Peter Hugh Brown,

C.Ss.R. The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

(born ) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-born prelate who served as the second bishop of the

Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in American Samoa from 2013 until 2023.

Biography

Early life

Peter Brown was born on November 11, 1947, in Greymouth,

, the youngest child of William and Mary (Sweeney) Brown. He attended Marist Brothers primary and secondary schools, then worked in secular jobs. On February 16, 1969, Brown professed his first vows as a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. After several years in seminary, he professed his

perpetual vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of rel ...

to the Redemptorists on October 26, 1975. For seven years Brown worked as a

religious brother A religious brother is a member of a Christian religious institute or religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the Church, usually by the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He is a layman, in the sense o ...

in different communities, then traveled to Samoa to help out at the Redemptorist mission there. He then studied for the priesthood at

Yarra Theological Union Yarra may refer to: * Yarra River, a river in southern Victoria, Australia on which the city of Melbourne was founded * Yarra Trams, a public transport company specialising in trams in Melbourne, Australia * City of Yarra, a local government area in ...

in Melbourne, Australia.

Priesthood

Brown was ordained to the priesthood for the Redemptorists by Bishop

Brian Ashby Brian Patrick Ashby (10 November 1923 – 5 June 1988) was the fifth Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand. He was appointed by Pope Paul VI on 11 July 1964, resigned the see on 4 July 1985, and died on 5 June 1988. He was the leading New ...

on December 19, 1981. He served as a missionary on Savaii Island,

Safotu Safotu is a village on the central north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. Safotu is in the district Gagaifomauga and has a population of 1270. Traditionally, it attained the status of 'Pule,' customary political authority, and has been the main ...

, then later as a chaplain for migrants in

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. Brown served as a parish priest in Clover Park, South Auckland, before being elected as the Redemptorist's regional superior. Brown is fluent in the

Samoan language Samoan ( or ; ) is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language, alon ...

Bishop of Samoa-Pago Pago

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

named Brown the bishop of the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago on May 31, 2013. On August 22, 2013, Brown was installed and consecrated by Archbishop

Martin Krebs Martin Krebs (born 2 November 1956) is a German prelate of the Catholic Church who has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1991. He has been an archbishop since 2008 when he received the first of several postings as a papal n ...

The principal co-consecrators were Bishops John Weitzel and Denis Browne. On April 29, 2023, Pope Francis accepted his resignation and Kolio Etuale succeeded him as bishop.

References

External links