John Raynor Dart (1855 – 27 May 1935) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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 ...

in the West Coast and Nelson districts of New Zealand in late-nineteenth to early-20th century. Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Dart was a goldminer's son, and came to New Zealand with his family in 1865. He initially worked with a legal firm and then the Blenheim Post Office. After working with the Church of Nativity, he became the lay secretary for Nelson diocese in 1889, a connection he maintained for the next 50 years. In 1890 he began to study for the ministry at Bishopdale Theological College. Dart was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

by Bishop Mules on 28 December 1894, as curate of

Brunnerton Brunner, originally called Brunnerton, is a town in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It is east of Greymouth, on the south bank of the Grey River. It is on the Midland Line railway near its junction with the Stillwater–Westport ...

and Grey Valley. He became a

and clerical secretary of the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

in 1895, and held incumbencies at Reefton, Westport (1901), and

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

(1915 or possibly 1913). He became the

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of All Saints Parish, Nelson, in 1925, and

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of Waimea in 1926. Dart's ill-health forced his retirement in 1931, after which he became director of the Nelson

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. He died on 27 May 1935 in his Brougham Street home, and was buried at

Wakapuaka Cemetery Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brooklands, Nelson, New Zealand. "Wakapuaka" is Māori for "heaps of aka leaves". Location Wakapuaka Cemetery is located at the southern end of Atawhai Drive in Nelson. The cemetery is located on a hi ...

. Dart had two sons, B.W.R. Dart and the educator and playwright G.F.J. Dart.

References

19th-century New Zealand Anglican priests 20th-century New Zealand Anglican priests 1855 births 1935 deaths Archdeacons of Waimea Clergy from Melbourne Australian emigrants to New Zealand Burials at Wakapuaka Cemetery YMCA leaders {{NewZealand-reli-bio-stub