Death of the Bishop of Maitland

New Zealand Tablet, 15 July 1909, Page 1099

Death of the Bishop of Maitland

A cable message was received on Friday conveying the sad intelligence of the death of the Right llev. James Murray, Bishop of Maitland, who passed away on the previous night. The news of Dr. Murray's death was not wholly unexpected, as he had been in very poor health for several months. The deceased prelate was born on March 25, 1828, and was therefore in his eighty-second year. He was a grand-nephew of the illustrious Dr. Murray, Archbishop of Dublin. He made his first classical studies in Dublin, and subsequently attended Propaganda. He was ordained priest in 1851, and commenced liis missionary duties in his native diocese of Dublin. Later on he acted as secretary to Cardinal Cullen, a position which he filled until his appointment to the See of Maitland. It may be mentioned that he was first appointed to the See of Perth in 18.64, but on the. urgent plea that his constitution being unequal to the climate of that colony he was exempted from that charge. He was consecrated Bishop of Maitland on November 14, 1865, with the late Dr. Matthew Quinn, Bishop of Bathurst. After a visit to Rome, the two Bishops, with a party of nuns and missionaries, left for Australia in July of the' following year, and three months later arrived in Sydney. After a few days' rest the Bishops of Maitland and Bathurst set out for their respective sees. In 1872 Dr. Murray paid his first visit to the Home countries, impelled thereto partly by the necessity of seeking further aid of missionaries and nuns to carry on the religious and education;*! work of the diocese. In his report to the Sacred Congregation at Rome he stated that the diocese extended about 160 miles along the coast, and thence far inland, its remotest district being 800 miles from the city of Mait-

land. The Catholic population was then about 22,000. The clergy numbered 14. There was only one convent. About 2000 children attended the 28 Catholic schools in the dio.ceso. In the matter of education, Dr. Murray from the first day he landed in Australia was a most active and consistent opponent of secularism, and no prelate had labored more indefatigably or more practically to uphold the cause of Catholic education In 1880, Dr. Murray paid a prolonged visit to Europe, and during his stay was successful in securing for his diocese a community of Redemptorist missionaries. Towards the close of the year 1890, amid the universal rejoicing of his faithful, .Dr. Murray celebrated the silver jubilee of his episcopate. The Superior of the Redemptorists in Ballarat, preaching in the Cathedral of Maitland on the occasion of the religious celebration, gave an interesting sketch of the great work that had been done in a quarter of a century.

" Twenty-five years ago,' he said, ' the number of churches in the diocese was 20, and the number of schools all receiving State aid was twelve or fourteen. There was only one religious community. Now within the same territory they had 70 churches, 52 of which were in the diocese, a considerable portion of the diocese having been recently cut off in- the erection of new Sees. The schools in the diocese had increased to 43, all carrying on their work without a single penny from the State. They had 22 religious communities with 150 members, and they had 35 priests.' In 1897 the Right Rev. Dr. Dwyer was appointed coadjutor cum jure auccessioiiis. The latest summary of the Diocese of Maitland is: Churches and chapels, ]12; priests, 48; religious Brothers, 12; nuns, 231; boarding schools (girls), 3; superior day schools, 12; primary schools, 42 ; total Catholic population, 30,000 ; pupils in Catholic schools, 3879.— R.1. P.