Owen Snedden: Difference between revisions

Bishop Owen Noel Snedden
Personal details
Born	(1917-12-11)11 December 1917 Auckland New Zealand
Died	(1981-04-17)17 April 1981 Wellington New Zealand

Owen Noel Snedden (1962-1981) was the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand (1962-1981).

Early life

Snedden was born in Auckland on 11 December 1917. He studied for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel and Propaganda College in Rome. He was ordained a priest of the Auckland Diocese in Rome on 24 February 1941.

War-time Rome

Because he was still studying in Rome in 1940 when Italy declared War on Britan 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 St John Fisher At the same time he became an announcer for Vatican Radio, engaged particularly to broadcast weekly lists of Australian and New Zealand prisoners of war. Unofficially, cod-named "Horace" along with John Flanagan (another Auckland priest in the same situation as himslef), he became involved with an underground movement, 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. When the Allies liberated Rome in June 1944 these exploits came to light and in time both proests 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 XI. Among these notables wwere Prime Minister Peter Fraser and Lieutenant-General Bernard Fryberg, 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.

Auckland priest

In Auckland, Snedden was appointed to the staff of St Patrick's Cathedral and became assistant to Peter McKeefry, the editor of the newspaper, Zealandia (newspaper)Zealandia. In 1948, on hthe appointment of McKeefry as Archbishop of Wellington, Snedden became the editor and held the position until he too was transferred to Wellington as Auxiliary Bishop there. He was ordained Bishop on 22 August 1962.

Career

I 23 May 1962 44.4 Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand 23 May 1962 44.4 Appointed Titular Bishop of Achelous 22 Aug 1962 44.7 Ordained Bishop Titular Bishop of Achelous 28 Oct 1976 58.9 Appointed Bishop of New Zealand, Military 17 Apr 1981 63.3 Died Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand

See also

• Catholic Hierarchy website: Bishop Owen Noel Snedden

References

• O'Meeghan SM, Michael (2003). Steadfast in hope: The Story of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington 1850-2000. Wellington: Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)