Brian Patrick Ashby (10 November 1923 – 5 June 1988) was the fifth Catholic Bishop of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. He was appointed by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

on 11 July 1964, resigned the

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on 4 July 1985, and died on 5 June 1988. He was the leading New Zealand Catholic bishop in attempting to implement the decrees of the Vatican Council II and he was the leading bishop on

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

issues.

Early life

Ashby was born in

Belfast, New Zealand Belfast () is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is in the north of the city 10 km from Cathedral Square, close to the banks of the Waimakariri River. History Belfast is named after Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was originally k ...

, a suburb of

in 1923. He received his primary education at St Joseph's Convent, Papanui, and his secondary education at St Bede's College (to which he won a scholarship). In 1941, Ashby studied law at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

while working in a law office. Over the next two years, he served with the Fifth Canterbury Regiment. When the under-20s were released for further study in 1943, he began his study for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel. In 1946 he was selected by Bishop Lyons for theology studies in Rome where he was ordained on 1 January 1950. In 1951 he completed his doctorate in Theology."The Church loses a gifted leader", ''Zealandia'', 19 July 1988, pp. 1–3

Priesthood

Ashby returned to Christchurch and was appointed as assistant priest in the new parish of North Timaru. In 1957 he became secretary to Bishop Joyce, the 4th Bishop of

. In 1960 Ashby was sent to London to study the techniques of the Catholic Enquiry Centre there. Ashby became the co-director of the New Zealand Catholic Enquiry Centre when it opened in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in 1961. On 11 July 1964, Ashby was appointed as the Fifth Bishop of Christchurch, succeeding Bishop Joyce.

Episcopacy

Ashby was consecrated Bishop at the age of 41 (one of the youngest bishops to take office) on 5 August 1964 in the

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (popularly known as the Christchurch Basilica) was a Catholic cathedral located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch and s ...

by Archbishop McKeefry of Wellington and the co-consecrators Archbishop Liston of Auckland and Bishop Snedden (Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington). Ashby attended the last sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, an experience which placed him in an optimum position to help steer the New Zealand church through the difficult transition times following the Council. He tried to renew diocesan structures and he placed great emphasis on making himself accessible to his people. Ashby became the leading Catholic figure in the area of

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. His work in this area was recognised in 1983 when

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed him to the Vatican Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity. In 1983, Ashby was also the first New Zealand bishop to be appointed a member of the second Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, and was also chairman of the New Zealand Catholic Ecumenical Commission. He was the first Catholic bishop to preach in an Anglican cathedral in New Zealand and maintained an enduring personal friendship with the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch Bishop Pyatt. Ashby was the first New Zealand bishop to implement church sanctuary alterations in the wake of the second Vatican Council. The alterations introduced into the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramant were controversial but Ashby insisted that they followed the Council decrees.Terry Olsen, "May fresh air blow on – ''Bishop Ashby''", ''Zealandia'', 14 July 1985, p. 3.

Social justice concerns

Ashby had the role of visionary in the Catholic hierarchy and he became a significant leader in Church and community affairs. His youth, energy and charisma enabled him to take the lead on social justice issues, particularly those involving

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- Pakeha relations, overseas aid and sporting contacts with

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(which he visited, to see for himself the consequences of

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

)Michael King, ''God's Farthest Outpost: A History of Catholics in New Zealand'', Penguin Books, Auckland, 1997, p. 181. Both he and his friend, Bishop Pyatt were outspoken critics of the 1981 Springbok Rugby Tour."Catholic Bishop had strong social conscience", ''The Press'', 6 June 1988, p. 3 The effect of Ashby's leadership was visible in 1981, when scarcely a priest in his diocese supported the tour. Ashby also headed the New Zealand Catholic Commission for Evangelisation, Justice and Development which gave money to HART (Halt All Racist Tours) in 1981 and later to the Waitangi Action Committee. Both donations brought criticism and debate within the Church. Ashby's services to the community were recognised when he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

in 1977, and appointed a

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in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours. Ashby said that he was a peaceful man but that he "owed it to my integrity to take the stands that I have taken".

Retirement and death

Ashby resigned the see on 4 July 1985 because of a stroke, after serving 21 years as Bishop of Christchurch. During his retirement he was president of the New Zealand Counter-Stroke Support Group. In April 1988, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died on 5 June 1988 in the Mary Potter Hospital, Christchurch. His

Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

was concelebrated before a congregation of 2,000 by bishops from all the New Zealand dioceses (the celebrants included Bishop John Gerry (Auxiliary Bishop of

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)."Thousands pay respects", ''Zealandia'', 19 June 1988, p. 1 Ashby is interred in Christchurch's

Bromley Cemetery Bromley Cemetery is a cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It occupies approximately 10 hectares to the east of the city centre, on the corner of Keighleys Road and Linwood Avenue. The Christchurch City Council maintains and administers the ce ...

Early life

Priesthood

Episcopacy

Social justice concerns

Retirement and death

Notes

See also