Joseph Shiel (17 February 1873 – 7 April 1931) was a

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

in Australia. He was the

Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton The Diocese of Rockhampton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane. Erected in 1882, it covers C ...

from 26 January 1913 until his death on 7 April 1931.

Early life

Joseph Shiel was born on 17 February 1873 at Swainstown, Killmessan,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, Ireland, the son of Richard Shiel and his wife Ann (née Smyth). He was educated at the local National School.

Religious life

Shiel found his vocation for religious life at a young age and entered the seminary of his diocese,

St. Finian's College St Finian's College is a secondary school, the diocesan school of the Diocese of Meath. It is located in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland, and is under the patronage of The Most Reverend Thomas Deenihan, Bishop of Meath. Rev. Fr. Paul Co ...

, at

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50&nb ...

. Following his success in a competitive examination, he entered the Maynooth College in September 1892. Shiel was ordained as a priest on 19 June 1898 by the Archbishop of Dublin. At the time of his ordination, Thomas Carr, Archbishop of Melbourne was visiting Ireland and was seeking priests to come to Australia. Shiel expressed a desire to go to Australia and the

Bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Unt ...

consented to a five year term. Shiel arrived 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 ...

on 11 October 1898. Initially he worked at St Patricks in Melbourne. In January 1899 he was appointed assistant to the Venerable Archdeacon Slattery at St Mary's in Geelong. In March 1901 he was transferred as assistant at St Mary's in Collingwood. In March 1903 he was transferred to St Peter's and St Paul's in

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at ...

. When his five year term had expired, Shiel wished to remain in Australia. Joseph Higgins, the Bishop of Rockhampton, was visiting Ireland in 1903 and, being a native of Meath, Higgins visited that diocese where he asked the Bishop of Meath to consent to Shiel remaining in Australia because of the great need for priests in Australia. The Bishop of Meath agreed for Shiel to remain, suggesting that he might assist Higgins in Rockhampton. Higgins returned to Australia and invited Shiel to join him in Rockhampton. Archbishop Carr of Melbourne agreed to the arrangement and Shiel became the administrator at Mount Morgan, west of Rockhampton. In February 1905 Shiel was appointed administrator of Rockhampton. In December 1905 Higgins was appointed Bishop of Ballarat and

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-s ...

was installed as the new Bishop of Rockhampton with Shiel acting as master of ceremonies. Higgins requested for Shiel to join him in Ballarat and Shiel arrived in Ballarat in March 1906 whereupon he was assigned to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Western Victoria Western Victoria is a wine grape growing zone in the southwestern part of the state of Victoria in Australia. It extends approximately from the South Australia border to Ballarat and from Horsham to the coast. It includes the defined wine regio ...

. In 1908 Shiel was appointed administrator of St Patrick's Cathedral in Ballarat. In April 1912, Shiel left Australia for a year's holiday. He travelled to Japan and China, where he visited his sister who was a member of a religious order in China. He then travelled to Ireland to visit his mother. Shortly after arriving in Ireland, he contracted a life-threatening case of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

. While convalescing from that illness, in October 1912 he was advised that he was to become the Bishop of Rockhampton, as James Duhig was being transferred to be the

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Amica and Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Brisbane, Robert Dunne. On 26 January 1913, Shiel was consecrated as Bishop of Rockhampton at Maynooth College by Archbishop

Daniel Mannix Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 – 6 November 1963) was an Irish-born Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th-century Australia. Early years and Mayno ...

, the ceremony having been delayed due to Shiel's illness. On Sunday 11 May 1913, Shiel was enthroned at St Joseph's Cathedral in Rockhampton by James Duhig.

Later life

Shield died on 7 April 1931 aged 58 years at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital at Rockhampton,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

following a long illness. His funeral was held in St Joseph's Cathedral on 9 April 1931 after which he was buried in the Rockhampton Cemetery. In addition to the large local congregation, the funeral was attended by Archbishop James Duhig, Bishop of Cooktown

John Heavey John Alphonsus Heavey (1868-1948) was a Roman Catholic bishop in Queensland, Australia. He was the Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cairns. Early life Heavey was born on 13 November 1868 in Roundwood, County Wi ...

, and many other Catholic priests. The funeral cortege from the cathedral to the cemetery was so long that the first had arrived at the cemetery before the last had left the cathedral.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiel, Joseph Roman Catholic bishops of Rockhampton 1931 deaths 1873 births Irish expatriate Catholic bishops People educated at St Finian's College Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth