William Morris (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Bishop William Placid Morris, O.S.B. (29 September 1794 – 18 February 1872) was a London-born Roman Catholic bishop
.
Morris was ordained a priest of the Order of Saint Benedict
on 29 June, 1817 and was assigned to missionary work in London, first at the chapel of the Portuguese Embassy in Grosvenor Square, and then, after the closure of that chapel in 1829, in Chelsea. In 1831 he received notice of his appointment as bishop charged with the duty of conducting an Apostolic Visitation into the condition of the Catholic Church on the island of Mauritius
where the local clergy had been in conflict with Bishop Edward Bede Slater who, since 1818, had been resident bishop there exercising his duties as Vicar Apostolic of the Mauritius and as the first Vicar Apostolic of the Cape of Good Hope. To that end, Morris was appointed Titular Bishop of Troas
in October 1831, receiving episcopal ordination on 5 February, 1832. His principal consecrator was Bishop James Yorke Bramston
assisted by Bishop Peter Augustine Baines
, O.S.B., and Bishop Robert Gradwell
. The investigation, however, was rendered otiose by the impromptu flight of Slater from Port St. Louis in June 1832 and his death from exposure a few days later. Instead of investigating Slater, Morris was appointed to succeed him.
from 1832 to 1837, and from 1832 until 1840 Vicar Apostolic of Mauritius
which, until 1834, included the emergent Australian colonies.
Morris sent his vicar-general William Bernard Ullathorne
to Australia in 1833, where Ullathorne quickly realised the necessity for severing all the Australian missions from the jurisdiction of a bishop resident in Mauritius. As a result of Ullathorne's representations, Pope Gregory XVI
detached Australia from the Vicariate of Mauritius and established the hierarchy in Australia in 1834. In 1837 the Vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope was likewise detached from the care of Bishop Morris and it, in turn, was confided to Bishop Patrick Griffith.
On Mauritius, Morris fell into a serious dispute with one of his priests which ended with that priest's expulsion from the colony. In reprisal, the expelled priest laid charges against Morris in Rome to which Morris was required to respond. This he did, entrusting various documents to a French bishop for him to lodge with the authorities in Rome. Unhappily for Morris, those documents were never lodged and in 1840 he was peremptorily recalled to Rome and relieved of his post as Vicar Apostolic of the Mauritius. He retired to England and until his death in 1872 served in effect as an auxiliary bishop to the first two Cardinal Archbishops of Westminster, Nicholas Wiseman and Henry Edward Manning.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
.
Morris was ordained a priest of the Order of Saint Benedict
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
on 29 June, 1817 and was assigned to missionary work in London, first at the chapel of the Portuguese Embassy in Grosvenor Square, and then, after the closure of that chapel in 1829, in Chelsea. In 1831 he received notice of his appointment as bishop charged with the duty of conducting an Apostolic Visitation into the condition of the Catholic Church on the island of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
where the local clergy had been in conflict with Bishop Edward Bede Slater who, since 1818, had been resident bishop there exercising his duties as Vicar Apostolic of the Mauritius and as the first Vicar Apostolic of the Cape of Good Hope. To that end, Morris was appointed Titular Bishop of Troas
Troas
The Troad, also known as Troas, is the historical name of the Biga peninsula in the northwestern part of Anatolia, Turkey. This region now is part of the Çanakkale province of Turkey...
in October 1831, receiving episcopal ordination on 5 February, 1832. His principal consecrator was Bishop James Yorke Bramston
James Yorke Bramston
James Yorke Bramston was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vicar Apostolic of the London District from 1827 until his death in 1836....
assisted by Bishop Peter Augustine Baines
Peter Augustine Baines
Peter Augustine Baines was an English Benedictine, Titular Bishop of Siga and Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of England.-Life:...
, O.S.B., and Bishop Robert Gradwell
Robert Gradwell
-Life:Gradwell was born at Clifton-in-the Fylde, Lancashire.He went to the English College, Douai in 1791. The college being suppressed by the French revolutionists, he was confined for some time, and was not allowed to return to England till 1795...
. The investigation, however, was rendered otiose by the impromptu flight of Slater from Port St. Louis in June 1832 and his death from exposure a few days later. Instead of investigating Slater, Morris was appointed to succeed him.
Episcopal Career
Morris (who at all times during this period was resident on Mauritius) was Vicar Apostolic of The Cape of Good Hope, South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
from 1832 to 1837, and from 1832 until 1840 Vicar Apostolic of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
which, until 1834, included the emergent Australian colonies.
Morris sent his vicar-general William Bernard Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne was an English Roman Catholic bishop and a missionary in Australia.-Early life:William Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, Yorkshire, the eldest of ten children of William Ullathorne, a prosperous grocer, draper and spirit merchant, and his wife Hannah, née Longstaff...
to Australia in 1833, where Ullathorne quickly realised the necessity for severing all the Australian missions from the jurisdiction of a bishop resident in Mauritius. As a result of Ullathorne's representations, Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
detached Australia from the Vicariate of Mauritius and established the hierarchy in Australia in 1834. In 1837 the Vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope was likewise detached from the care of Bishop Morris and it, in turn, was confided to Bishop Patrick Griffith.
On Mauritius, Morris fell into a serious dispute with one of his priests which ended with that priest's expulsion from the colony. In reprisal, the expelled priest laid charges against Morris in Rome to which Morris was required to respond. This he did, entrusting various documents to a French bishop for him to lodge with the authorities in Rome. Unhappily for Morris, those documents were never lodged and in 1840 he was peremptorily recalled to Rome and relieved of his post as Vicar Apostolic of the Mauritius. He retired to England and until his death in 1872 served in effect as an auxiliary bishop to the first two Cardinal Archbishops of Westminster, Nicholas Wiseman and Henry Edward Manning.
Resources
- Bishop William Placid Morris, O.S.B., Catholic-Hierarchy is defective in many respects. A correct account is to be found in chapters 3 and 7 of volume 1 of "Benedictine Pioneers in Australia" by Henry Norbert Birt, London, Herbert & Daniel (1911) re-issued by Polding Press (n.d.)
See also
- Roman Catholicism in Australia