Norman Cardinal Gilroy
Encyclopedia
His Eminence Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 January 1896 – 21 October 1977) was an Australian clergyman. He was the first Australian-born Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church.
Biography
Gilroy was born in Sydney, to working-class parents of Irish descent. Educated at the Marist Brothers' CollegeMarist College Kogarah
Marist College Kogarah is a systemic Catholic College for boys from Years 7 to 12, located in Bexley, New South Wales, Australia.The College was founded in 1909, and has a tradition based on the teachings of the French educator Saint Marcellin Champagnat...
in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
, he left school when 13 years old, to work as a messenger boy in what was then the Postmaster-General's Department. In 1914 his parents refused permission for him to enlist in the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
, but he was allowed to volunteer for the transport service as a telegraphist. He served in the Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
campaign of World War I in 1915.
On his return to Australia, he was ordered to resume his work as a telegraphist for the postal service. He expressed an interest in becoming a priest and in 1917 began his studies at St Columba's, Springwood, New South Wales
Springwood, New South Wales
Springwood is a town in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Springwood is located 72 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. At the 2006 census, Springwood had a population of 8,210 people. It is largely Anglo-Celtic.Springwood is near the...
in 1917, and continued them from 1919 at Propaganda Fide College in Rome. He was ordained a priest on 24 December 1923 at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, and received his doctorate in divinity in Rome the following year.
Returning to Australia in 1924, Gilroy was appointed to the staff of the staff of the Apostolic Delegation
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
in Sydney, which in that year received as its new head Archbishop Bartolomeo Cattaneo
Apostolic Nunciature to Australia
The Nunciature to Australia is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia with the rank of an ambassador...
, who favoured the appointment of Australian-born priests as bishops in Australia. After six years in this post, Gilroy returned to Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, becoming Chancellor and Secretary of the Bishop.
In 1934 he was appointed Bishop of Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, South Australia, gaining an experience in dealing with pastoral problems that was to serve him well in his later position.
In 1937 he became Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney and Titular Archbishop of Cypsela. On the death of Archbishop Michael Kelly
Michael Kelly (bishop)
Michael Kelly was an Australian Roman Catholic clergyman, the fourth Archbishop of Sydney.Born at Waterford, Ireland, to James Kelly, a master mariner, and Mary née Grant, Kelly was educated at Christian Brothers’, Enniscorthy and the Classical Academy, New Ross.Kelly received his seminary...
, Gilroy succeeded to the Archdiocese of Sydney on on 18 March 1940.
Gilroy was created Cardinal on 18 February 1946, becoming the first Australian-born member of the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
, becoming Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati
Santi Quattro Coronati
Santi Quattro Coronati is an ancient basilica in Rome, Italy. The church dates back to the 4th century, and is devoted to four anonymous saints and martyrs. The complex of the basilica with its two courtyards, the fortified Cardinal Palace with the St...
.
Gilroy was knighted in 1969. He was the first Roman Catholic Cardinal to receive a knighthood since the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. He was awarded Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
in 1970. He resigned as Archbishop of Sydney in July 1971, and died in Sydney in 1977, aged 81. He was succeeded by James Darcy Freeman.
Work as Archbishop of Sydney
Gilroy enforced strict discipline in accordance with the Code of Canon Law on his clergy, who had grown lax under the elderly Michael Kelly. In so doing, he acquired a reputation of an "iron man". He always maintained his exacting standards, but showed compassion for those who failed to meet them.Much of his energy was devoted to providing churches and schools for his flock. By 1971 he had 366 schools with 115,704 pupils, staffed by 751 Brothers and 2992 nuns, as well as lay teachers. He was unable to bring to concrete realization his plan to establish a Catholic university, but was to some extent successful in his project to found a faculty of theology at Manly, New South Wales
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
.
The 1954 split of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
saw a marked difference of opinion between Gilroy and Archbishop Daniel Mannix
Daniel Mannix
Daniel Mannix was an Irish-born Australian Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th century Australia....
of Melbourne, who backed B.A. Santamaria's "Movement" (the episcopally sponsored Catholic Social Studies Movement). Gilroy avoided direct political comment and believed that the church should not become involved in politics. But like most Sydney Irish Roman Catholics, he had grown up as a supporter of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, and was a confidant of Roman Catholic Labor Premiers of New South Wales Joseph Cahill
Joseph Cahill
John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...
. He firmly opposed Santamaria's activities and banned the distribution of Movement literature in Sydney churches. As a result of the close relationship between Gilroy and Cahill, there was no split in the New South Wales Labor Party.
Legacy
Gilroy CollegeGilroy College
Gilroy Catholic College is a co-educational Roman Catholic secondary school for students from Year 7 through to Year 12 located in Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney.-History:...
, a Year 7–12 High School in North Western Sydney named after him opened in 1980. The College took Cardinal Gilroy's personal motto "Christ is my light" as the official school motto. Gilroy College celebrated its 25th anniversary as a school community in 2004.