Hugh John O'Neill (29 June 1898 – 27 December 1955) was the Roman Catholic coadjutor Bishop of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

(1943–1949).

Early life

O'Neill was born in

on 29 June 1898, the son of Edward and Elizabeth O'Neill."Death of His Lordship Bishop O'Neill: A Beloved Prelate's Years of Suffering", ''Zealandia'', Thursday, 5 January 1956, p. 1. The family moved to

Mosgiel Mosgiel (Māori: ''Te Konika o te Matamata'') is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin ...

a few years later. He was educated by the Sisters of Mercy in Mosgiel and at the Christian Brothers School in Dunedin."Obituary: Bishop O'Neill", ''Otago Daily Times'', Wednesday 28 December 1955, p. 4. In 1915 he commenced at

Holy Cross seminary Holy Cross College or Holy Cross Seminary is the national Roman Catholic seminary of New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1900 in Mosgiel and was relocated to Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland, Auckland in 1997. Estab ...

and was ordained by Bishop Whyte at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin on 31 July 1921.

Career

Immediately after ordination, O'Neill was sent to Rome where he studied

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pont ...

(the Apollinaris) and resided at the

Irish College Irish Colleges is the collective name used for approximately 34 centres of education for Irish Catholic clergy and lay people opened on continental Europe in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. History The Colleges were set up to educate Rom ...

. He returned to New Zealand in 1923 and was appointed Professor of Canon Law and

Scholastic Philosophy Scholasticism was a medieval school of philosophy that employed a critical organic method of philosophical analysis predicated upon the Aristotelian 10 Categories. Christian scholasticism emerged within the monastic schools that translate ...

at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel. He held that post from 1923 until 1934 when the

Vincentian Fathers , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

took over the seminary. In 1934 he became parish priest at Mosgiel. In 1939 he was appointed chaplain at St. Kevin's College, Oamaru. While he held that post he was also Dominion organiser of the Pontifical Missionary Works, the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood, and the Missionary Union of the Clergy.

Episcopate

Early in 1943, O'Neill received the news of his appointment as Coadjutor Bishop of Dunedin. He was consecrated

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

Bareta Bareta is a city and municipal council in the Mansa district, Punjab, Mansa district in Punjab, India, Southern Punjab, India. It is a small town that lies on the NH-148B. History Bareta is a small town in the southern part of the Indian state ...

and Coadjutor Bishop of Dunedin by Archbishop O'Shea of Wellington on 25 March 1943. He resigned the office of coadjutor in 1949 because of ill health. For a time he acted as

Vicar-General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the Wellington Archdiocese and in 1950 his health improved sufficiently for him to lead the national pilgrimage to Rome for the

Holy Year A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In '' Leviticus'', a jubilee year ( he, יובל ''yūḇāl'') is mentioned to occur every 50th year; during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgi ...

, but as his health became worse he was forced to relinquish active duties altogether.

Death

He died on 27 December 1955 of a coronary attack at the age of 57 years. His body lay in state at St Joseph's Cathedral until a solemn requiem mass was celebrated on 30 December 1955, attended by all the hierarchy of New Zealand, and a large concourse of clergy and laity

References

External links