Henry Cleary
Bishop of Auckland; Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand
About Henry Cleary
Lived 1849 – 1929 (aged 80). Henry Cleary was a New Zealand catholic priest and catholic bishop.
Henry William Cleary (15 January 1859 – 9 December 1929) was the sixth Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, from 1910 to 1929.
Life Henry Cleary was born in County Wexford, Ireland. He was educated at St. Aidan's Academy, Enniscorthy, St Peter's College, Wexford and St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. He attended the Roman Seminary and the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris. Cleary was ordained in 1885.
From 1885 to 1888, Cleary was a professor of modern languages at St. Peter's, and a member of the Society of Volunteer Diocesan Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1888, he went to Australia due to poor health, and from 1888 to 1897 was involved in parish work at Ballarat, Victoria. From 1898 to 1910, he served as the editor of the New Zealand Tablet. He died in Auckland on 9 December 1929.
Selected works Orange Society, Catholic Truth Society, London, 1899. Mrs. Slattery: the romance of sham nun , NZ Tablet, Dunedin, 1900. Joseph Slattery: the romance of an unfrocked priest, NZ Tablet, Dunedin, 1900. Catholic marriages: the decree of 2 August 1907: a popular explanation of the decree, the text of a controversy on the decree in the Christchurch "Press", 3 March to 2 April 1908 (with notes and comments) and, an exposition of the Catholic teaching in Dunedin, N.Z., N Z Tablet, 1908. Impeached nation: being a study of Irish outrages, NZ Tablet, Dunedin, 1909. God or no-God in the school?: a pastoral letter by … the Bishop of Auckland, a discussion thereon in the Evening Post, Wellington (N.Z.), and a critical examination of the discussion, Hiscocks & Sons, Auckland, 1911. Bible-in-schools- movement, in its relation to taxpayers, parents, teachers and pupils: a lecture / delivered in the Town Hall, Wellington Friday, 13 December 1912, Evening Post Office, Wellington, 1912. Prussian militarism at work: a letter, Barclay & Fry, London, 1917. 'The Month': a journal devoted to Catholic interests (Cleary was founding editor from 1918–29; journal ceased in 1934). Catholics and the marriage laws, Catholic Supplies, Wellington, 1920. Forged murder-"oaths": an exposure of impostures flung against the Catholic clergy and laity, in the New Zealand House of Representatives, on 26 June 1923, by Mr. V.H. Potter MP: a reprint of articles in "The Month" (Auckland, N.Z.) by the Rt. Rev, The Catholic Depot, Auckland, 1923. Catholic Church and party politics: Canon James's charge of votes-jobbery: letter to the Anglican Archbishop and Primate, Whitcombe & Tombs, Auckland, 1928.
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Important facts
People in Henry Cleary's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Henry Cleary?
Bishop of Auckland; Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand
When was Henry Cleary born?
Henry Cleary was born on 15 January 1849 in County Wexford.
When did Henry Cleary die?
Henry Cleary died on 9 December 1929 in Auckland.
What was Henry Cleary's occupation?
Henry Cleary was a catholic priest and catholic bishop.
What nationality was Henry Cleary?
Henry Cleary was New Zealand.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Henry Cleary. https://biography.guide/henry-cleary/
MLA: "Henry Cleary." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/henry-cleary/.
Chicago: "Henry Cleary." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/henry-cleary/.
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