Brian Patrick Ashby (10 November 1923 – 5 June 1988) was the fifth Catholic Bishop of

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand. He was appointed by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

on 11 July 1964, resigned the see on 4 July 1985, and died on 5 June 1988. He was the leading New Zealand Catholic bishop in attempting to implement the decrees of the

Vatican Council II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for sessions ...

and he was the leading bishop on

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

issues.

Early life

Ashby was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, a northern suburb of

, in 1923. He received his primary education at St Joseph's Convent,

Papanui Papanui is a major suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is situated five kilometres to the northwest of the Christchurch Central City, city centre. Papanui has a population of 3,645 consisting predominantly of Pākehā (New Zeala ...

, and his secondary education at St Bede's College (to which he won a scholarship). In 1941, Ashby studied law at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

while working in a law office. Over the next two years, he served with the Fifth Canterbury Regiment. When the under-20s were released for further study in 1943, Ashby began his study for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel. In 1946, he was selected by Bishop Lyons for theology studies in Rome where he was ordained on 1 January 1950. In 1951, he completed his doctorate in theology."The Church loses a gifted leader", ''Zealandia'', 19 July 1988, pp. 1–3

Priesthood

Ashby returned to Christchurch and was appointed as assistant priest in the new parish of North Timaru. In 1957 he became secretary to Bishop Joyce, the 4th Bishop of

. In 1960 Ashby was sent to London to study the techniques of the Catholic Enquiry Centre there. Ashby became the co-director of the New Zealand Catholic Enquiry Centre when it opened in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

in 1961. On 11 July 1964, Ashby was appointed as the Fifth Bishop of Christchurch, succeeding Bishop Joyce.

Episcopacy

Ashby was consecrated Bishop at the age of 41 (one of the youngest bishops to take office) on 5 August 1964 in the

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, sometimes referred to as the Christchurch Basilica or the Catholic Cathedral, was a Catholic cathedral on Barbadoes Street in central Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the mother church of the Roman Cath ...

by Archbishop McKeefry of Wellington and the co-consecrators Archbishop Liston of Auckland and Bishop Snedden (Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington). Ashby attended the last sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, an experience which placed him in an optimum position to help steer the New Zealand church through the difficult transition times following the Council. He tried to renew diocesan structures and he placed great emphasis on making himself accessible to his people. Ashby became the leading Catholic figure in the area of

ecumenism Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

. His work in this area was recognised in 1983 when

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed him to the Vatican Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity. In 1983, Ashby was also the first New Zealand bishop to be appointed a member of the second Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, and was also chairman of the New Zealand Catholic Ecumenical Commission. He was the first Catholic bishop to preach in an Anglican cathedral in New Zealand and maintained an enduring personal friendship with the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch Bishop Pyatt. Ashby was the first New Zealand bishop to implement church sanctuary alterations in the wake of the second Vatican Council. The alterations introduced into the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament were controversial but Ashby insisted that they followed the Council decrees.Terry Olsen, "May fresh air blow on – ''Bishop Ashby''", ''Zealandia'', 14 July 1985, p. 3. In Christchurch, he was pivotal in enabling the construction of the Our Lady of Victories Church in 1968, designed by Charles Thomas to embrace the spirit of Vatican II.

Social justice concerns

Ashby had the role of visionary in the Catholic hierarchy and he became a significant leader in Church and community affairs. His youth, energy and charisma enabled him to take the lead on social justice issues, particularly those involving

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Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

relations, overseas aid and sporting contacts with

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(which he visited, to see for himself the consequences of

Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

)Michael King, ''God's Farthest Outpost: A History of Catholics in New Zealand'', Penguin Books, Auckland, 1997, p. 181. Both he and his friend, Bishop Pyatt were outspoken critics of the 1981 Springbok Rugby Tour."Catholic Bishop had strong social conscience", ''The Press'', 6 June 1988, p. 3 The effect of Ashby's leadership was visible in 1981, when scarcely a priest in his diocese supported the tour. Ashby also headed the New Zealand Catholic Commission for Evangelisation, Justice and Development which gave money to

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(Halt All Racist Tours) in 1981 and later to the Waitangi Action Committee. Both donations brought criticism and debate within the Church. Ashby's services to the community were recognised when he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

in 1977, and appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours. Ashby said that he was a peaceful man but that he "owed it to my integrity to take the stands that I have taken".

Retirement and death

Ashby resigned the see on 4 July 1985 because of a stroke, after serving 21 years as Bishop of Christchurch. During his retirement he was president of the New Zealand Counter-Stroke Support Group. In April 1988, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died on 5 June 1988 in the Mary Potter Hospital, Christchurch. His

Requiem Mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

was concelebrated before a congregation of 2,000 by bishops from all the New Zealand dioceses (the celebrants included Bishop John Gerry (Auxiliary Bishop of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

)."Thousands pay respects", ''Zealandia'', 19 June 1988, p. 1 Ashby is interred in Christchurch's

Bromley Cemetery Bromley Cemetery is a cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It occupies approximately 10 hectares to the east of the city centre, on the corner of Keighleys Road and Linwood Avenue. The Christchurch City Council maintains and administers the c ...

Early life

Priesthood

Episcopacy

Social justice concerns

Retirement and death

Notes

See also