsored my theological studies so that I might be better equipped for my work in the Church. He had the foresight to strengthen the relationship between Holy Trinity and Evergreen Catholic Schools for all our benefit: asking Evergreen to bring me on staff part-time so that I could continue to serve in youth ministry and provide for my family.
I think my favourite memory of Bishop Paul came after he’d left Spruce Grove, a few weeks after his appointment in 2012 as Bishop of St. Paul. He was over to our house for dinner and, with his trademark wit and honesty, shared about the call from the nuncio (Vatican ambassador) and how he found out he was going to be a bishop.
Whenever Bishop Terrio preached on St. Joseph, he tried to impart to us the depth of faith Joseph must have had not only to hear God’s voice in a dream (he must have been a man who prayed), but to follow without question the direction God had given. In many ways, I think Bishop Paul Terrio did that in his own life: becoming a priest, a seminary formator, and eventually a bishop were all moments that he followed without question the direction God placed in his life