Thomas O'Shea (bishop)
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2025}}
{{short description|American bishop (1870–1954)}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| name = Thomas O'Shea
| title = Archbishop of Wellington
| church = Catholic
| diocese = Wellington, New Zealand
| term_start = 3 January 1935
| term_end = 9 May 1954
| birth_date = 13 March 1870
| birth_place = San Francisco, United States
| death_place = Wellington, New Zealand
| death_date = 9 May 1954
| nationality = American
| predecessor = Francis Redwood
| successor = Peter McKeefry
}}
Thomas O'Shea SM (13 March 1870 – 9 May 1954) was an American bishop who served as Archbishop of Wellington from 1935 to 1954.{{DNZB|van der Krogt|Christopher|3o7|O'Shea, Thomas|4 April 2011}}Obituary, Zealandia, 13 May 1954, pp. 8 and 9.
Biography
Thomas O'Shea was born in 1870 to Irish immigrant parents Edmond Shea and Johanna Sullivan in San Francisco, California.{{Cite web |title=O'Shea, Thomas {{!}} Dictionary of New Zealand Biography {{!}} Te Ara |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3o7/oshea-thomas |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}} He received his education in New Zealand, attending St Patrick's College, Wellington, and later became a teacher at the same institution. O'Shea was ordained as a member of the Society of Mary in 1893 and held various positions within the Wellington archdiocese.
In 1913, he became the coadjutor archbishop, and then ultimately succeeding Archbishop Francis Redwood in 1935. He played a significant role in promoting Catholic education, social justice, and cooperation with other Christian denominations on public matters. O'Shea died in 1954 at Calvary Hospital, Wellington, after struggling with senility in his later years.
Honours
Notes
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References
- Ernest Richard Simmons, Brief history of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, Catholic Publications Centre, Auckland, 1978
- Michael O'Meeghan S.M., Steadfast in hope : the story of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington 1850–2000, Dunmore press, Palmerston North, 2003.
- Nicholas Reid, James Michael Liston: A Life, Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006.
- [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/boshea.html Archbishop Thomas O'Shea SM, Catholic Hierarchy website] (retrieved 12 February 2011){{Self-published source|date=May 2016}}
- https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3o7/oshea-thomas
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{{succession box | title= Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington|before= – |after= – | years=1913–1935}}
{{succession box | title= 2nd Archbishop of Wellington|before= Francis Redwood SM |after= Peter McKeefry | years=1935–1954}}
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{{New Zealand Catholic Bishops}}
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Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Wellington
Category:20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in New Zealand
Category:People educated at St Patrick's College, Wellington
Category:New Zealand people of Irish descent
Category:Clergy from San Francisco
Category:American emigrants to New Zealand
Category:American Roman Catholic archbishops
Category:American expatriate bishops
Category:New Zealand Roman Catholic archbishops
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