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11 Facts About George Flahiff

1.

George Flahiff served as Archbishop of Winnipeg from 1961 to 1982, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969.

2.

One of nine children, George Flahiff was born in Paris, Ontario; his father was an innkeeper.

3.

George Flahiff attended St Jerome's College in Kitchener from 1920 to 1921, and then studied at St Michael's College in Toronto, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1926.

4.

One of his professors at St Michael's was Lester B Pearson, the future Prime Minister who encouraged Flahiff to follow a career in diplomacy.

5.

George Flahiff then furthered his studies in France at the University of Strasbourg and at the Ecole des Chartes.

6.

George Flahiff became a member of the general council of the Basilian Fathers on 6 July 1948.

7.

George Flahiff was elected local superior of the Basilians on 1 July 1951, and later superior general of the entire congregation on 6 July 1954.

8.

On 10 March 1961, George Flahiff was appointed Archbishop of Winnipeg by Pope John XXIII.

9.

George Flahiff was created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

10.

George Flahiff was one of the Council Fathers at Vatican II and played a key role in the writing of several Conciliar documents.

11.

The Cardinal George Flahiff Building, which is part of University of St Michael's College within the University of Toronto, is named after him.