John Atcherley Dew
Encyclopedia
John Atcherley Dew is the Roman Catholic Archbishop
of Wellington
, and the metropolitan
of New Zealand
.
Born in Waipawa
, he attended St. Joseph's Primary School, Waipukurau
and St Joseph's College, Masterton
. His tertiary education was at Holy Name Seminary
, Christchurch
(Philosophy) and at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel
(Theology). He was ordained priest
at Waipukurau
by Cardinal Reginald Delargey in May 1976. He served as a priest in St Joseph's Parish, Upper Hutt
1976–79; Diocese of Rarotonga
, 1980–82; Archdiocesan Youth Ministry 1983–87; Cook Islands
Maori
Community 1983–87 and then on the staff of Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, 1988-91. He studied Spirituality at the Institute of St. Anselm, Kent
, United Kingdom
, 1991-92. He returned to New Zealand
where he was the parish priest at St. Anne's Parish, Newtown 1993–95.
He was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop
for the Wellington Archdiocese on 31 May 1995, aged 47. He is currently secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference. He is Conference Deputy for: the National Committee for Professional Standards, Finance, Moderator of the Tribunal, Military Ordinariate and the National Council for Young Catholics. He was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington on 24 May 2004 and succeeded Cardinal Williams as Archbishop of Wellington on 21 March 2005.
Dew achieved some prominence at the Bishops' Synod
on the Eucharist
at the Vatican
in October 2005 when he advocated divorced and remarried Catholics being able to receive the Eucharist. He said that bishops have “a pastoral duty and an obligation before God to discuss and debate the question.” He urged the assembly to reconsider the Church ban, referring to it as a "source of scandal", adding "Our Church would be enriched if we were able to invite dedicated Catholics, currently excluded from the Eucharist, to return to the Lord's Table."
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Wellington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
, and the metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Born in Waipawa
Waipawa
Waipawa is the second-largest town in Central Hawke's Bay in the east of the North Island of New Zealand. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,872, a change of -2.0 percent since the 1996 census....
, he attended St. Joseph's Primary School, Waipukurau
Waipukurau
Waipukurau , also known as Ypuk, is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings on the banks of the Tukituki River....
and St Joseph's College, Masterton
Chanel College, Masterton
Chanel College, Masterton is a Catholic secondary school situated in Masterton, New Zealand. The school is named after St Peter Chanel, who was a French Marist priest killed on the Pacific island of Futuna in 1841. The school was established in 1978...
. His tertiary education was at Holy Name Seminary
Holy Name Seminary
Holy Name Seminary was a Roman Catholic seminary staffed by the Society of Jesus established in New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1947 in Christchurch and closed at the end of 1978.-Establishment:...
, Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
(Philosophy) and at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel
Holy Cross College (New Zealand)
Holy Cross College or Holy Cross Seminary is the national Roman Catholic seminary of New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1900 in Mosgiel and was relocated to Auckland in 1997.-Establishment:...
(Theology). He was ordained priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
at Waipukurau
Waipukurau
Waipukurau , also known as Ypuk, is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings on the banks of the Tukituki River....
by Cardinal Reginald Delargey in May 1976. He served as a priest in St Joseph's Parish, Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...
1976–79; Diocese of Rarotonga
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
, 1980–82; Archdiocesan Youth Ministry 1983–87; Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
Maori
Cook Islands Maori
The Cook Islands Māori language, also called Māori Kūki 'Āirani or Rarotongan, is the official language of the Cook Islands. Most Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, literally "the language of the Ancestral Homeland"....
Community 1983–87 and then on the staff of Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, 1988-91. He studied Spirituality at the Institute of St. Anselm, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 1991-92. He returned to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where he was the parish priest at St. Anne's Parish, Newtown 1993–95.
He was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
for the Wellington Archdiocese on 31 May 1995, aged 47. He is currently secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference. He is Conference Deputy for: the National Committee for Professional Standards, Finance, Moderator of the Tribunal, Military Ordinariate and the National Council for Young Catholics. He was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington on 24 May 2004 and succeeded Cardinal Williams as Archbishop of Wellington on 21 March 2005.
Dew achieved some prominence at the Bishops' Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
on the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
at the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
in October 2005 when he advocated divorced and remarried Catholics being able to receive the Eucharist. He said that bishops have “a pastoral duty and an obligation before God to discuss and debate the question.” He urged the assembly to reconsider the Church ban, referring to it as a "source of scandal", adding "Our Church would be enriched if we were able to invite dedicated Catholics, currently excluded from the Eucharist, to return to the Lord's Table."
- Archbishop John Atcherley Dew, Catholic Hierarchy website (retrieved 12 February 2011)