The Right Reverend Michael A. Bird was elected as the eleventh Bishop of Niagara and was consecrated on
September 30, 2007. In this role he has served as the spiritual leader and chief pastor to the diocese. He was ordained a deacon and then a priest in 1984 and for twenty-three years he served as a parish priest, Regional Dean and Archdeacon in five parishes in Newfoundland and Southern Ontario. Most recently he served as Incumbent of the Parish of the Valley and Archdeacon of Pembroke in the Diocese of Ottawa.

In accepting his ministry as bishop, Michael invited the entire diocese into a process of discernment which helped to formulate a renewed vision for ministry. He remained steadfast and clear in his desire to implement this vision and to lead the diocese in a missional, vision-shaped future in which we follow Christ passionately as partners with God and others, promoting God’s mission in the world. Bishop Michael is a strong advocate for justice and inclusion in the life of the church and world.

In addition to his leadership within the diocese, Bishop Michael has been actively involved in our church nationally and worldwide. Most notably, he has been involved in the Consultation of Canadian and African Anglican Bishops in Dialogue since its inception in 2011. This work has taken him to Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, England and the United States. He has also made many visits to Niagara’s partner diocese in Cuba.

Michael and his family have had a long association with life in the Madawaska Valley. His parents built their cottage on the Madawaska River when he was one year old, and Michael and his wife Susan built a log cabin in the same region in 1998. Seven years ago, they sold their cottage and built what was originally intended to be their retirement home on Lake Kamaniskeg, just outside of Barry’s Bay. Michael and Susan have three grown children and two wonderful grandchildren. They enjoy jazz music, reading, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, boating and travel. While they also share an interest in following several sports teams, they have a real passion for the sport of curling.