James Whyte (12 October 1868 – 26 December 1957) was the third Roman Catholic 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 ...
(1920–1957).
Early life
Whyte was born in
County Kilkenny,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1868.
["Roman Catholic Church Loss With Death of Bishop White", ''Otago Daily Times'', Friday, 27 December 1957, p. 4] He spent six years (from 1886 to 1892) in ecclesiastical training for the priesthood at
St Kieran's College
St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the pas ...
, Kilkenny.
He was ordained a priest in Kilkenny on 3 July 1892.
Career
Whyte went to
Sydney in 1892 and was appointed a professor at
St Patrick's College, Manly.
The rector there at the time was
Dr Michael Verdon, later second Bishop of Dunedin. Among Whyte's students were
Matthew Brodie
Matthew Joseph Brodie (1871 – 11 October 1943) was the second Catholic bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XV on 27 November 1915 and died in office on 11 October 1943. He was the first New Zealander by birth ...
later second Bishop of Christchurch and
James Liston later seventh Bishop of Auckland.
["Solemn Last Rites at Dunedin", ''Zealandia'', 9 January 1958, p. 14]
After leaving that position he was assistant priest at St Benedict's Church and at
St Mary's Cathedral. In Sydney, he also held the positions of Archdiocesan Inspector of Schools,
Chancellor of the Sydney archdiocese and Director of the Catholic Press. He was also the first resident priest of
Stanmore.
Whyte was very learned and he spoke three foreign languages, French, German and Italian.
Episcopate
In 1920 Whyte was appointed Bishop of Dunedin and on the 12th day of December in that year he was consecrated by
Archbishop Redwood in
St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin with
James Liston who had been appointed
Coadjutor Bishop of
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
.
During Whyte's episcopate the number of priests in the diocese doubled from 40 to 81; there was a similar increase in the children attending Catholic schools, from 3060 to 6120. In 1927 he founded
St. Kevin's College, Oamaru. He added 14 new parishes to the 22 existing in 1920. Religious orders commencing work in the Dunedin diocese over the same period were the
Vincentians (who took over
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 ...
in 1934), the
Dominican Fathers, the
Redemptorist Fathers
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...
, the
Presentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...
, the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny and the
Sisters of the Assumption
The Religious of the Assumption is an international Roman Catholic women's congregation founded by Saint Marie Eugénie Milleret in Paris in 1839, and dedicated to the education of young girls. The Assumption Mission Associates is an affiliate ...
.
In 1935, he was awarded the
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.
Whyte was chairman of directors of the New Zealand Tablet Company for many years and was active in promoting the cause of the Catholic press in New Zealand.
On 18 December 1941 Whyte suffered a stroke and was taken to the Mater Misericordiae Hospital where he remained for the last 16 years of his life. In July 1942 the golden jubilee of Whyte's ordination was celebrated bringing visitors from all parts of New Zealand. The jubilee Mass was celebrated by
Archbishop O'Shea and at the jubilee dinner an ode written by the New Zealand poet
Eileen Duggan
Eileen May Duggan (21 May 1894 – 10 December 1972) was a New Zealand poet and journalist, from an Irish Roman Catholic family. She worked in Wellington as a journalist, and wrote a weekly article for the Catholic weekly '' The New Zealand ...
was read out.
[Sister Mary Augustine McCarthy, OP, p. 245]
Whyte celebrated his diamond jubilee in 1952, while his silver jubilee as a bishop was marked in December, 1945, by ceremonies of an entirely religious nature.
In January 1943
Hugh John O'Neill was appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of Dunedin, but ill health forced his resignation in 1946. In 1949
John Kavanagh was appointed as
Apostolic Administrator
An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...
"sede plena" and coadjutor with the right of succession.
Death
Whyte died on 26 December 1957, aged 89.
He had been a priest for 65 years and a bishop for 37 years. His body lay in state at St Joseph's Cathedral until a
solemn requiem Mass was celebrated on 30 December 1957, attended by all the hierarchy of New Zealand, and a large concourse of clergy and laity. His
pall-bearers were six
Christian Brothers. He was buried in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.
References
External links
Catholic Hierarchy website: Bishop James Whyte
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whyte, James
1868 births
1957 deaths
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in New Zealand
New Zealand people of Irish descent
Christian clergy from County Kilkenny
Roman Catholic bishops of Dunedin
Burials at Dunedin Southern Cemetery