A scholarly immersion into the life of the late Toronto Archbishop Philip Pocock (1906-1984) has convinced Dr. Peter Meehan of his place as one of the greatest unsung figures in archdiocesan history.

Meehan is writing a book about Pocock, who served as Coadjutor Archbishop of Toronto from 1961 to 1971 to support a then-ailing Cardinal James McGuigan before he acceded to the head of the bishopric on March 30, 1971, a role he held until April 27, 1978.

Meehan, president and vice-chancellor of St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ont., said it is “a remarkable joy to study this person who's really been left out of the historical narrative of the archdiocese.” Meehan suggested Pocock is unheralded compared to many of his predecessors and successors because “he was somebody who did not look for the spotlight.”

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This calendar year presents a golden opportunity both to celebrate Pocock’s historical contributions and contemplate his legacy in renewed light as the enduringly impactful and transformative ShareLife charitable appeal he conceived is marking its 50th anniversary beginning on March 19.

On that date in 1976, Pocock made “A Declaration on Behalf of Life” from the Kenora Room of the Four Seasons Sheraton Hotel to explain his momentous decision to pull the Council of Catholic Charities out of a three-decade partnership with the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto. It was a moment of conscience in response to the major non-profit admitting an organization with services misaligned with the Church’s pro-life teachings.  

Fr. Brian Dwyer, the founder of Silent Voice, a charitable agency serving deaf and hard-of-hearing adults, youth, children, infants and their families in an American Sign Language (ASL) environment, said it was a natural decision for his organization to follow Pocock down a new path.

“When he made this decision, it was pretty easy for us to say, ‘this is where we are going,’ ” recalled Dwyer. “We strongly believed our place was in the Church, not totally in secular society.

“We remained steadfast to the belief that the bishop made the right decision. We’re 100 per cent behind the man and the decision. Whatever it takes, we will join in and be part of this experiment, adventure, pilgrimage and journey.”

Placing confidence in Pocock paid dividends instantaneously. The original aspirations of the first ShareLife campaign, according to Meehan’s research, was $400,000 to support the Share Lent appeal established by Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, and $800,000 on behalf of the archdiocese’s Council of Christian Charities for a collective target of $1.2 million (later amended to $1.3 million). The inaugural appeal raised an impressive $2.82 million — 215 per cent of the overall goal.

Meehan’s “voyage of discovery” into Pocock’s life revealed to him that the product of St. Thomas, Ont., had already exhibited astuteness at “the science of fundraising.”

In 1967, Pocock co-founded the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace — the official name for Development and Peace — and he would become “very involved in the ramping up of Share Lent to make it a much more effective fundraising arm.”

Pocock foreshadowed his inclination for a multi-pronged approach to fundraising with ShareLife by combining the national appeal for Share Lent with the archdiocesan crusade for St. Augustine’s Seminary. He also championed a model of monetary petitioning, complementing the parish basket collections, which would become a hallmark of ShareLife.

“They moved towards this door-to-door campaign,” said Meehan. “(Volunteers) would have — I'm using the language of modern fundraising because I'm a university president — developed a case for support they would bring to people to talk about why the seminary needed their gifts and why the Catholic Organization for Development and Peace needed them. It was really effective.”

Arthur Peters, the executive director of ShareLife and the director of development for the Toronto archdiocese since 2005, recalled tagging along with his parents at age eight to knock on doors on behalf of a philanthropic endeavour in its infancy.  

Peters cited a sentence in Pocock’s 1976 declaration in which the archbishop stated, “I am prepared to take the responsibility of sustaining the services of Catholic Charities to the community.”

This remark exemplified to Peters that “not only was he making this statement, but he was so sure of his position that he would ensure the agencies that are receiving funding under the United Way would now continue to receive that funding.”

Pocock reaffirmed this confident posture during the question-and-answer period with the press following remarks. One journalist asked him if he expected “quite a shortfall in funds” because of having “to go (for your needs) to your people directly.” The archbishop responded, “I’m optimistic that we will meet the objectives of the requirements.”

Pocock’s enterprising approach to fundraising set a standard that is venerated to this day. The organization has effectively communicated a cause for support through direct mail, e-blasts and social media in recent years, and this ability to adapt has enabled ShareLife’s parish campaign to set records several times in recent years amid a global pandemic, ongoing inflation crisis and multiple postal strikes. In 2025, a best-ever total of $15,671,786 was raised — $1.2 million more than the previous all-time high set in 2024.

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Another key to Pocock’s success was his determination to carry out his duties pastorally, said Meehan.

“There's nothing political about Pocock,” said Meehan. “He wanted to do the right thing for the people. So, he took courageous stands on things like abortion, but he did them in pastoral ways. He was very pastoral with his people and with his clergy. This is a period of time as well when you have lots of people leaving religious life, being laicized. Pocock's goal was always to keep these people close to the Church, not to treat them like outsiders.”

During his tenure, Pocock guided a Toronto Catholic community that roughly doubled in population from approximately 500,000 to greater than a million at the time of his resignation in 1978. Meehan said it was “also a period of remarkable diversification” as there were many immigrants coming to Canada and soon Mass was being celebrated in at least 15 languages.

The late Msgr. Ken Robitaille, a former secretary to Pocock, engaged in multiple interviews with Meehan before passing in 2015. Meehan said in one of these conversations, Robitaille referred to his former boss and mentor as “the right man for impossible times.”

“He offered the right type of leadership that kept stability in the Church when it was in a period of flux,” said Meehan. “He kept things in balance. He left the United Way, but he didn't do it in a way that alienated the Church or Catholics from other (interfaith) groups."

He championed ecumenical causes throughout his priesthood following his studies at St. Peter’s Seminary — he was ordained on June 14, 1930, at St. Peter’s Cathedral in London, Ont. — and during his nearly 34 years as an active consecrated bishop. He was distinguished for being the youngest bishop in Canada when he assumed leadership of Saskatoon in 1944 at age 37.

Though he opted to perform much ministerial and advocacy work in a humble, under-the-radar fashion, it did not mean he didn’t recognize the value or possess the skill to effectively utilize the media.

“He also knew that to be an effective leader, you need to think and consult and pray, and then you need to communicate,” said Meehan.

He shared that Pocock was the first member of the Canadian Catholic hierarchy to ever deliver a presentation to a royal commission while he served as Archbishop of Winnipeg (1952-1961).

Both Meehan and Peters recalled the aura of the man during interactions with him during their respective youths.

“When I was a kid, I remember serving Mass for him because they used to do ordinations in the parishes,” said Meehan. “I remember meeting him, thinking he's this larger-than-life figure. He was probably like 5'8" or something, a little guy. But he had a real presence about him.”

Upon his resignation from the See of Toronto, Pocock took up residence at St. Mary’s Parish in Brampton and continued onward for several years as an active priest before his passing on Sept. 6, 1984. Along with celebrating Mass, confirming students, visiting senior citizens and evangelizing at schools, he served as chaplain of the Columbian Squires circle, the youth fraternity run by the Knights of Columbus.

“He was a very kind and gentle man,” said Peters. "I was asked to represent our Squires circle at his funeral when he passed away. At 17 years old, I think. I remember we went to (St. Michael’s Cathedral) and mentioned we were in the Squires' circle where he was the chaplain, and we sat right near the front of the cathedral.”

Both Pocock’s entry into and exit from bishophood could be considered early. He sought to resign at age 72, where many opt to keep going until Canon Law requires bishops to submit their resignation upon turning 75. Following a process of deliberation, Meehan said Pocock became clear-eyed in determining he needed to serve as a parish priest to book end his vocational career.

“He completes this process, and he acts on what he thinks is the right thing,” said Meehan. “And he moves on. He's not like a Hamlet sort of character who is wracked with indecision. He's good with it.”

ShareLife is undoubtedly one of the greatest fruits spawned from these well-honed instincts of discernment, moral clarity, humble service and pastoral engagement.

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Peters said there were seven agencies supported by the Catholic appeal in its early years. Now there are more than 40. Individuals and families experiencing trauma, seniors, young parents, children and youth, immigrants and refugees, international humanitarian development, vocations and entities tackling food insecurity are uplifted by ShareLife year in and year out.

Stepping back and considering the scale of what he set into motion on March 19, 1976, Pocock’s legacy is poised for more praise in the years ahead.