Owen Snedden
Encyclopedia
Owen Noel Snedden was the Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop
of Wellington
, New Zealand
(1962–1981). He was the first Auckland-born priest to be ordained a bishop.
on 11 December 1917. His primary education was at St Mary's College, Auckland
and St Joseph's School, Te Aroha
, and his secondary education at Sacred Heart College, Ponsonby
. He began studying for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel
in 1934. In 1937 he was sent to Rome
to study at the Pontifical Urbaniana University
. Snedden was ordained a priest for the Auckland Diocese
in Rome on 24 February 1941.
, engaged particularly to broadcast weekly lists of Australian and New Zealand prisoners of war. Although the priests were not identified, one frequent listener to the broadcasts concluded that the readers must be New Zealanders because Māori names were pronounced with "such clarity and precision". Unofficially, code-named "Horace", Snedden, along with Flanagan (code-named "Fanny"), also became involved with an underground movement led by an Irish priest in the Vatican Secretariat of State, Hugh O'Flaherty
, finding safe houses, medicines and food supplies for escaped prisoners of war who were hiding in the environs of Rome.
In mid-1943 (after the fall of Mussolini
and the German occupation of Rome
) such activities became much more hazardous under Gestapo
surveillance and also risked compromising the neutrality of Vatican City
. When the Allies liberated Rome in June 1944 the exploits of the priests became known and in time both were decorated MBE
by King George VI. As New Zealand servicemen and women found their way to the city the two acted as guides and on occasions helped visitors arrange audiences with Pope Pius XII
. Among these notables were Prime Minister Peter Fraser and Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg
, then commanding the New Zealand Division
. The latter commissioned them as military chaplains and they were repatriated on a troop ship early in 1945 before the War in Europe ceased.
and became assistant to Peter McKeefry
, the editor of the newspaper, Zealandia. In 1948, on the appointment of McKeefry as Archbishop of Wellington
, Snedden took over the role of editor and held the position for 14 years until he too was transferred to Wellington. In Auckland he also fulfilled the function of commentator accompanying the radio broadcasts of Catholic Liturgical events.
and Titular Bishop
of Achelous. He was ordained Bishop on 22 August 1962 by Archbishops McKeefry
and Liston
and Bishop Delargey. Snedden attended the final three sessions of Vatican II Council beginning with the second session which commenced on 29 September 1963. Snedden was quite moved by his initial experience of the Council, lining up as one of such a large gathering of bishops representing a universal church. The "Italian phrase molto comosso [profoundly affected] was the only way he could sum up his feelings". During the session Snedden was appointed to a committtee planning common liturgical texts for all the English-speaking world. This continued in the subsequent council sessions and eventually he was appointed to the International Commission on English in the Liturgy
. After the Council in the late 1960s and into the 1970s Snedden, with the help Dom Joachim Murphy, the Abbot of the Trappist Southern Star Abbey at Kopua
, and his team of priests, painstakingly criticised and commented on draft English translations of various liturgical books as they were translated from Latin into English.
died on 18 November 1973. Snedden, who took over the administration of the Archdiocese
as Vicar Capitular
, preached the panagyric at McKeefry's funeral. "Snedden would have been a popular replacement, but during his eleven years as auxiliary bishop he had experienced indifferent health" and he excluded himself from appointment (as he also did later). Reginald Delargey was appointed Archbishop. On 28 October 1976, Snedden was appointed Bishop of the New Zealand Military Vicariate
. He was also the Vicar Capitular
administering the archdiocese after the death of Cardinal Delargey.
During this interregnum, in August 1978, Snedden signed the integration agreements for the first Catholic Schools in New Zealand (Cardinal McKeefry School
, Wilton
and St Bernard's School, Brooklyn
- both in the Wellington Archdiocese), to be integrated into the State education system under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975. On the death of Cardinal Delargey, Thomas Stafford Williams was appointed as Archbishop. Snedden was Thomas William's principal Consecrator
and the Co-Consecrators were Bishop Kavanagh
and Archbishop Archbishop Mataca of Suva
.
, 17 April 1981, aged 63. His Requiem Mass on 22 April 1981 was celebrated in St Mary of the Angels, Wellington by Bishop Cullinane
and the panagyric was preached by Bishop Mackey of Auckland
.
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Wellington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(1962–1981). He was the first Auckland-born priest to be ordained a bishop.
Early life
Snedden was born in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
on 11 December 1917. His primary education was at St Mary's College, Auckland
Saint Mary's College Auckland
St Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.-History:St Mary’s College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand...
and St Joseph's School, Te Aroha
Te Aroha
Te Aroha is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,768 . It is 53 km northeast of Hamilton and 50 km south of Thames. It sits at the foot of 952-metre Mount Te Aroha, the highest point in the Kaimai Range....
, and his secondary education at Sacred Heart College, Ponsonby
Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Sacred Heart College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a Catholic, Marist College set on of land overlooking the Tamaki Estuary in Glen Innes.- History :The college was opened in 1903 in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers...
. He began studying for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel
Holy Cross College (New Zealand)
Holy Cross College or Holy Cross Seminary is the national Roman Catholic seminary of New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1900 in Mosgiel and was relocated to Auckland in 1997.-Establishment:...
in 1934. In 1937 he was sent to Rome
Diocese of Rome
The Diocese of Rome is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Rome, Italy. The bishop of Rome is the Pope, who is the Supreme Pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church...
to study at the Pontifical Urbaniana University
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
. Snedden was ordained a priest for the Auckland Diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland
The Latin Rite Catholic Diocese of Auckland is one of the two original dioceses in New Zealand. Although formally a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Wellington, both were erected on 20 June 1848...
in Rome on 24 February 1941.
War-time Rome
Because he was still studying in Rome in 1940 when Italy declared War on Britain and France, Snedden could not return to New Zealand and had to stay in Rome. After his ordination he completed his doctorate in theology with a thesis on Saint John Fisher. At the same time he and John Flanagan (another Auckland priest in the same situation as Snedden) became announcers for Vatican RadioVatican Radio
Vatican Radio is the official broadcasting service of the Vatican.Set up in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave , medium wave, FM, satellite and the Internet. The Jesuit Order has been charged with the management of Vatican...
, engaged particularly to broadcast weekly lists of Australian and New Zealand prisoners of war. Although the priests were not identified, one frequent listener to the broadcasts concluded that the readers must be New Zealanders because Māori names were pronounced with "such clarity and precision". Unofficially, code-named "Horace", Snedden, along with Flanagan (code-named "Fanny"), also became involved with an underground movement led by an Irish priest in the Vatican Secretariat of State, Hugh O'Flaherty
Hugh O'Flaherty
Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, CBE was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and senior official of the Roman Curia. During World War II, he was responsible for saving 6,500 Allied soldiers and Jews...
, finding safe houses, medicines and food supplies for escaped prisoners of war who were hiding in the environs of Rome.
In mid-1943 (after the fall of Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and the German occupation of Rome
Vatican City during World War II
Vatican City pursued a policy of neutrality during World War II, under the leadership of Pope Pius XII. Although the city of Rome was occupied by Germany from 1943 and the Allies from 1944, Vatican City itself was not occupied.-Background:...
) such activities became much more hazardous under Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
surveillance and also risked compromising the neutrality of Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. When the Allies liberated Rome in June 1944 the exploits of the priests became known and in time both were decorated MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
by King George VI. As New Zealand servicemen and women found their way to the city the two acted as guides and on occasions helped visitors arrange audiences with Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. Among these notables were Prime Minister Peter Fraser and Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg
Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg
Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO & Three Bars , was a British-born New Zealand Victoria Cross recipient and soldier who later served as the seventh Governor-General of New Zealand.A veteran of the Mexican Revolution, he became an officer in the...
, then commanding the New Zealand Division
New Zealand Division
The New Zealand Division was a World War I infantry division formed in Egypt in January 1916 following the evacuation of Gallipoli. At the outbreak of war the New Zealand Expeditionary Force contained a single infantry brigade which was combined with the unattached Australian 4th Infantry Brigade...
. The latter commissioned them as military chaplains and they were repatriated on a troop ship early in 1945 before the War in Europe ceased.
Editor
In Auckland, Snedden was appointed to the staff of St Patrick's CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph is the Cathedral of the Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Origins:...
and became assistant to Peter McKeefry
Peter McKeefry
Peter Thomas Bertram McKeefry was the Third Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand and its first Cardinal.-Early life and education:...
, the editor of the newspaper, Zealandia. In 1948, on the appointment of McKeefry as Archbishop of Wellington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
, Snedden took over the role of editor and held the position for 14 years until he too was transferred to Wellington. In Auckland he also fulfilled the function of commentator accompanying the radio broadcasts of Catholic Liturgical events.
Bishop and the Council
On 23 May 1962, Snedden was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of WellingtonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
and Titular Bishop
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 Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Achelous. He was ordained Bishop on 22 August 1962 by Archbishops McKeefry
Peter McKeefry
Peter Thomas Bertram McKeefry was the Third Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand and its first Cardinal.-Early life and education:...
and Liston
James Michael Liston
James Michael Liston, CMG was the Seventh Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Early life:James Michael Liston was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family of five children of James Liston, a hotel-keeper, and his wife, Mary . His parents were both born in Ireland. He was educated at Kavanagh...
and Bishop Delargey. Snedden attended the final three sessions of Vatican II Council beginning with the second session which commenced on 29 September 1963. Snedden was quite moved by his initial experience of the Council, lining up as one of such a large gathering of bishops representing a universal church. The "Italian phrase molto comosso [profoundly affected] was the only way he could sum up his feelings". During the session Snedden was appointed to a committtee planning common liturgical texts for all the English-speaking world. This continued in the subsequent council sessions and eventually he was appointed to the International Commission on English in the Liturgy
International Commission on English in the Liturgy
The International Commission on English in the Liturgy is a commission set up by a number of episcopal conferences of English-speaking countries for the purpose of providing English translations of the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the originals of which are in Latin.Decisions to adopt these...
. After the Council in the late 1960s and into the 1970s Snedden, with the help Dom Joachim Murphy, the Abbot of the Trappist Southern Star Abbey at Kopua
Southern Star Abbey
The Abbey of our Lady of the Southern Star or Southern Star Abbey is a Cistercian abbey located in a remote, rural area of the North Island, New Zealand in the Diocese of Palmerston North. It is of the Trappist tradition . The monastery supports itself by operating a dairy farm...
, and his team of priests, painstakingly criticised and commented on draft English translations of various liturgical books as they were translated from Latin into English.
Wellington
Cardinal McKeefryPeter McKeefry
Peter Thomas Bertram McKeefry was the Third Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand and its first Cardinal.-Early life and education:...
died on 18 November 1973. Snedden, who took over the administration of the Archdiocese
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
as Vicar Capitular
Vicar capitular
A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church. The college of consultors elects an administrator within eight days after the see is known to be vacant. The college must elect as administrator a priest or bishop at least 35 years old...
, preached the panagyric at McKeefry's funeral. "Snedden would have been a popular replacement, but during his eleven years as auxiliary bishop he had experienced indifferent health" and he excluded himself from appointment (as he also did later). Reginald Delargey was appointed Archbishop. On 28 October 1976, Snedden was appointed Bishop of the New Zealand Military Vicariate
Military Ordinariate of New Zealand
The Military Ordinariate of New Zealand is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the New Zealand Defence Force and their families.-History:...
. He was also the Vicar Capitular
Vicar capitular
A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church. The college of consultors elects an administrator within eight days after the see is known to be vacant. The college must elect as administrator a priest or bishop at least 35 years old...
administering the archdiocese after the death of Cardinal Delargey.
During this interregnum, in August 1978, Snedden signed the integration agreements for the first Catholic Schools in New Zealand (Cardinal McKeefry School
Cardinal McKeefry Catholic Primary School
Cardinal McKeefry is a Catholic primary school and intermediate school for girls and boys catering from Year 1 to Year 8 . The school traces its origins to the Marist Brothers' first school opened in New Zealand in 1876...
, Wilton
Wilton, New Zealand
Wilton is a small suburb in Wellington. It is best known for Otari-Wilton's Bush, a large reserve that is situated in the suburb. Otari-Wilton's bush is the only public botanic garden in New Zealand dedicated solely to native plants. It features 14km of walking tracks and a 'canopy walkway'...
and St Bernard's School, Brooklyn
Wilton, New Zealand
Wilton is a small suburb in Wellington. It is best known for Otari-Wilton's Bush, a large reserve that is situated in the suburb. Otari-Wilton's bush is the only public botanic garden in New Zealand dedicated solely to native plants. It features 14km of walking tracks and a 'canopy walkway'...
- both in the Wellington Archdiocese), to be integrated into the State education system under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975. On the death of Cardinal Delargey, Thomas Stafford Williams was appointed as Archbishop. Snedden was Thomas William's principal Consecrator
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
and the Co-Consecrators were Bishop Kavanagh
John Patrick Kavanagh
John Patrick Kavanagh was the Fourth Catholic Bishop of Dunedin .-References:* , from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Sep-10...
and Archbishop Archbishop Mataca of Suva
Petero Mataca
Petero Mataca is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Suva, Fiji. After his education at St. John's College, Cawaci, he was ordained as a priest on 20 December 1959...
.
Death
Snedden died on Good FridayGood Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, 17 April 1981, aged 63. His Requiem Mass on 22 April 1981 was celebrated in St Mary of the Angels, Wellington by Bishop Cullinane
Peter Cullinane
Peter James Cullinane , CNZM, is the First Catholic Bishop of Palmerston North. He was appointed as Bishop of Palmerston North by Pope John Paul II on 6 March 1980 and was ordained bishop on 30 April 1980.-See also:...
and the panagyric was preached by Bishop Mackey of Auckland
John Mackey (Roman Catholic bishop)
John Mackey is the Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Auckland, New Zealand.Mackey was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. He was ordained a priest on 23 November 1941. On 25 April 1974, he was appointed bishop for the diocese. He was ordained a bishop on 30 June 1974...
.
See also
- Catholic Hierarchy website: Bishop Owen Noel Snedden (retrieved 31 January 2011).