Launcelot John Goody (5 June 1908 – 13 May 1992), an Australian

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

, was the sixth

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, serving from 1968 to 1983. Prior to his election as Archbishop of Perth, Goody served as the inaugural Bishop of Bunbury from 1954 to 1968.

Early years and background

When Goody was aged eight years, together with his parents he migrated to Australia from England due to his father starting to feel the effects of creeping spinal paralysis. The family arrived in Perth and were met by representatives of Archbishop

Patrick Clune Patrick Joseph Clune CSsR (6 January 1864 in Ruan, County Clare, Ireland – 24 May 1935 in Perth, Western Australia), an Australian metropolitan bishop, was the fourth Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth and first Archbishop of Perth. Clune served ...

, having converted from

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

Catholicism 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 ...

some years yearlier. Goody was ordained a priest in Rome by Archbishop

Giuseppe Palica Giuseppe Palica (8 October 1869 – 16 December 1936) was an Italian Archbishop. Born in Rome, he was ordained priest on 18 December 1892. On 25 April 1917, he was appointed vice-gerent of Rome and titular archbishop of Philippi. On 20 May 1917, ...

on 20 December 1930 in Rome, aged 22. On 2 August 1951 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, as well as Titular Bishop of Abydus, and was consecrated three months later.

Bishop and Archbishop

On 12 November 1954, aged 46, he was appointed the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Bunbury, in Western Australia. On 18 October 1968, aged 60, he was appointed Archbishop of Perth, Australia. During his time as a prelate, Goody attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

. Retiring on 26 October 1983, Goody was appointed

Archbishop Emeritus In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Chu ...

of Perth; until his death on 13 May 1992, aged 83.

Honours

Goody became a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for service to the Roman Catholic Church as part of the 1977 New Year's Honour List (effective 31 December 1976). He personally received the

accolade The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...

from

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

during her Silver Jubilee visit to Australia in 1977. The L J Goody Bioethics Centre, an agency of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, was founded in 1985 and named in honour of Goody.

Early years and background

Bishop and Archbishop

Honours

References

Further reading