Matthew Joseph Brodie (1871 – 11 October 1943) was the second 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 Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

on 27 November 1915 and died in office on 11 October 1943. He was the first New Zealander by birth to be made a Catholic bishop.Death of Bishop Brodie, ''The Press'', Tuesday, 12 October 1943, p. 4. He was noted for his interest in promoting the general well-being of all.

Early life

Brodie was born in

Coromandel Coromandel may refer to: Places India *Coromandel Coast, India ** Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements **Dutch Coromandel * Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India New Zealand *Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula *Cor ...

, New Zealand, in 1871. His parents were Irish immigrants to New Zealand. He received his early education in Coromandel and at the "Pitt St School" ( St Peter's School). He was then sent to Sydney for his secondary education at

St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill St Joseph's College (abbreviated as SJC and commonly called ''Joeys'') is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Marist Brothers tradition, located in Hunters Hill, a suburb on the Lower North Sh ...

and he then trained as a priest at

St Patrick's College, Manly St Patrick's Seminary, Manly is a heritage-listed former residence of the Archbishop of Sydney and Roman Catholic Church seminary at 151 Darley Road, Manly, Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, Australia. The property was also known as ...

where one of his professors was Michael Verdon. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Auckland in

St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph (usually known as St Patrick's Cathedral) is a heritage-listed Catholic cathedral church in Auckland CBD, situated on the corner of Federal Street and Wyndham St. It is the mother church of the R ...

by Bishop Lenihan on 20 December 1896.

Priesthood

Brodie first served as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

at St Benedict's Church, Newton, Auckland and then at the village of Puhoi. He was the first

Parish Priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

. Brodie was at Waihi at the time of the 1912 Waihi miners' strike and he made personal efforts which contributed to its settlement."The Late Bishop Brodie: Requiem Mass celebrated", ''The Press'', Friday 15 October 1943, p. 6 He was effective because he was respected by all the parties."Death Claims a Great Prelate", ''Zealandia'', 14 October 1943, pp. 1 and 6 After leaving Waihi, he was Administrator at St Patrick's Cathedral and then Parish Priest at Parnell. He was also latterly the

Vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Auckland Diocese.

Episcopacy

Brodie was consecrated a bishop on 27 February 1916 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 the

Apostolic delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

, Cardinal Cerretti, assisted by Archbishop Redwood and Bishop Verdon. His appointment there was received with joy. However, as the first secular bishop in what had been regarded as a Marist diocese, he had lengthy disputes with Marist superiors about the order's tenure of parishes. His relations with individual Marists, however, were at all times courteous.Michael King, ''God's Farthest Outpost: A History of Catholics in New Zealand'', Penguin Books, Auckland, 1997, p. 142 Brodie was notable for his keen interest and support of Catholic education, especially of

St Bede's College, Christchurch St. Bede's College is an State-integrated school, integrated Roman Catholic day school, day and boarding school in Christchurch, New Zealand, for boys aged 12 (Year 9) to 18 (Year 13). St. Bede's is the oldest Roman Catholic Boys' College in N ...

. Brodie also supported

Nazareth House Nazareth House, also known as St. Andrew's Parish House, is a historic building in Rochester, New York, Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a three-story, brick institutional building built in 1893 and enlarged in 1911. The ...

and the

Sisters of the Good Shepherd The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, also known as the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, is a Catholic religious order that was founded in 1835 by Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in Angers, France. The religious sisters belong to a C ...

at Mt Magdala, especially their orphanage of St Joseph. Brodie introduced the

Carmelite nuns The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histor ...

to Christchurch and he advanced the

Holy Name Society The Society of the Holy Name, formally known as the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus, is a Roman Catholic confraternity of the laity and is one of several which are under the care of the Dominican Order. It is open to all C ...

, the

Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary (, post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve on a Voluntary association, voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Roman Catholic ...

and the

Catholic Women's League The Catholic Women's League (CWL) is a Catholic lay organisation founded in 1906 by Margaret Fletcher. Originally intended to bring together Catholic women in England, the organization has grown, and may be found in numerous Commonwealth count ...

. He also encouraged the establishment of the

Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

movement for women. Brodie proved to be a popular, long-serving and hard-working prelate in Christchurch.

Public concern

As Bishop, Brodie always "showed himself in the front rank in any movement connected with the well-being of the community in general". This was especially in the context of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. He also supported the

Order of St John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

. Brodie, cooperating with the Anglican Archbishop West-Watson, mediated to promote the settlement of the Tramway Strike of 1932. He met with the parties till dawn in working for a peaceful settlement. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

Death

Brodie was a patient at Lewisham Hospital (later called Calvary Hospital) from April 1943 until his death on 11 October 1943, aged 79. His body lay in state on 13 October and thousands of passed through the cathedral. Brodie's requiem mass was celebrated by Bishop Liston and his Panagyric was preached by Archbishop O'Shea. Bishop O'Neill assisted at the Mass. Brodie was interred at Mt Magdala at the St John of God Chapel.

Early life

Priesthood

Episcopacy

Public concern

Death

Notes

See also