John Mary Dunne (8 June 1845 in Tooreigh,

Mitchelstown Mitchelstown () is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 3,740. Mitchelstown is situated in the valley to the south of the Galtee Mountains, 12 km south-west of the Mitchelstown Caves, 28 km from Cahir, 50& ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, Ireland – 22 August 1919 in Bathurst,

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 ...

), an Australian

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

, was the third

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 ca ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, New South Wales. Reverend Dunne was consecrated by Cardinal Moran in 1901 and served until his death in 1919.

Early years and background

Born to Michael Dunne, a farmer, and his wife Mary, née Hennessy, Dunne was educated by the Christian Brothers at Mitchelstown, and Mount Melleray College, and studied for the priesthood at

All Hallows College All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing down, due to decreasing student numbers. The sale o ...

Drumcondra, Dublin Drumcondra () is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council. The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area. History The village of Drumcondra was the central a ...

, where he was ordained priest on 24 June 1870 and arrived in Sydney the following year, before transferring to the Bathurst diocese. Dunne served in the Fish River district, at

Mudgee Mudgee is a town in the Central West (New South Wales), Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council Local gover ...

and at

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on the Darling River, before becoming a parish priest in 1875 in

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. Over a period of ten years, Dunne established a brick church and the Convent of Mercy, which had day and boarding schools, before being recalled to Bathurst to administer the cathedral parish, supervising the construction of a Patrician Brothers' monastery and enlargement of the cathedral. Dunne eventually served as vicar-general from 1900 under Bishop Joseph Byrne.

Roman Catholic Bishop of Bathurst

Following the death of Bishop Byrne, Dunne was elected Bishop of Bathurst on 12 January 1901, and consecrated by Cardinal Moran on 8 September 1901. Widely known as the 'Builder Bishop', Dunne is credited with ensuring that every parish had a church, school, presbytery and convent. In Bathurst he raised the money to build St Joseph's Mount and Orphanage, St Philomena's School and the stately Bishop's House. Keenly interested in

St Stanislaus' College , motto_translation = But we (Trust) in the name of the Lord , established = , type = Independent secondary day and boarding school , denomination = Roman Catholic , religious_affiliation = V ...

, he gave generously to finance its 1907 additions. Throughout his life Dunne promoted Catholic education. As a prudent and skilful administrator and a near-genius at raising money, he made the 'voluntary system' work in his diocese. Before he visited Europe in 1906, he was presented with a purse containing £1,000, most of which he characteristically saved during his year's absence, and presented the remainder to St Stanislaus' College. Dunne died of cancer at Bishop's House on 22 August 1919 and was buried in the Catholic section of Bathurst cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, John (Bathurst) 1845 births 1919 deaths Alumni of All Hallows College, Dublin People from Mitchelstown Roman Catholic bishops of Bathurst Irish expatriate Catholic bishops 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Australia