Justin Daniel Simonds (22 May 1890 – 3 November 1967) was an Australian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, serving as the 5th Archbishop of Hobart from 1937 to 1942 and as the 4th Archbishop of Melbourne from 1963 to 1967.

Early years

Born in Glen Innes,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Simonds was educated in Deepwater,

Blacktown Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Grea ...

and then

Sydney Boys' High School , motto_translation = With Truth and Courage , established = , location = Cleveland Street, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pu ...

before studying for the priesthood at

St Patrick's College, Manly St Patrick's Seminary, Manly is a heritage-listed former residence of the Archbishop of Sydney and Roman Catholic Church seminary at 151 Darley Road, Manly, Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, Australia. The property was also known as ...

. He 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 ...

a priest by Archbishop Michael Kelly on 30 November 1912 at

St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians (colloquially, St Mary's Cathedral) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the cathedra, seat of the Catholic Bishops an ...

. Posted to Bega, Simonds served as a curate before he returned to St Patrick's Seminary as a professor of sacred scripture and Greek. In 1916 he was appointed to St Columba's College, Springwood, as professor of

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...

. In 1921 he returned to St Patrick's Seminary as professor of sacred scripture and dean. Between 1928 and 1930, Simonds studied at the

Catholic University of Louvain The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, graduating in 1930 with a

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(first class honours). Returning to Springwood, Simonds served as vice rector and then rector of St Columba's College from 1931 to 1937.

Episcopacy

On 18 February 1937,

Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City from ...

appointed Simonds as Archbishop of Hobart. Simonds received his

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

on 6 May from Archbishop

Giovanni Panico Giovanni Panico (12 April 1895 – 7 July 1962) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as nuncio to several countries during his career, and was created a cardinal in 1962. Life Early life Panico was born in Tricase, in the ...

, with bishops

Norman Gilroy Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy (22 January 1896 – 21 October 1977) was an Australian bishop. He was the first Australian-born cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Early life and priestly ministry Gilroy was born in Sydney, to working-class par ...

and Patrick Joseph Farrelly serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. Simonds was the first native-born Australian archbishop. During his term in Hobart, Simonds fostered the observance of Social Justice Sunday and wrote the first of the bishops' annual statements on social justice in 1940. In 1942, Simonds was named

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

of Melbourne and

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 ''Antinoë''. Archbishop Mannix appointed him as the parish priest of

St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne St Mary Star of the Sea is a historically significant Catholic parish church in , Victoria, Australia. The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1882 and the building was completed by 1900. Since 2002, restoration has been ongoing to resto ...

. He was to remain Coadjutor Archbishop of Melbourne for the next 22 years. During this period, Simonds played an active role in post

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

healing, including Catholic migration and the sending of orphaned children to Australia. In 1949, he was a special adviser and attended part of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

, held at Lake Success, New York. Attending the

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from 1962 to 1965, he succeeded

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 Maynoo ...

as Archbishop of Melbourne on 6 November 1963, becoming the first native Australian to hold that office. He returned to Melbourne where he celebrated Mannix's

Funeral Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

and preached the panegyric: "We are mourning one of the world's leaders of our time. A cedar of Lebanon has fallen", said Simonds. Unlike Mannix, Simonds abhorred the involvement of the church in party politics and vigorously opposed any attempt for the church to be involved in politics and industrial relations. Simonds was critical of

B. A. Santamaria Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria, usually known as B. A. Santamaria (14 August 1915 – 25 February 1998), was an Australian Roman Catholic Anti-communism, anti-Communist political activist and journalist. He was a guiding influence in the found ...

and the associated Catholic Social Studies Movement, terminating Santamaria's weekly contribution to a Catholic television program, ''Sunday Magazine'', within days of taking office. On 19 July 1964, he dedicated the new pipe organ in St Patrick's Cathedral to the memory of his predecessor. This instrument, one of the largest in Australia, has 4,762 pipes and a set of Spanish trumpets. It remains in use today. Ill-health and age reduced Simonds' own period as Melbourne's archbishop, suffering several

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

s while in office and his vision greatly deteriorated. He eventually resigned on 13 May 1967, after only three years of service. Upon his retirement, he was made Titular Archbishop of ''Libertina''. On 3 November 1967, Simonds died from a stroke at the Mercy Hospital in Melbourne, aged 77. He was buried in the crypt of St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne alongside his predecessor.

Legacy

Named in his honour are Justin Villa, the home in Melbourne for retired priests, and Simonds Catholic College in West Melbourne and Fitzroy North.

Early years

Episcopacy

Legacy

References

Further reading