Series 16 - Bishop Kenneth Turner Collection

Kenneth Turner was born on 14 October 1905 in Montreal, Quebec. His early studies were done at St. Patrick’s parochial school in Montreal, and at St. Jerome’s College in Kitchener, Ontario. His studies for the priesthood began at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough and included a year of preparation at Collegio Brignole Sale in Genoa, Italy. He terminated his studies at St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Scarborough and was ordained to the priesthood on 6 September 1936 by Archbishop Deschamps. Following his ordination, Fr. Turner assisted at the Society’s Chinese Catholic Center in Vancouver from until his departure for Lishui, China in November 1939.

On 29 September 1948, Fr. Turner was consecrated Bishop of Lishui by James Cardinal McGuigan in St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto. He returned to China in November of that same year.

After the communist government came to power in 1949, Bishop Turner was restricted in his movements, along with Frs. Arthur Venadam, Paul Kam and Alexander MacIntosh. On 1 January 1951, he and his fellow Scarboro priests were confined to the convent grounds along with the Grey Sisters from Pembroke. Bishop Turner was released in 1953, arriving in Hong Kong on November 26.

Unable to return to China, Bishop Turner spent 1955 to 1959 in charge of the St. Thomas More Parish in Nassau, Bahamas. In 1959, he was appointed Regional Superior of the Scarboro community in Guyana. From 1964 to 1966 he served as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Castries, St. Lucia. He returned to the Bahamas in 1966, assisting in outlying parishes until 1979.

In July 1980, at the age of 75, Bishop Turner assumed a new position as chaplain at Pembroke general Hospital, where he served until his death. He was killed in a car accident in Pembroke, Ontario on the evening of 30 October 1983. Bishop Turner is buried in Mary, Queen of Angels cemetery located on the grounds of St. Augustine Seminary in Scarborough.