Bishop Martin William Currie was born in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, on December 11, 1943, the third of nine children of Everett and Mabel (Walsh) Currie.

Upon graduation from Sheet Harbour High School in 1961, he studied at St. Francis Xavier University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964.  That same year, he entered Holy Heart Seminary, Halifax and was ordained to the priesthood in Sheet Harbour on May 12, 1968.

From 1968 - 1974, Fr. Currie served as assistant in St. Patrick's Parish, Halifax and St. Charles Parish, Amherst.  From 1975 - 1980 he served in the Archdiocesan mission parish of San Jose Obrero, Chiclayo, Peru. Fr. Currie served as pastor in several parishes including St. Joseph's Parish, Bridgewater, St. Norbert's Parish, Lunenburg, and St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Dartmouth.  He served as Chaplain at the Halifax County Regional Rehabilitation Centre and was appointed Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Halifax in 1992. Following a brief period of study in Israel, Msgr. Currie was appointed Chancellor of the Archdiocese in 1994 working full-time in the Chancery Office.  In 1995, while remaining Chancellor and Vicar General, Monsignor Currie was appointed Rector of St. Mary's Basilica, Halifax.  With the retirement of Archbishop Burke, Msgr. Currie was elected Administrator of the Archdiocese, serving in this capacity for a year before the appointment of Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S. J.

In 1999, Msgr. Currie became pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Truro while continuing to serve as Vicar General of the Archdiocese, member of the Personnel Board and as Arch-diocesan Representative at the Atlantic School of Theology.  In addition, during this time, he served as Chaplain to the RCMP.  Msgr. Currie has been Chaplain of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Archdiocesan Director of the Propagation of the Faith,  He was served on the boards of Nova Scotia Drug Dependency, St. Mary's University, and St. Vincent's Guest House. 

On December 12, 2000, Msgr. Currie was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Grand Falls, NL.  Upon his Episcopal Ordination on January 31, 2001, he became the eighth bishop of the Diocese.

Bishop Currie was installed as Archbishop of St. John's on November 30, 2007.

The Coat of Arms designed for Bishop Currie incorporates the two principal themes of Marian symbols and the geography of Atlantic Canada.  The rose calls to mind the veneration of Our Lady under the "Mystical Rose"  The rose in the Coat of Arms is placed on wings that suggest the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. A white rose with green sepals between the petal and green seeds in the centre is also the principal symbol found on the coat of arms of the Currie family.

The line dividing the shield into equal portions is a tree line, evoking the great wooded areas in Atlantic Canada, as well as Bishop Currie’s roots in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, where lumbering was a vital industry.

The lymphad, or galley, in the lower half of the shield, is an ancient boat with one mast which is found in the crests of the MacDonald and MacPherson clans, with whom the Currie family is associated. It represents the vast expanses of water that define Atlantic Canada; it is also a reference to Peter’s boat, a fitting symbol for a bishop, successor to the apostles, with responsibility for guiding souls.

The motto is taken from Isaiah 40:31: "... those who hope in the Lord will have their strength renewed ...".

The green hat, or galero, with twelve tassels, is the heraldic hat assigned to bishops. The cross, another heraldic symbol, is always found on a bishop’s shield.