Jeremiah Joseph Coffey (1 January 1933 – 19 November 2014) was the seventh Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sale, Australia,[1] serving from 1989 until his retirement in 2008. On retirement, he was styled Bishop Emeritus of Sale.
The Most Reverend Jeremiah Coffey | |
|---|---|
| 7th Roman Catholic Bishop | |
| Diocese | Sale |
| Installed | 8 April 1998 |
| Term ended | 2 January 2008 |
| Predecessor | Eric D'Arcy |
| Successor | Christopher Prowse |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 22 June 1958 (Priest) in All Hallows College, Ireland |
| Consecration | 30 June 1989 (Bishop) in Sale |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeremiah Joseph Coffey 1 January 1933 |
| Died | 19 November 2014 |
| Nationality | Irish Australian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic bishop |
| Profession | Cleric |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin; All Hallows College |
| Motto | In Joyful Hope |
Early years
editCoffey was born in Cork, County Cork, Ireland. He was educated at Model School, Cork, before attending St Nessan's Christian Brothers' School. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from University College Dublin and then studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College, choosing to travel to Australia as a missionary and serve in the Diocese of Sale. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sale at All Hallows College on 22 June 1958, by Archbishop James Skinner CIM of St John's, Newfoundland, Canada and arrived in Sale three months later; he served in the parishes of Bairnsdale, Sale, Traralgon, Omeo, Iona and Yallourn prior to being appointed the first parish priest of Churchill. In 1987, Coffey was appointed Rector of Corpus Christi Seminary, Clayton.[2]
Bishopric
editOn 8 April 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed Coffey as the seventh Bishop of Sale. He was consecrated by Archbishop Sir Frank Little of Melbourne on the grounds of St Patrick's Campus of Sale Catholic College (now Catholic College Sale) on 30 June 1989. The co-consecrators were his predecessor, Archbishop Eric D'Arcy of Hobart together with Bishop David Cremin, who was also a student of All Hallows.[2]
In 2003, Coffey removed Father John Speekman as priest of the parish of Morwell over allegations of bullying. In a long running dispute, Fr Speekman twice successfully appealed to the Congregation for the Clergy against the decree ordering his removal,[3][4] but Coffey then appealed those decisions to the Apostolic Signatura.[5][6] In 2011, the Vatican ruled finally in favour of Coffey,[7] ending the eight-year battle where the parish was without a permanent priest.[8]
Under Coffey's leadership of the diocese, the Bishop's Family Foundation was established as a charitable body and has given more than A$500,000 in support of families within the Gippsland diocese. At the time of Coffey's departure, the foundation had a self-generating trust fund of more than A$2 million.[9]
Coffey's retirement as bishop was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on 2 January 2008.[10] Coffey lived in retirement in Paynesville. He was conferred the title Bishop Emeritus of Sale.[2]
He died on 19 November 2014.
References
edit- ^ "Bishop Emeritus Jeremiah Joseph Coffey". The Catholic Hierarchy. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ a b c "Bishop Jeremiah Joseph Coffey". About us: History. Catholic Diocese of Sale. 2012. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Gilchrist, Michael (February 2007). "Vatican orders reinstatement of wrongly removed Sale Diocese parish priest". AD2000. 20 (1). Thomas More Centre: 7. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Congregation for Clergy decree on Sale priest published". CathNews. 9 January 2007. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Zwartz, Barney (12 January 2007). "Vatican orders bishop to reinstate removed priest". The Age. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Sale Bishop appeals to Vatican "supreme court"". CathNews. 12 January 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Vatican judges in favour of bishop in Vic dispute". CathNews. 28 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Vic parish to get priest after eight years". CathNews. 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Jackson, Nicole (29 October 2007). "Sale Diocese to get new leader". La Trobe Valley Express. Retrieved 27 January 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Resignation of His Lordship Most Reverend Jeremiah Coffey, Bishop of Sale" (PDF; requires download) (Press release). Apostolic Nunciature in Australia. 20 December 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2012.