Norman Thomas Gilroy

Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy (22 January 1896 – 21 October 1977) was an Australian bishop. He was the first Australian-born cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Early life and priestly ministry

Gilroy was born in Sydney to working-class parents of Irish descent. Educated at the Marist Brothers' College in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, he left school when 13 years old to work as a messenger boy in what was then the Postmaster-General's Department. In 1914, his parents refused permission for him to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force for service in the First World War, but he was allowed to volunteer for the transport service as a telegraphist. He left Australia in February 1915 and served in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 as a naval wireless operator on the Hessen off Gallipoli and Imbros.

After his return to Australia in August 1915, on 24 December 1923 at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome by Archbishop Filippo Bernardini C.Ss.R. He received his doctorate in divinity in Rome the following year.

Returning to Australia in 1924, Gilroy was appointed to the staff of the apostolic delegation in Sydney, which in that year received as its new head, Archbishop Bartolomeo Cattaneo, who favoured the appointment of Australian-born priests as bishops in Australia. After six years in this post, Gilroy returned to , becoming chancellor and secretary of the bishop. He was named Australian of the Year in 1970. The author, John Luttrell, has been praised for his "fresh research ... and a genuine portrait of the man who rose from postal clerk to prince of the Church."

Legacy

Gilroy College, a Year 7–12 high school in north-western Sydney named after him opened in 1980. The college took Gilroy's personal motto, "Christ is my light", as the official school motto. Gilroy College celebrated its 25th anniversary as a school community in 2004.