John Oliver Feetham (28 January 1873 – 14 September 1947) was a long-serving Anglican

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

in Australia, who was aligned with the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

tradition. He was the

Anglican Bishop of North Queensland The Bishop of North Queensland is the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland, Australia. The seat of the bishop is at St James's Cathedral, Townsville, Queensland. References * F. L. Cross, ed., ''The Oxford Dic ...

from 1913 until his death in 1947.

Early life

Feetham was born into an ecclesiastical family, his father was the Reverend William Feetham,

Rural Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective ...

of Raglan, Monmouthshire and his mother the daughter of an archdeacon. He was educated at Marlborough College and

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

Religious life

Feetham was ordained in 1899. After a curacy at St Simon Zelotes,

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

, he was Principal of the Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd (one of the Australian Bush Brotherhoods). In 1913 he was ordained to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

as the fourth Bishop of North Queensland."Ecclesiastical Intelligence. New Bishop Of North Queensland", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' 1 November 1912, p. 4. Feetham established a number of Anglican schools in North Queensland: * All Souls and St Gabriel's in

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits unde ...

* St Anne's in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

(now the

Cathedral School Cathedral schools began in the Early Middle Ages as centers of advanced education, some of them ultimately evolving into medieval universities. Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, they were complemented by the monastic schools. Some of these ...

) * St Mary's School in

Herberton Herberton is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Herberton had a population of 855 people. Geography Herberton is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is situa ...

Later life

Feetham died on 14 September 1947 and his ashes were interred beneath the high altar at St James' Cathedral,

. Feetham is commemorated in the Australian Anglican calendar on 15 September.

References

1873 births Clergy from Cheshire People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Anglo-Catholic bishops Anglican bishops of North Queensland 1947 deaths Australian Anglo-Catholics British Anglo-Catholics Bush Brotherhood priests {{Australia-anglican-bishop-stub