Matthew Joseph Brodie (1871 – 11 October 1943) was the second Catholic bishop of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. He was appointed by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

on 27 November 1915 and died in office on 11 October 1943. He was the first New Zealander by birth to be made a Catholic bishop.Death of Bishop Brodie, ''The Press'', Tuesday, 12 October 1943, p. 4. He was noted for his interest in promoting the general well-being of all.

Early life

Brodie was born in

Coromandel Coromandel may refer to: Places India *Coromandel Coast, India **Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements ** Dutch Coromandel *Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India New Zealand *Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula *Coro ...

, New Zealand in 1871. His parents were Irish immigrants to New Zealand. He received his early education in Coromandel and at the "Pitt St School" ( St Peter's School). He was then sent to Sydney for his secondary education at

St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill , motto_translation = Strive Strive for better things , established = , type = Independent single-sex secondary day and boarding school , educational_authority = New South Wales Department of Educati ...

and he then trained as a priest 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 ...

where one of his professors was

Michael Verdon Michael Verdon (19 December 1838 – 23 November 1918) was the 2nd Catholic Bishop of Dunedin (1896–1918). Early life Verdon was born in Liverpool, England on 19 December 1838Obituary, Dr Verdon, Bishop of Dunedin, ''Otago Daily Times'', Monda ...

. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Auckland in

St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph (usually known as St Patrick's Cathedral) is a Catholic church in Auckland CBD, situated on the corner of Federal Street and Wyndham St. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland a ...

by Bishop Lenihan on 20 December 1896.

Priesthood

Brodie first served as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at St Benedict's Church,

Newton, Auckland Newton is a small suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, under the local governance of the Auckland Council. It had a population of 1,641 in the 2013 census. Since the construction of the Central Motorway Junction in 1965–75, Newton has been divid ...

and then at the village of Puhoi. He was the first

Parish Priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

. Brodie was at Waihi at the time of the 1912 Waihi miners' strike and he made personal efforts which contributed to its settlement."The Late Bishop Brodie: Requiem Mass celebrated", ''The Press'', Friday 15 October 1943, p. 6 He was effective because he was respected by all the parties."Death Claims a Great Prelate", ''Zealandia'', 14 October 1943, pp. 1 and 6 After leaving Waihi, he was Administrator at St Patrick's Cathedral and then Parish Priest at Parnell. He was also latterly the

Vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the Auckland Diocese.

Episcopacy

Brodie was consecrated a bishop on 27 February 1916 in the

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (popularly known as the Christchurch Basilica) was a Catholic cathedral located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch and s ...

by the

Apostolic delegate An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...

, Cardinal Cerretti, assisted by Archbishop Redwood and Bishop Verdon. His appointment there was received with joy. However, as the first secular bishop in what had been regarded as a Marist diocese, he had lengthy disputes with Marist superiors about the order's tenure of parishes. His relations with individual Marists, however, were at all times courteous.Michael King, ''God's Farthest Outpost: A History of Catholics in New Zealand'', Penguin Books, Auckland, 1997, p. 142 Brodie was notable for his keen interest and support of Catholic education, especially of

St Bede's College, Christchurch St. Bede's College is a state integrated Roman Catholic day and boarding school in Christchurch, New Zealand, for boys aged 12 (Year 9) to 18 (Year 13). St. Bede's is the oldest Roman Catholic Boys' College in New Zealand's South Island. It is ...

. Brodie also supported

Nazareth House Nazareth House, also known as St. Andrew's Parish House, is a historic building in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a three-story, brick institutional building built in 1893 and enlarged in 1911. The original section is a ...

and the

Sisters of the Good Shepherd The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, also known as the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, is a Catholic religious order that was founded in 1835 by Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in Angers, France. The religious sisters belong to a C ...

at Mt Magdala, especially their orphanage of St Joseph. Brodie introduced the

Carmelite nuns , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

to Christchurch and he advanced the

Holy Name Society The Society of the Holy Name, formally known as the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus, is a Roman Catholic confraternity of the laity and is one of several which are under the care of the Dominican Order. It is open to all C ...

, the

Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary ( la, Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve it on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civi ...

and the

Catholic Women's League The Catholic Women's League (CWL) is a Roman Catholic lay organisation founded in 1906 by Margaret Fletcher. Originally intended to bring together Catholic women in England, the organization has grown, and may be found in numerous Commonwealth ...

. He also encouraged the establishment of the

Grail The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program which used high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure. The two small spacecraf ...

movement for women. Brodie proved to be a popular, long-serving and hard-working prelate in Christchurch.

Public concern

As Bishop, Brodie always "showed himself in the front rank in any movement connected with the well-being of the community in general". This was especially in the context of the

Great depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. He also supported the Order of St John. Brodie, cooperating with the Anglican Archbishop West-Watson, mediated to promote the settlement of the Tramway Strike of 1932. He met with the parties till dawn in working for a peaceful settlement. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

Death

Brodie was a patient at Lewisham Hospital (later called Calvary Hospital) from April 1943 until his death on 11 October 1943, aged 79. His body lay in state on 13 October and thousands of passed through the Cathedral. Brodie's requiem mass was celebrated by Bishop Liston and his

Panagyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

was preached by Archbishop O'Shea. Bishop O'Neill assisted at the Mass. Brodie was interred at Mt Magdala at the St John of God Chapel.

Early life

Priesthood

Episcopacy

Public concern

Death

Notes

See also