Rosendo Salvado
Encyclopedia
Dom Rosendo Salvado Rotea OSB
(1 March 1814 – 29 December 1900) was a Benedictine
monk, missionary, bishop, and bestselling author, as well as the founder and first Abbot
of New Norcia, in Western Australia
.
, Galicia, Spain
, the son of Peter Salvado and Francisca Rotea. At the age of 15, he entered the Benedictine Abbey of San Martin at Compostela
. He was clothed in the habit
in 1829 and took his final vows in 1832.
, after the Anti-Catholic government of Isabella II of Spain
decreed the closing of all monasteries and the secularization of monks (see First Carlist War
). He was received into the Abbey of Trinità della Cava, near Naples
, where he was ordained to the priesthood in February 1839.
was consecrated as first Bishop of Perth
. With his longtime friend Father Joseph Serra OSB, he sailed from London
with the Bishop's party and landed in Fremantle
in January 1846. At Bishop Brady's instruction, Fathers Salvado and Serra, alongside a small party of their fellow Benedictines, journeyed deep into the Victoria Plains via ox drawn cart. On 1 March 1846, they founded "The Central Mission" in the midst of the bush, intending to convert the Aborigines
to Catholicism
. This was later renamed "New Norcia," after the birthplace of St. Benedict.
The priests soon established relations with the Aborigines
, but conditions at the Mission proved so harsh that soon only Fathers Salvado and Serra remained. Then, in 1848, Father Serra was appointed Bishop of Port Essington
in the Northern Territory
and later to Coadjutor of the Diocese of Perth
.
, Spanish
, and French
. It would not be published in English, however, until 1977.
In 1867, he was appointed "Lord Abbot" and the Mission was upgraded to an independent Abbey by Papal Decree.
, while on a visit to Rome
. His body was returned to New Norcia three years later and buried in a tomb of Carrara marble behind the high altar of the Abbey church.
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
(1 March 1814 – 29 December 1900) was a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk, missionary, bishop, and bestselling author, as well as the founder and first Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of New Norcia, in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Early life
Bishop Salvado was born at TuiTui, Galicia
Tui , in Spanish Tuy, is a town in Galicia , in the province of Pontevedra. It is located on the left bank of the Minho River, facing the Portuguese town of Valença....
, Galicia, 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...
, the son of Peter Salvado and Francisca Rotea. At the age of 15, he entered the Benedictine Abbey of San Martin at Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
. He was clothed in the habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
in 1829 and took his final vows in 1832.
Refugee
In 1835, he was forced to flee to the Kingdom of the Two SiciliesKingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
, after the Anti-Catholic government of Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
decreed the closing of all monasteries and the secularization of monks (see First Carlist War
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
). He was received into the Abbey of Trinità della Cava, near Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, where he was ordained to the priesthood in February 1839.
Missionary
Strongly desiring to labor in the foreign missions, his wish was granted after John BradyJohn Brady
John Brady may refer to:* Johnny Brady , Irish Fianna Fáil politician from Meath* John F. Brady Delaware Politician* John Brady , Australian rules footballer with North Melbourne* Jon Brady, Australian soccer player...
was consecrated as first Bishop of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. With his longtime friend Father Joseph Serra OSB, he sailed from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the Bishop's party and landed in Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
in January 1846. At Bishop Brady's instruction, Fathers Salvado and Serra, alongside a small party of their fellow Benedictines, journeyed deep into the Victoria Plains via ox drawn cart. On 1 March 1846, they founded "The Central Mission" in the midst of the bush, intending to convert the Aborigines
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. This was later renamed "New Norcia," after the birthplace of St. Benedict.
The priests soon established relations with the Aborigines
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, but conditions at the Mission proved so harsh that soon only Fathers Salvado and Serra remained. Then, in 1848, Father Serra was appointed Bishop of Port Essington
Port Essington
Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and later to Coadjutor of the Diocese of Perth
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Perth and covering the Greater Perth, Goldfields-Esperance, Peel, and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia....
.
Return to Europe
In 1849, Father Salvado sailed for Europe to raise funds for the Mission, accompanied by two young Aboriginal boys, Joseph Conaci and Francis Dirimera. Salvado was consecrated Bishop of Port Essington in August of that year, much against his will, as he strongly desired to return to New Norcia. After Port Essington was abandoned, however, he was left as a Bishop without a See.Author
While awaiting permission to return to Australia, he wrote and published the book Memorie Storiche dell' Australia in March 1851. This book, which chronicled the beginnings of the Mission and his relations with the Aborigines, went through multiple printings in ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. It would not be published in English, however, until 1977.
Later life
He returned to Australia in 1853, accompanied by a large number of priests and monks bound for the Australian Missions and especially for New Norcia. For four years he administered the Diocese of Perth during Bishop Serra's absence in Europe. He returned to New Norcia in 1857. In the following years he was in shifting the focus of the Mission to serving the White settlers who were pouring into the area.In 1867, he was appointed "Lord Abbot" and the Mission was upgraded to an independent Abbey by Papal Decree.
Death and legacy
He died in 1900 at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the WallsBasilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
The Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls , commonly known as St Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of four churches that are the great ancient major basilicas or papal basilicas of Rome: the basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Peter's and Saint Paul Outside the Walls...
, while on a visit to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. His body was returned to New Norcia three years later and buried in a tomb of Carrara marble behind the high altar of the Abbey church.
See also
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of PerthRoman Catholic Archdiocese of PerthThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Perth and covering the Greater Perth, Goldfields-Esperance, Peel, and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia....
- Catholic bishops and archbishops of Perth, Western AustraliaCatholic Bishops and Archbishops of Perth, Western AustraliaThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in Western Australia. It is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Broome, Bunbury and Geraldton....