Problem solved: Camilleri appointed Toronto auxiliary

As a man naturally drawn to problem solving, Fr. Ivan Camilleri says he finds fulfilment in helping others in their journey of faith.

It’s come in handy in his role as Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs with the Archdiocese of Toronto, where Camilleri has had to remain flexible as he manages various matters of faith from assisting people getting married to the many facets of pastoral care.

“Helping people under just the general umbrella of things, I find for myself to be very satisfying,” said Camilleri. “God gives us the grace to deal with things, so maybe that’s a bit of the grace God gives me to deal with the various issues that come.”

Camilleri looks forward to serving the community in whatever capacity he is called in his new role as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese. The bishop-designate will join three other auxiliary bishops — Bishops John Boissonneau, Robert Kasun and Vincent Nguyen — assisting Cardinal Thomas Collins, in Canada’s largest diocese.

“I am very humbled by the trust that Pope Francis and Cardinal Collins have placed in me to serve the Archdiocese of Toronto in this ministry,” said Camilleri in a Nov. 28 statement. “I am grateful to His Eminence for his leadership and support, and I look forward to serving him and the people of the archdiocese in this way.”

On top of looking after spiritual affairs in the archdiocese, Camilleri also serves as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.

“I am most grateful to Pope Francis for the appointment of Bishop-designate Camilleri as the newest auxiliary bishop in our archdiocese,” said Collins. “He knows the community well and has been a tremendous source of support during my time as archbishop. I welcome him to the episcopacy and invite the priests of the archdiocese as well as the faithful to pray for him as he prepares for this new chapter of ministry.”

The youngest of three brothers, Camilleri was born in Sliema, Malta, in 1969 and moved to Canada with his family in 1980. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., and a master’s in business administration from The Edinburgh Business School. From there it was on to a career in the financial sector.

In 2001, at age 32, he entered the seminary, completing a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and a Master of Divinity and was ordained to the priesthood on May 12, 2007. He describes his call to the ministry after years of working in finance as bringing a simple yet profound sense of peace in his spirit.

“It wasn’t a huge epiphany like St. Paul,” said Camilleri with a chuckle. “I was happily working in finance in merger and acquisition related work which I found very good. I enjoyed it very much, but I also felt I was being called to something else.

“I explored a vocation to the priesthood by talking to some priests, a spiritual director and so forth. Around 2001, I decided to just try the seminary for a year to see if it worked out. I found great peace at the seminary and great joy. The rest is history so to speak.”

Camilleri also studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and completed a Licentiate in Canon Law in 2011. Following his ordination, in 2007 Camilleri was appointed associate pastor at Merciful Redeemer Parish. He also served as a sessional lecturer at St. Augustine’s Seminary and a judge with the archdiocese’s Marriage Tribunal.

Camilleri will be ordained to the episcopate at a date to be determined before commencing his new responsibilities in the diocese that is home to two million Catholics and 225 parishes.