James Michael Liston (9 June 1881 – 8 July 1976) was the 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand.

Early life

James Michael Liston (registered at birth as Michael James Liston) was born in

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 ...

on 9 June 1881, one of a family of five children of James Liston, a hotel-keeper, and his wife, Mary (née Sullivan), both emigrants from County Clare, Ireland. He was educated at Christian Brothers' School, Dunedin. At the age of 12 in 1893 he began his training for the priesthood at

St Patrick's Seminary, Manly St Patrick's Seminary, Manly is a heritage-listed former residence of the Archbishop of Sydney and Roman Catholic Church seminary at 151 Darley Road, Manly, Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, Australia. The property was also known as ...

, Sydney. He later attended Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, Dublin (1897–1900), and then went on to the Irish College in Rome from which he graduated in 1903 with a doctorate of divinity. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Verdon in St Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin on 31 January 1904. Bishop Verdon placed a strong emphasis on Roman models and on devotion to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. Liston was deeply influenced by Verdon, who encouraged his vocation, sponsored his studies and was Liston's bishop for the first 14 years of his priesthood. He regarded Verdon as his ultimate role model and throughout his career kept a photograph of Verdon on his desk "for guidance through reflection on his way, and for seeking his heavenly intercession".Nicholas Evan Reid, ''The bishop's paper: a history of the Catholic press of the Diocese of Auckland'', Catholic Publications Centre, Orewa, 2000, pp. 35, 183. He was Rector of the college from 1910. On 12 December 1920, Liston was consecrated as coadjutor Bishop of Auckland under Bishop Cleary, the sixth Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, in St Joseph's Cathedral.

Sedition trial

In 1922, during a

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

address at

Auckland Town Hall Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian building on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Council meetings and hearings), as well as its famed Great Hall and ...

he questioned the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

and described the Irish rebels of 1916 as having been "murdered" by "foreign" (meaning British) troops. He was acquitted at trial in May 1922 of sedition.

Bishop of Auckland

In December 1929, Liston became Auckland's seventh Roman Catholic bishop and remained so for the next 41 years. Liston's decisive support of Bishop Lyons 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 Rive ...

enabled the establishment of

Holy Name Seminary Holy Name Seminary was a Roman Catholic seminary staffed by the Society of Jesus established in New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1947 in Christchurch and closed at the end of 1978. Establishment With Holy Cross Co ...

as a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

in that city in 1947.

Rugby league involvement

He was the president of the Marist Rugby League Club in 1933.

Honours

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. He was also named a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. In 1953, he was given the honorary title of "archbishop". Two years later, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. Liston was appointed Chevalier de la

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

as a foreigner, by a French decree of 15 September 1938, in recognition of his service as Bishop of Auckland.

Liston College Liston College is a school in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, for year seven to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It was the second school opened by the Christian Brothers in Auckland. It was named after Archbishop Li ...

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

is named in his honour.

Last years and death

In 1970, aged 88, he retired. He died, aged 95, at the Mater Hospital on 8 July 1976.

Notes

Sources

* E.R. Simmons, ''In Cruce Salus, A History of the Diocese of Auckland 1848 – 1980'', Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland 1982. * Rory Sweetman, ''Bishop in the Dock: the sedition trial of James Liston'', Auckland University Press, Auckland, 1997 * * Nicholas Reid, ''The Life and Work of Reginald John Delargey Cardinal'', Catholic Diocese of Auckland/Pindar, Auckland, 2008.
''Archbishop James Michael Liston'' Catholic Hierarchy website
retrieved 12 February 2011.

External links

Catholic Diocese of Auckland

Catholic Church in New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liston, James 1881 births 1976 deaths New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Religious leaders from Dunedin People educated at Trinity Catholic College, Dunedin New Zealand people of Irish descent Alumni of Clonliffe College Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in New Zealand New Zealand recipients of the Légion d'honneur Roman Catholic bishops of Auckland New Zealand Roman Catholic archbishops St Peter's College, Auckland faculty