The newly-elected Premier of Alberta is a Catholic of the Anglican tradition, belonging to the Canadian Deanery of Saint John the Baptist.

Yesterday, the Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MLA, a former federal cabinet minister responsible for numerous portfolios, including as Minister of Defence, was elected the new Premier of Alberta with over 55% of the vote, winning 63/87 seats and a huge majority.

The ordinariate Catholic community is delighted to see one of our own elected as the new Premier of Alberta, a province with two ordinariate communities.

Raised Anglican, Jason became Catholic about thirty years ago when in university. Many people see the ordinariates as a gift to those Anglicans still seeking to become Catholic without leaving behind their heritage, but for many of our members, like Jason, the ordinariate is a restoration of the Anglican tradition to Catholics like them who had previously had to give it up.

As Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister for Multiculturalism, Jason became acquainted with and befriended religious communities of all cultural backgrounds, and is understood to have met almost all the patriarchs of every Catholic and Orthodox rite or tradition. He surely understands the beauty of the Catholic Church’s diversity in unity, of which the Anglican ordinariate is a special part.

Congratulations to Jason and to his entire team, and may God’s blessings be upon them as they receive this mandate and embark on this time of public service to the people of the great province of Alberta.