George Michael Lenihan
Encyclopedia
George Michael Lenihan OSB (1858-1910) was fifth Catholic Bishop of Auckland
(1896-1910).
, Ramsgate
under the Abbot Alcock whose associate was Father Edmund Luck
. After four years there he went to St Edmund's College, Ware to study for the priesthood for the Westminster
Archdiocese. He then studied philosophy and theology at the English College
at Valladolid
, Spain
.
In 1882 when he was sub-deacon, he was invited to accompany Bishop Edmund Luck
to New Zealand and on 27 August 1882 he was ordained a priest, " ... being the first student of the Ramsgate College to be ordained to the secular priesthood".
Walter McDonald
at St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
where he remained for more than three years. In 1886 he was appointed pastor of Ponsonby
, which he found without either church or presbytery. A new church for Ponsonby was blessed six months later, and opened within the year. Lenihan was also entrusted with the charge of the Star of the Sea Orphanage at St Mary's
. In 1891 he was appointed as "irremovable rector" of Parnell
.
to Bishop Luck
, on whose death (early in 1896) he succeeded as ordinary
and was consecrated a bishop on 15 November 1896 at the relatively young age of 38. In 1899 Lenihan visited Rome and Ireland and secured more priests for the diocese. He opened Sacred Heart College, Auckland
in 1903 and in 1905 undertook the completion of St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
. This was accomplished in 1907, the complete building being dedicated in 1908 by Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney
. Lenihan again visited Europe and North America in 1908 when he attended the celebration of the golden jubilee
of Pope Pius X
and the Eucharistic Congress in London.
Bishop Lenihan died on 23 February 1910 in Sydney, Australia.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland
The Latin Rite Catholic Diocese of Auckland is one of the two original dioceses in New Zealand. Although formally a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Wellington, both were erected on 20 June 1848...
(1896-1910).
Early life
George Michael Lenihan was born in 1858 in London to Irish parents who died while he was a child. Aged 14, he entered the Benedictine College at St Augustine's AbbeyHistoric buildings in Ramsgate
-Churches:The town has three notable churches. St Augustine's serves its own abbey and the town's Catholic community, whilst St Laurence and St George are both Church of England, and serve the Anglican community as part of the Diocese of Canterbury....
, Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
under the Abbot Alcock whose associate was Father Edmund Luck
John Edmund Luck
John Edmund Luck OSB was the fourth Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand .-Early life:Luck was born in Peckham, Surrey, England, on 18 March 1840, one of seven children of Alfred Luck, a warehouseman, and his wife, Clementina Golding. Theirs was a profoundly religious household...
. After four years there he went to St Edmund's College, Ware to study for the priesthood for the Westminster
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The archdiocese consists of all the London boroughs north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, together with the towns southwest of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames and...
Archdiocese. He then studied philosophy and theology at the English College
English College, Valladolid
The Royal English and Welsh College, Valladolid, under the patronage of St Alban, was founded in 1589 during the protestant reformation for the training of Catholic priests for the English and Welsh Mission....
at Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In 1882 when he was sub-deacon, he was invited to accompany Bishop Edmund Luck
John Edmund Luck
John Edmund Luck OSB was the fourth Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand .-Early life:Luck was born in Peckham, Surrey, England, on 18 March 1840, one of seven children of Alfred Luck, a warehouseman, and his wife, Clementina Golding. Theirs was a profoundly religious household...
to New Zealand and on 27 August 1882 he was ordained a priest, " ... being the first student of the Ramsgate College to be ordained to the secular priesthood".
Priesthood in Auckland
When he arrived in Auckland in 1882, Lenihan was appointed as curate to MonsignorMonsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Walter McDonald
McDonald brothers (priests)
The brothers James McDonald and Walter McDonald were Catholic missionary priests and ecclesiatical administrators in early Auckland.-Early life:...
at St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph is the Cathedral of the Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Origins:...
where he remained for more than three years. In 1886 he was appointed pastor of Ponsonby
Ponsonby, New Zealand
Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland City located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD, in the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north-south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road....
, which he found without either church or presbytery. A new church for Ponsonby was blessed six months later, and opened within the year. Lenihan was also entrusted with the charge of the Star of the Sea Orphanage at St Mary's
Saint Mary's College Auckland
St Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.-History:St Mary’s College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand...
. In 1891 he was appointed as "irremovable rector" of Parnell
Parnell, New Zealand
Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is often billed as Auckland's "oldest suburb" since it dates from the earliest days of the European settlement of Auckland in 1841...
.
Bishop of Auckland
In 1895 Lenihan was appointed Coadjutor bishopCoadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
to Bishop Luck
John Edmund Luck
John Edmund Luck OSB was the fourth Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand .-Early life:Luck was born in Peckham, Surrey, England, on 18 March 1840, one of seven children of Alfred Luck, a warehouseman, and his wife, Clementina Golding. Theirs was a profoundly religious household...
, on whose death (early in 1896) he succeeded as ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
and was consecrated a bishop on 15 November 1896 at the relatively young age of 38. In 1899 Lenihan visited Rome and Ireland and secured more priests for the diocese. He opened Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Sacred Heart College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a Catholic, Marist College set on of land overlooking the Tamaki Estuary in Glen Innes.- History :The college was opened in 1903 in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers...
in 1903 and in 1905 undertook the completion of St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph is the Cathedral of the Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Origins:...
. This was accomplished in 1907, the complete building being dedicated in 1908 by Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Lenihan again visited Europe and North America in 1908 when he attended the celebration of the golden jubilee
Golden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
of Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
and the Eucharistic Congress in London.
Bishop Lenihan died on 23 February 1910 in Sydney, Australia.
Sources
- E.R. Simmons, A Brief History of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland, 1978.
- E.R. Simmons, In Cruce Salus, A History of the Diocese of Auckland 1848 - 1980, Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland 1982.
External links
- Catholic Hierarchy website http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/blenihang.html
- Bishop George Michael Lenihan OSB, Catholic Hierarchy website (retrieved 12 February 2011)