Reginald John Delargey (10 December 1914 – 29 January 1979) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of

Auckland 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 ...

, and later

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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 ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and

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. His title was

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of ''

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''.

Early life

Reginald Delargey was born in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

, one of six children. The family moved several times during Delargey's early years, and Delargey was sent to

to receive his secondary education as a

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at Sacred Heart College. His mother died in 1929, three years before Delargey commenced his studies for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, where his considerable academic potential was recognised and he was sent to Rome to complete his studies at the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

Priesthood

Delargey was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Auckland in Rome on 19 March 1938. After returning to New Zealand, he worked in the parish of Takapuna and at

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 ...

. From 1940 to 1947 he was Director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Auckland. He also served as director of the Catholic Youth Movement and was the chaplain at St Peter's College for 18 years. In 1953, he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

Bishop of Auckland

Delargey was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Auckland on 25 November 1957. During his time as Auxiliary Bishop he 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) ...

(Vatican II). Twelve years after his appointment as Auxiliary, Delargey was appointed as Bishop of Auckland on 18 September 1970 following the retirement of Archbishop

James Liston James Michael Liston (9 June 1881 – 8 July 1976) was the 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand. Early life James Michael Liston (registered at birth as Michael James Liston) was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family ...

. As bishop, he adopted a humble and open style of leadership, putting into practice the ideas and principles of Vatican II. After four years as Bishop of Auckland, and after the death of Cardinal

Peter McKeefry Peter Thomas Bertram ''Cardinal'' McKeefry (3 July 1899 – 18 November 1973) was the third Archbishop of Wellington (1954–73) and Metropolitan of New Zealand and its first Cardinal. Early life and education McKeefry was born in Greymouth ...

he was translated to the Metropolitan See in Wellington and became its Archbishop on 25 April 1974.

Archbishop of Wellington

Although not from Wellington, Delargey built a strong relationship with the people and clergy of the Archdiocese as a result of his openness, humility and sincerity. As Archbishop he continued to promote the work of the Catholic Youth Movement – as he had previously done in Auckland – and was particularly conscious of the needs of minority groups both in the Archdiocese and throughout New Zealand. Delargey was created Cardinal priest on 24 May 1976 by Pope

Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

and received the title of Inmmacolata al Tiburtino. From 1976 to 1979 he was head of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference and played a key role in the negotiations with the government and teachers' unions that culminated in the integration of Catholic schools into the State funded system in New Zealand. Despite failing health, he participated in the

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and

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôct ...

1978. He died in Auckland in 1979 and was buried from Wellington's Sacred Heart Cathedral. He was succeeded by

Thomas Stafford Williams Thomas Stafford Williams (born 20 March 1930) is a cardinal in the Catholic Church, and before his retirement in 2005 was the fifth Archbishop of Wellington. Early life and education Williams was born in Wellington, New Zealand and educated at ...

Notes

References

* ''St Peter's College Magazine 1970'', St Peter's College, Auckland. * Felix Donnelly, ''One Priest's Life'', Australia and New Zealand Book Company, Auckland, 1982, pp. 7–17. * E.R. Simmons, ''In Cruce Salus, A History of the Diocese of Auckland 1848 – 1980'', Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland 1982. * Thomas J. Ryder, ''Following all Your Ways, Lord – Recollections of Fr Thomas J. Ryder'' (transcribed and compiled by Margaret Paton) (Privately published, no date – perhaps early 1990s). * Rory Sweetman, ''A Fair and Just Solution? A History of the Integration of Private Schools in New Zealand'', Dunmore Press, Palmerston North, 2002. * Nicholas Reid, ''James Michael Liston: A Life'', Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006. * Nicholas Reid, ''The Life and Work of Reginald John Delargey Cardinal'', Catholic Diocese of Auckland/Pindar, Auckland, 2008.

External links

Catholic Church in New ZealandCatholic Archdiocese of Wellington
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delargey, Reginald 1914 births 1979 deaths New Zealand cardinals 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in New Zealand People from Timaru Participants in the Second Vatican Council Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland Holy Cross College, New Zealand alumni Pontifical Urban University alumni St Peter's College, Auckland faculty Roman Catholic archbishops of Wellington 20th-century cardinals Roman Catholic bishops of Auckland New Zealand Roman Catholic archbishops