THE LATE ARCHBISHOP O’REILY

New Zealand Tablet, 22 July 1915, Page 23

THE LATE ARCHBISHOP O’REILY

lii its notice of the death of his Grace Archbishop O'Reily, of Adelaide, the Freeman's Journal said: Some time ago it was found necessary, owing to the extension of Catholic activities and the ill-health of his Grace the Archbishop, to appoint a Coadjutor, and the choice of the Most Rev. Dr. Spence was hailed on all sides with delight. Such zealous assistance was found to be greatly appreciated by Archbishop O'Reily. The Most Rev.' John O'Reily, D.D., first Bishop of Port Augusta, second Archbishop of Adelaide, and fifth occupant of the See of Adelaide, was born in the parish of St. John, City of Kilkenny, Ireland, on November 19, 1846, and was therefore in his 69th year. Properly speaking, his patronymic is spelled ' O'Reilly,' but the Archbishop, discarding sentimental considerations in favor of the practical, decided to drop one ' 1 ' on account, of the saving in time and labor afforded in the appending of his signature to the many documents which it is necessary that he should sign in transacting his duties. He came of a military family, his father and several of his uncles having served in the Army. His mother, who is nearly 90 years of age, still resides in Kilkenny, and sent her distinguished son a congratulatory cable on the 25th anniversary of his consecration. Two of his Grace's nephews, Revs. John and M. Sherin, of the Sydney archdiocese, are priests. His Grace spent the whole of his earlier years, from six to twenty-four, in his studies. He first graduated at an infant school, and at seven years passed to a primary denominational school, where he spent five and a-half years, and received a- thorough grounding in elementary subjects. He distinguished himself particularly in music and geometry, and when he left the school he knew the first four books of Euclid thoroughly, and had a smattering of the fifth and sixth. He says himself, however, that he was ' a perfect blockhead ' at. drawing. After that he spent six and a-half years at St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny. He was ordained priest in 1869, and soon after left for West Australia. Parish Priest and Catholic Editor. Father O'Reily was stationed in Western Australia for seventeen years, first for brief periods at Newcastle and Northam, but for the greater part of the time at Fremantle. During his sojourn there he edited the West Australian Record, which he founded in 1874, and which is still the Catholic organ in the Western State. Having learned to set type, he often set up a large part of the paper as well as writing most of it. He has ever since evinced a kindly interest in journalists and newspaper men, and the Journalists' Association in South Australia did him the honor of electing him patron. He was in Fremantle at the time of the escape of the Fenian prisoners, and had his house watched by the authorities, though he knew nothing of the plan of escape so successfully carried out. He was Administrator of the diocese for two or three months before the appointment of Bishop Gibney. First Bishop of Port Augusta. After the Plenary Council of Australasia was held in Sydney in 1885, Father O'Reily and two others were nominated for the position of Bishop of the newlyformed diocese of Port Augusta. Two years later news arrived that Dr. O'Reilly had received the appointment. October 9, 1887, was set apart as the date for his consecration, but it was not till May 1, 1888, that he was made Bishop. With characteristic modesty, Dr. O'Reily intimated that he did not wish to accept the honor, but the ' Pope directed him to undertake the

charge. The imposing consecration ceremony was performed.\by Cardinal Moran, assisted by a number of Church dignitaries, in St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. In* addition to addresses, he received a gift of 300 sovereigns. The area of the diocese is 378,000 square miles, and there was then a population of 53,000, of whom 11,000 were of the Catholic faith. When he arrived at Port Augusta he found the diocese heavily in debt, and he set to work to remove the encumberance. - • . . . His Work as Archbishop. On January 5, 1895, Bishop O'Reily was transerred to the See of Adelaide by Papal Brief, in succession to the late Archbishop Reynolds, who died in 1893; but he did not take the charge till March. As was the case when he became Bishop of Port Augusta, one of his first cares was to place the finances of the archdiocese on a satisfactory footing. A general meeting of the laity was summoned, and a scheme was adopted for the liquidation of the heavy liabilities. The story of how those liabilities have been reduced to vanishing point during the past eighteen years is well known, and has been told by his Grace in the masterly financial reports which he has issued periodically. Among the great works undertaken by his Grace during his episcopate may be mentioned the erection of the new Catholic Female Refuge at Fullarton, the foundation of St. Joseph's Orphanage, Largs Bay, both conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the new Church of St. Patrick at West Terrace, now in course of construction. . In 1895 his Grace introduced the Passionist Fathers, who are located at Glen Osmond, from the headquarters of the Order at Goulburn, New South Wales. Three years later a community of the Dominican Order were brought out from Dublin, and established at North Adelaide, where they have charge of the parish of St. Laurence. The Marist Brothers came from Sydney in 1897, and have training institutions at Norwood, Port Adelaide, and Semaphore. The Nursing Sisters of the Little Company of Mary were introduced from Sydney by Dr. O'Reily in 1900, and they conduct a well-known private hospital on Strangways terrace, North Adelaide. In 1902 the Sisters of the Good Samaritan at Gawler were brought from Sydney,, and the Sisters or Mercy at Mount Barker from Broken Hill. The Loreto nuns came from Ballarat in 1905. Quito recently the Little Sisters of the Poor, who attend to the needs of the aged and infirm, were installed at Young street, Parkside. To these Sisters Dr. O'Reily gave a block of land near his residence at Glen Osmond, where a large building will eventually be erected for them. Visit to Ireland and Rome. Eight years ago when his Grace's health showed signs of failure, he made a voyage to Ireland, and also paid his first ad limin-a visit to Rome. During his visit to his native city of Kilkenny he was given a reception, and on his return to Adelaide he was the subject of a great demonstration of affection and esteem on the part of the clergy and laity. On Sunday, Sepember 24, 1905, he was presented with addresses from the clergy, the laity, and the Hibernian Society, and was also presented with a cheque for £BBO, subscribed by the clergy and laity. On that occasion he delivered an address dealing with his visits to Rome and Ireland, and the Plenary Council in Sydney, which he attended after his return. Since then the state of his Grace's health had prevented any frequent appearances in public, though he had delivered several fine addresses at the opening of churches and other functions. His last appearance at such functions was at the laying of the foundation-stone of the new Church of St. Patrick's, which is the most recent of the great works inaugurated during his regime.