Peter McIntyre

Who was Peter McIntyre?

Peter McIntyre was the third Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown, succeeding Bishop Bernard Donald McDonald.

Born in Cable Head, St. Peter's Bay, Prince Edward Island, Peter McIntyre was the son of Scottish immigrants who arrived on the Island in 1788. He received his early education from St. Andrew's College on P.E.I., before being sent to study at the College of St. Hyacinthe, followed later by a theological course at the Seminary of Quebec.

Ordained a priest in 1843, McIntyre served in a number of parishes, including in Quebec and his native Prince Edward Island. On the island, he was assigned to Tignish, where he is recognized as having built one of the finest Canadian churches. He served seventeen years in Tignish before being consecrated as Bishop of Charlottetown on August 15, 1860 at St. Dunstan's Basilica.

As bishop, his first trouble was anti-Catholic sentiment, that had been expressed in several Island newspapers. However, the problem seemed to eventually pass, and peace was restored. Bishop McIntyre would also become the first diocesan bishop to take up lodgings in Charlottetown, where the "palace" was built in 1875. The house continues to act as a home for the basilica and other clergy.