Regina and Canada lose their champion

However Fred Hill was much more than Regina's champion. The Saskatchewan business leader was almost certainly the most active philanthropist in the history of the Church in Canada.

Special to The B.C. Catholic Mr. Fred Hill (right) is honoured with a papal knighthood Dec. 15, 2007, in Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina. He became a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

He was a pillar of the famous Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Sask., helping to ensure its future both before and after the death of famed founder "Pere" Athol Murray in 1976, and one of the most significant benefactors of Catholic Christian Outreach, which he helped to grow from modest Saskatchewan roots to become a national student movement active on university campuses from coast to coast.

In the Archdiocese of Vancouver Mr. Hill provided the financial backing for the efforts of Archbishop Emeritus Adam Exner, OMI, to allow Canadians to watch EWTN, which contributed to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ending a historic ban on single-faith broadcast licences. He was an early benefactor of Redeemer Pacific College in Langley.

A list of institutions supported by Mr. Hill over many years does not tell the stories of the numerous young people whose Catholic education he financed; nor could it encompass the personal interest he took in them.

Among those students was Kyle Neilson, now a consultant in the religious education office of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

"I was part way through my master's degree at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. We had a new baby, and were two months away from running out of money," Mr. Neilson told The B.C. Catholic.

"When Mr. Hill heard of our situation, he not only paid my tuition for the remainder of my degree, but our living expenses as well. He wanted no publicity whatsoever, and this is the first I have spoken of it to anyone but my wife."

The Regina Leader-Post's front page obituary was remarkable for its full coverage of these spiritual accomplishments. While paying tribute to the deceased businessman's worldly accomplishments - he was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for courageous wartime service in the American air force, earned an MBA from Harvard University, and received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and the Order of Canada, among other honors - the newspaper gave equal prominence to the deep Catholic faith that defined Fred Hill.

"He was, indeed, a man with a deep faith, a love for the Church, and a love for humanity," Msgr. Ken Miller, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Regina, told the paper.

Msgr. Miller also noted that Mr. Hill's generosity ranged from support for small local charities to membership in the Papal Foundation, a Catholic organization that supports the ministry of the Holy Father, particularly through service projects around the world, with a particular focus on the Church in Eastern Europe and the poor and starving in Africa.

Mr. Hill's service to the Church was recognized by his appointment as Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI.

To provide financial help for Canadian charities, particularly religious organizations, the Hill family established the Madonna Foundation in 1976.

Saskatchewan native Jeff Lockert, president of Catholic Christian Outreach, said that the growing national presence of his missionary group has been possible only because of its partnership with Mr. Hill and the foundation. Contacted at World Youth Day, the movement's leader lauded "his understanding of the important need to help university students be grounded in the truth of the Church and alive in the practice of their faith."

From Australia, Mr. Lockert said simply, "Fred Hill was a wonderful man who loved Jesus."

Msgr. Gregory Smith, former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Vancouver and a current CCO board member, also spoke warmly of Mr. Hill and of his dedication to the Church. "I'm not sure that `philanthropy' captures what he was about. The Gospel had become his true passion, and he was convinced that nothing mattered more than the Church's mission of sharing it with the world."

"I also recall his humility. He was the least overpowering powerful man I ever met. I knew him for quite a while before I had any idea of the extent of his accomplishments and influence. He was an easygoing and straightforward man without pretension," said Msgr. Smith, whose 20-year friendship with Mr. Hill began with the struggle for EWTN.

Civic leaders did not fail to mention the remarkable spirit that prompted Fred Hill's involvement in his community and the Church. In an official statement on behalf of the government of Saskatchewan, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Lyle Stewart said, "Mr. Hill's efforts in business and his community are best summed up by the family's philosophy: `As businessmen, if we can't do things that contribute to our world and help people, we have fallen short of our mission.' Mr. Hill never fell short of this philosophy."

The Leader-Post called Fred Hill "renowned, recognized, and respected," but most of all he was religious, in the fullest meaning of the word.

Predeceased by his wife Shirley, and most recently by his daughter, Colleen Hill Smith, Mr. Hill is survived by his children, Paul (Carol) Hill of Regina, Terrence Hill of Vancouver, Daniel (Anne) Hill in England, and Marylyn (Jack) Horsman of Winfield, B.C. His funeral Mass was offered at Regina's Holy Family Cathedral on July 17.