When Bishop Fred Colli reflects on his half-century of service, a kaleidoscope of images comes to his mind. 

Driving five hours to reach a far-flung parish. Telling special stories to children during Christmas Mass. Praying with Indigenous survivors of the residential school system. Serving at Mass with a celebrant who is now a saint.

“As I look back at my life as a priest and as a bishop, I’m very grateful for all the special experiences God has given me, and the strength and grace to do all that,” said Colli, who resigned as Bishop of Thunder Bay June 17 on his 75th birthday, the age limit for bishops.

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Born and raised in St. Catharines, Ont., a young Colli was an altar server and reader at St. Alfred’s Church. There, one of the assistant priests suggested he think about the possibility of priesthood. Acting upon that discernment, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of St. Michael’s College in 1971 and a Bachelor of Theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa in 1974. 

Following his ordination as deacon in 1974, Colli studied at Gregorian University in Rome for two years, earning a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1976. 

Those were heady days. 

“I was studying to be a priest just after the Second Vatican Council, so changes were happening,” Colli recalls. “There was an excitement about the Church, and I was a part of that.” 

As a deacon in Rome, Colli had the experience of a lifetime: serving at a Mass celebrated by Pope Paul VI, “now St. Paul VI,” he said. “What a privilege, a wonderful opportunity.” 

In his later years as bishop, Colli would also meet with three other popes: Pope John Paul II, now also a saint, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.

Halfway through his studies, Colli returned to St. Catharines briefly to be ordained a priest at St. Alfred’s in 1975. When he completed his studies in Rome, Colli returned to Niagara, serving in parishes in Port Colborne, Welland and a 10-year term at St. Julia in St. Catharines.

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Sandwiched in between were a number of administrative and leadership roles, including director of vocations at, and later Chancellor of, the Diocese of St. Catharines, judge at the Toronto Regional Tribunal, associate judicial vicar of the Catholic Marriage Tribunal and chaplain to the Knights of Columbus.

The early 1990s saw major advancements for Colli, including being conferred Prelate of Honour in 1992, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa two years later and ordained Bishop at Ottawa’s Notre-Dame Basilica in 1995.

But it was his time as a parish priest in St. Catharines — celebrating Mass, sanctifying parishioners with the Holy Eucharist and other sacraments, visiting the sick, celebrating weddings, baptisms and funerals, guiding future priests, working with the Catholic Women’s League and Development and Peace — that set the stage for the next 25 years of Colli’s journey.

“These were all very important pastoral moments that gave me good insight as to as how, as a bishop, I could help guide the priests in my diocese to better understand their role,” said Colli. “I could say to them, ‘I’ve been there, I know what it’s like, I know some of the difficulties you’re encountering, these are some of the ways I tried to overcome difficulties.’ ” 

One challenge Colli encountered upon being appointed Bishop of Thunder Bay on Feb. 2, 1999 was the task of “unifying” almost 72,000 Catholics scattered across 222,000 square kilometres being served by 31 diocesan priests.

He jokes about the mileage he put on his car as he visited priests and their parishioners in all corners of the diocese throughout the years.

“It was my job to connect with the priests to let them know they had a bishop who was concerned with their life and work as a priest,” said Colli, adding they often discussed ways of reaching out to youth and those who had fallen away, visiting schools and seniors’ homes and developing “a welcoming parish community.”

Colli saw his role as bishop as being a “spiritual father” and “co-worker” to his priests.

During his tenure, Colli also attended sessions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, noting that “it’s through listening that healing takes place.”

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Colli set up a diocesan Indigenous Ministries Office that includes a Council of Elders and a monthly healing circle to address the concerns and spiritual needs of Indigenous peoples and coordinate Indigenous ministries.  

Colli’s next destination is the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, where he’ll take up residence in a North Bay retirement home. He hopes to continue working in parishes on the weekends and assisting with confirmations and other sacraments “if God gives me the strength.”