Michael Ernest Putney, AM (20 June 1946 – 28 March 2014) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

bishop and a recognized leader of the ecumenical movement in Australia. Born in

Gladstone, Queensland Gladstone () is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Gladstone has an urban population of 34,703, and together with Boyne Island and Tannum Sands, had an estimated population of 50,317 at August 2021. This urban area ...

, Putney attended St. Joseph's Convent (Townsville) for his primary education, and Our Lady's Mount (Townsville) and St. Columban's (Albion Heights, Brisbane) for his secondary education. He trained for the priesthood at

Pius XII Provincial Seminary Holy Spirit Seminary is a Catholic provincial seminary for Queensland located in Brisbane, Australia. Originally known as the Pius XII Provincial Seminary, it was founded in 1941 on top of Beehive Hill in the Brisbane suburb of Banyo, in a large R ...

at Banyo, and was ordained in 1969. Putney was named

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Mizigi and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) in 1995. In 2001, Putney was named bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville The Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville is a suffragan Latin Rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, erected in 1930, covering North Queensland, Australia. It was excised from the Diocese of Rockhampton, which had previously covered all ...

, succeeding Bishop

Raymond Conway Benjamin Raymond Conway Benjamin (24 February 1925 – 7 March 2016) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1949, Benjamin served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville The Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville i ...

. Putney was well known for his ecumenical outreach to other Christian denominations and was president of the National Council of Churches in Australia from 2009 to 2013. Putney was appointed

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian ...

in the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the Catholic Church in Australia, to the promotion of inter-faith dialogue, and to the community of Townsville", and his life and work is also remembered in the annual Bishop Michael Putney Lecture, sponsored by

Queensland Churches Together The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) is an ecumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australia's Christian churches in dialogue and practical cooperation. The NCCA works in collaboration with state ecumenical councils ...

and the Brisbane Roman Catholic Council for Ecumenism and Inter Religious Relations.

Death

Bishop Putney was diagnosed with terminal

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenoca ...

in December 2012, and eventually died in office, having worked up until his admission to the hospital on 21 March 2014 (according to Australia's ABC), passing away 15 months after his diagnosis at the Mater Hospital, Townsville, on Friday, 28 March 2014, aged 67."Notice of death of Bishop Putney"
catholicnewsagency.com; accessed 21 August 2014.

Notes

1946 births 2014 deaths People from Queensland Roman Catholic bishops of Townsville Deaths from cancer in Queensland Deaths from stomach cancer 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Australia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Australia Members of the Order of Australia {{Australia-RC-bishop-stub