John Kavanagh | |
|---|---|
| 4th Bishop of Dunedin | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1913-04-30)30 April 1913 Hāwera, New Zealand |
| Died | (1985-07-10)10 July 1985 Dunedin, New Zealand |
John Patrick Kavanagh (30 April 1913 – 10 July 1985) was the fourth Catholic Bishop of Dunedin (1957–1985).
Biography
Kavanagh was born in Hāwera in 1913; he was the eldest of ten children in a farming family.[1]
He trained for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel and was ordained on 6 September 1936 at St Mary of the Angels Church, Wellington; a few days later he travelled to Rome to continue his studies and he went on to complete a doctorate in law.[1] He returned to New Zealand in 1940, working at Lower Hutt and Wellington, as well as being an army chaplain during WWII. In 1944 he was placed in charge of looking after 700 Polish refugee children at Lyall Bay and Island Bay.[2] He was involved in education and funding for schools.
He became a bishop on 30th November 1949 and was ordained Bishop of Dunedin on 26th December 1957.[1]
In 1953, Kavanagh was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[3]
Kavanagh died in Dunedin on 10 July 1985.[1]
Legacy
Dunedin's only Catholic secondary school, Kavanagh College, was named after him until 2023.
In 2018 public controversy arose as to his handling of clergy and religious abuse allegations during his episcopal tenure.[4] In 2020, Cardinal John Dew instigated an investigation into Kavanagh's actions.[5] The investigation found that Kavanagh failed to investigate abuse claims relating to one priest. In 2022 it was announced that Kavanagh College would be renamed Trinity Catholic College from 1 January 2023 in consequence.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d Mulrennan, Frances. "Kavanagh, John Patrick". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Part 3B - In New Zealand". Polish Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen - New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 415. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
- ^ Morris, Chris (15 December 2018). "Sisters of Mercy a dark misnomer". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "New Zealand cardinal opens inquiry into late bishop's actions on abuse". Catholic News Service. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Hudson, Daisy (18 March 2022). "Kavanagh College to be renamed". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- Bishop John Patrick Kavanagh, Catholic Hierarchy website (Retrieved 17 January 2011)
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