James William Gleeson (24 December 1920 – 21 March 2000) was an Australian

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and the sixth Catholic Archbishop of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. He was the first South Australian priest to become Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide.

Early life

James William Gleeson was born on 24 December 1920 in

Balaklava Balaklava ( Ukrainian and , , ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklavsky District that used to be part of the Crimean Oblast before it was transferred to Sevast ...

, north of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. His early education was in Balaklava, attending a Josephite school before going to boarding school at Sacred Heart College in

Somerton Park, South Australia Somerton Park is a seaside suburb of Adelaide in South Australia. The mainly residential suburb is home to the Somerton Park Beach, Sacred Heart College and North Brighton Cemetery. History Somerton Park Post Office opened on 1 July 1947 and ...

, a

Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute of Religious brother, brothers. In 1817, Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from Fr ...

college.Rice 2001. Gleeson's studies for the priesthood were undertaken at Corpus Christi College in

Werribee, Victoria Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the local government area of the City of Wyndham. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribe ...

, and he was ordained by Archbishop

Matthew Beovich Matthew Beovich (1 April 1896 - 24 October 1981) was an Australian Roman Catholic bishop who was the fifth Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, Archbishop of Adelaide. Early life Matthew Beovich was born on 1 April 1896 in Carlton, Victori ...

in Adelaide's St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral on 24 July 1945. After serving as an assistant priest in the cathedral parish for a year, Beovich sent Gleeson to a teacher's college in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

for a year, and in 1952 appointed him Director of Catholic Education for the archdiocese. In 1958, Gleeson received

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dy ...

, becoming a companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(CMG). Cited for the award was his work with young people, both as Director of Catholic Education and through his participation with organisations dealing with the education and welfare of students.Press 1991, p. 215.

Episcopacy

After suffering a period of bad health, in November 1956 Matthew Beovich requested that he receive an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

appointed Gleeson to the position, and he was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

by Beovich on 21 May 1957, becoming Adelaide's first South Australian Catholic bishop. To Gleeson, Beovich delegated responsibility for

Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...

movements and Catholic radio and television, and he eventually came to chair a number of diocesan committees and councils. The Archbishop also tasked him with the ordination of new priests and parish visitation. However, the most important parts of the diocesan administration, such as financial and policy matters, remained under Beovich's control.Laffin 2008, p.226. In July 1964, Gleeson was appointed coadjutor archbishop, in effect naming him as Beovich's successor. Beovich retired on 1 May 1971, making Gleeson the first South Australian priest to become Archbishop of Adelaide. On 20 March 2000, Archbishop Gleeson died as the result of a heart attack. His funeral was held at St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral. The Catholic school

Gleeson College Gleeson College is a Catholic secondary school in Golden Grove, South Australia. The college is named after the late Emeritus Archbishop of Adelaide, James William Gleeson and the motto "With one heart" derives from his serving for 10 years (19 ...

is named in his honour.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gleeson, James William 1920 births 2000 deaths Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic archbishops of Adelaide People from Balaklava, South Australia 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Australia People educated at Sacred Heart College (Adelaide)