Francis (Frank) Durning SM was a New Zealand

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.Phil Pennington,"Shock at delay in removing paedophile priest's photo", ''RNZ News'', 4 April 2019
(Retrieved 8 May 2020) Durning was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 12 May 1914, and his family emigrated to New Zealand. He was ordained as a priest with the Society of Mary (Marist) on 11 December 1938. Durning taught in Catholic institutions from the 1940s through to the late 1980s, among others at: *

St Bede's College, Christchurch St. Bede's College is a state integrated Roman Catholic day and boarding school in Christchurch, New Zealand, for boys aged 12 (Year 9) to 18 (Year 13). St. Bede's is the oldest Roman Catholic Boys' College in New Zealand's South Island. It is ...

* Chanel College, Moamoa, in Samoa * St Patrick's College, Silverstream, where he was Rector of the school from 1950-1955 *

St Patrick's College, Kilbirnie, Wellington St Patrick's College is a Roman Catholic boys' secondary school in New Zealand. History Founded by Archbishop Francis Redwood SM, St Patrick's opened on 1 June 1885 with nine day-boys and twelve boarders. The College represents one of the e ...

* Holy Cross College, Mosgiel Durning died on 13 April 1999. Order of Service from the funeral of Francis Durning

In 2018 the Society of Mary said that Francis Durning sexually abused children.Phil Pennington, "Priest's sexual abuse at Upper Hutt school admitted: It's 'criminal' ", ''RNZ News'', 24 September 2018
(Retrieved 8 May 2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durning, Francis 1914 births Clergy from Glasgow 1999 deaths New Zealand Roman Catholic priests Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in New Zealand