He was the 4th Bishop of Toronto and Archbishop of Ontario, He was born in London, England on November 15, 1857, the son of Lieutenant Colonel James Fielding Sweeny, formerly Her Majesty"s staff officer of pensioners at Montreal, and his wife, Anna Maria Fielding.
He was educated at Montreal High School, at McGill Normal School and at McGill University (Bachelor, 1878. Master of Arts 1881), and pursued his theological studies at the Montreal Diocesan Theological College.
He was ordained deacon and priest, by Bishop Bond. He received from the University of Trinity College, Toronto, the degree of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity in 1883 and that of Doctor of Divinity, in course, 1885. On his ordination in 1880, he became Rector of Saint Luke"s, and Chaplain to the Montreal General Hospital.
In 1882 he became Rector of Saint Philips, Toronto.
In 1889 he was appointed an honorary canon of Saint Alban"s Cathedral, Toronto, and was elected R. Doctorate. of Toronto in 1895. In 1909 he was elected Bishop of Toronto and Rector of the Cathedral Church of Street James succeeding Arthur Sweatman.
In 1923, he laid the cornerstone of Trinity College, on Hoskin Avenue, built on a site purchased in 1913, but due to World War I construction was not begun until 1923. The architects were Pearson and Darling.
In 1932 he was elected Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario (Archbishop of Ontario)
Sweeny was awarded honorary doctorates from Bishops, Wycliffe, Kings and Windsor, Nova Scotia.
