John Patrick Kavanagh (30 April 1913 – 10 July 1985) was the fourth 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 ...

(1957–1985). Kavanagh was born in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established ...

in 1913.

's only Catholic secondary school,

Kavanagh College , motto_translation = With Her As Our Guide , type = State-integrated secondary , established = 1989; years ago (antecedent secondary schools: 1871, 1876, 1878, 1897 and 1976) , streetaddress ...

, was named after him until 2023. He died in Dunedin on 10 July 1985. In 2018 public controversy arose as to his handling of clergy and religious abuse allegations during his episcopal tenure. In 2020, Cardinal John Dew instigated an investigation into Kavanagh's actions. The investigation found that Kavanagh failed to investigate abuse claims relating to one priest. In 2022 it was announced that Kavanagh College would be renamed Trinity College from 1 January 2023 in consequence.

References

''Bishop John Patrick Kavanagh'', Catholic Hierarchy website
(Retrieved 17 January 2011) 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in New Zealand New Zealand people of Irish descent People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland People from Hāwera Roman Catholic bishops of Dunedin 1913 births 1985 deaths Holy Cross College, New Zealand alumni Participants in the Second Vatican Council {{NewZealand-RC-bishop-stub