John Patrick Kavanagh (30 April 1913 – 10 July 1985) was the fourth Catholic Bishop of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

(1957–1985).

Early life

Kavanagh was born in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was establishe ...

in 1913.

Legacy

's only Catholic secondary school,

Kavanagh College Trinity Catholic College (known as Kavanagh College before 2023) is a Catholic, state-integrated, co-educational, secondary school located at Rattray St, in City Rise, central Dunedin, New Zealand. The school was founded in 1989 as the ultima ...

, was named after him until 2023. In 2018 public controversy arose as to his handling of clergy and religious abuse allegations during his episcopal tenure. In 2020, Cardinal John Dew instigated an investigation into Kavanagh's actions. The investigation found that Kavanagh failed to investigate abuse claims relating to one priest. In 2022 it was announced that Kavanagh College would be renamed Trinity Catholic College from 1 January 2023 in consequence.

Death

He died in Dunedin on 10 July 1985.

References

''Bishop John Patrick Kavanagh'', Catholic Hierarchy website
(Retrieved 17 January 2011) 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in New Zealand New Zealand people of Irish descent People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland People from Hāwera Roman Catholic bishops of Dunedin 1913 births 1985 deaths Holy Cross College, New Zealand alumni Participants in the Second Vatican Council {{NewZealand-RC-bishop-stub