List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver
Wikimedia list article
The archbishop of Vancouver is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver who is responsible for looking after its "spiritual and administrative needs". As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of British Columbia, the archbishop of Vancouver also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, and Victoria. The current archbishop is Richard W. Smith.
The archdiocese began as the Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia, which was created on December 14, 1863. Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez was appointed its first bishop, and under his reign, the first parish was formed at the Holy Rosary church. On September 2, 1890, the vicariate was elevated to the status of diocese by Pope Leo XIII and was based in New Westminster. On account of the rapid expansion and development of Vancouver, the Holy See decided to centre the archdiocese around the city. As a result, the Diocese of New Westminster became the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and the Archdiocese of Victoria was reduced to diocesan level on September 7, 1908. Augustin Dontenwill became the first archbishop of the newly formed metropolitan see in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Ten men have been Archbishop of Vancouver; another two were heads of its antecedent jurisdictions.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver” as wikimedia list article. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as wikimedia list article. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6561893. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1863, 1890 and 1908.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver primary sources, List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver archive and List research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.