Bishop Dolan marks 60 years of priesthood

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

The Emeritus Coadjutor Bishop of Palmerston North, New Zealand, Owen Dolan, is celebrating sixty years of priesthood.

There will be a Mass celebrating the occasion at 6pm on Monday 21 July 2014 in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Broadway Ave, Palmerston North.

Bishop Dolan was Born in Palmerston North on 30 September 1928 and was educated at St Joseph’s Primary School, Hawera, St Patrick’s College, Silverstream and Hawera High School.

He studied for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, and was ordained at Hawera on 21 July 1954.

He worked in Sacred Heart Parish, Petone 1955-59; St Peter’s Parish, Wairoa 1960-61; St Patrick’s Parish, Patea 1962-63; Sacred Heart Parish, Inglewood 1965; Our Lady, Help of Christians, Fitzroy (New Plymouth) 1966; St Brigid’s Parish, Feilding 1967; St Joseph’s Parish, Upper Hutt 1968; St Joseph’s Parish, Waitara 1970-72; Peru 1973-77; St Francis Xavier, Stokes Valley 1978-80; St Joseph’s Parish, Wellington 1981-90

He was Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Wellington from 1981-1990.

From 1991 to 1995 he was director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Bishop Dolan was ordained as Coadjutor Bishop for Palmerston North at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Palmerston North, on 10 December 1995 when the Bishop of Palmerston North, Peter Cullinane was suffering from poor health and was not expected at that time to continue until his 75th birthday.

However Bishop Peter’s health did not deteriorate and Dolan retired in September 2004 when he turned he 75, becoming the rarest of bishops: a coadjutor emeritus.

Source