Edmund Collins

Last updated

Edmund John Patrick Collins
Bishop
Church Roman Catholic
Diocese Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Appointed3 July 1986 [1]
Term ended3 July 2007 [1]
Predecessor John Patrick O'Loughlin
Successor Eugene Hurley
Personal details
Born(1931-03-22)22 March 1931 [2]
Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia
Died8 August 2014(2014-08-08) (aged 83) [2]
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
MottoCor Unum (One heart) [2] [3]

Edmund John Patrick Collins, AM also known as Bishop Ted, was the Bishop of Darwin, Australia, from 1986 to 2007. [4]

Contents

Early life

Collins was born in Braidwood, New South Wales in 1931, the youngest of five children in an Irish-Catholic family, and grew up in Bermagui. His mother died when he was five. [5]

At the age of 16, Collins moved to Sydney and joined the police service as a cadet, [6] before becoming a probationary constable at 19. [2]

Priesthood

In 1953, shortly before he turned 23, Collins attended a day of recollection at Kensington Monastery with a group of Catholic police; it was here that he first felt drawn to the priesthood. The following year, aged 24, [7] Collins resigned from the police force to join the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart at Douglas Park. After two years of initial studies and preparation, in 1956 he took his first vows and moved to Croydon Monastery in Melbourne to study for the priesthood. [6] [7] After completing his theological studies, he was ordained a priest in 1963, at age 32, [2] and appointed to the parish of Randwick (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church [5] ) in Sydney.

Collins remained at Randwick for four years, after which he was transferred to Hindmarsh parish in Adelaide, for three years, and then to Nightcliff parish in Darwin. [6] He returned to Randwick in 1978 and remained there as parish priest until 1985, [2] [5] after which he went on a sabbatical. [2]

Other responsibilities

During the 1970s, Collins was Director of Catholic Missions for the Darwin Diocese, and Superior of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Northern Territory. [2] [5]

Bishop of Darwin

On 3 July 1986 Collins was consecrated bishop of Darwin; [1] he adopted the motto Cor Unum ("one heart"). [2] [3]

In November 1986, Collins accompanied Pope John Paul II as he visited Darwin and Alice Springs [8] [9] as part of the Australian papal tour. While in Alice Springs the Pope gave a speech to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, [10] [11] which inspired Collins to encourage Indigenous Catholics to express their Aboriginality within their Catholic faith, allowing the use of didgeridoos, clapsticks and smoking ceremonies as part of Mass. [7] [12]

Collins was a public advocate for Indigenous people who were taken from their families as children. [7] [12]

When the Northern Territory legalised euthanasia in 1995, Collins campaigned publicly against the law, and "almost certainly contributed to" its overturning in 1997 by the Federal Government. [3] [7] [13]

In the 1999 Australia Day Honours Collins was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to the community through the Catholic Church as Bishop of Darwin, and to the Aboriginal community". [14]

Collins retired in 2007. [1] He died on 8 August 2014 at the St Joseph's Aged Care Home in Kensington, [4] and was interred in a crypt at Saint Mary's Cathedral, Darwin. [3] [13]

Ted Collins Village, a housing complex opened in 2011 and run by the St Vincent de Paul Society in Darwin, is named after him. [15]

Cyclone Tracy recording

Collins was in Darwin when it was struck by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. When the cyclone hit, he switched on a tape recorder, and recorded the sounds of the storm. [16] The recording is now in the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, as part of the Cyclone Tracy exhibit. [2] [7] [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin, Northern Territory</span> Capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia

Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Territory</span> Territory of Australia

The Northern Territory is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Australia to the west, South Australia to the south, and Queensland to the east. To the north, the territory looks out to the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria, including Western New Guinea and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Diocese of Brooklyn is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The Diocese of Brooklyn is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn and its co-cathedral is the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. The current Bishop of Brooklyn is Robert J. Brennan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Tracy</span> Tropical cyclone that struck northern Australia in 1974

Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had initially appeared likely to pass clear of the city, but then turned towards it early on 24 December. After 10:00 p.m. ACST, damage became severe, and wind gusts reached 217 kilometres per hour (134.84 mph) before instruments failed. The anemometer in Darwin Airport control tower had its needle bent in half by the strength of the gusts.

The history of Darwin details the city's growth from a fledgling settlement into a thriving colonial capital and finally a modern city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, officially the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, and sui juris Latin Church in full communion with the pope of Rome. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana encompasses St. Landry, Evangeline, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia, St. Mary, Acadia, and Vermilion parishes in southcentral Louisiana. The diocese includes the heart of Cajun Louisiana (Acadiana) and is divided into four deaneries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daly River, Northern Territory</span> Suburb of Victoria Daly Region, the Northern Territory, Australia

Daly River is a town adjacent to the Daly River in the Northern Territory of Australia. At the 2006 census, Daly River had a population of 468. The town is part of the Victoria Daly Region local government area. The area is popular for recreational fishing, being regarded as one of the best places to catch Barramundi in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory</span> Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory covers Australia's Northern Territory and is part of the Province of Queensland in the Anglican Church of Australia.

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is a suffragan Latin Church diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1847 initially as the Diocese of Maitland and changed to the current name in 1995. The diocese covers the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales in Australia. The bishop of the diocese is Michael Kennedy

The Ltyentye Apurte Community, also known as Santa Teresa, is an Arrernte indigenous community in the Northern Territory, Australia, located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south-east of Alice Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Carpentaria</span>

The Anglican Diocese of Carpentaria was an Anglican diocese in northern Australia from 1900 to 1996. It included most of northern Queensland, the islands of the Torres Strait and, until 1968, all of the Northern Territory. The see was based at Quetta Cathedral on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's College, Darwin</span> School in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

St. John's Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary school based on the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart traditions. It is located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, on Salonika Street. The College provides a religious and general education for day and boarding students from Year 7 to Year 12. The school was established in 1960 at its site in the central Darwin suburb of The Gardens.

Gregory David Anderson is an Australian Anglican bishop and former musicologist who has served as the 6th Bishop of the Northern Territory since 29 November 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Stack</span>

Ellen Mary Stack is an Australian medical doctor and the first female Lord Mayor of an Australian capital city. She was the mayor of the City of Darwin, Northern Territory from 1975 to 1979, and lord mayor from 1979 to 1980. She is best known for her work following the destruction of Darwin due to Cyclone Tracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirlangimpi</span> Town in the Northern Territory, Australia

Pirlangimpi, formerly Garden Point, is a populated place on Melville Island in the Northern Territory, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Christ the King, Tennant Creek</span>

The Church of Christ the King is located in Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia. The church was relocated from the historic mining town of Pine Creek. With parts of the church spread between the two towns during the move, it was once known as the "longest church in Australia".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1897 Darwin cyclone</span>

The 1897 cyclone was a tropical cyclone that destroyed the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is considered the worst cyclone to strike the Northern Territory of Australia prior to Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Prior to contemporary naming conventions, the storm became known as the "Great Hurricane".

Annals Australasia was an Australian magazine of Catholic culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Monastery</span> Sydney Catholic monastery and seminary

The Sacred Heart Monastery in Kensington, New South Wales, is a monastery of the Catholic men's religious order, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSCs). Since its establishment in 1897 it has played a leading role in the Catholic life of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton</span> Catholic cathedral in Australia

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and the seat and residence of the Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, which is currently vacant following the death of Bishop William Wright on 13 November 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Bishop Edmund John Patrick Collins, M.S.C." Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Bishop EJP Collins – 1986–2007". Diocese of Darwin. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bishop Ted Collins MSC DD AM laid to rest, Catholic Diocese of Darwin, 21 August 2014, archived from the original on 6 September 2014, retrieved 30 August 2014
  4. 1 2 Xavier La Canna (9 August 2014). "Darwin's Bishop Ted Collins dies aged 83". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Damir Govorcin (7 December 2003). "Conversation: Ted Collins, Bishop of Darwin - Souls to be saved, not locked up". Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "What happened to... Bishop Edmund J P COLLINS MSC AM DD". Ex-Police Cadets Association of NSW, Inc. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Northern Territory Mourns Death of Darwin's Much-loved "Bishop Ted"". Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Our Story - History of NT Church". Diocese of Darwin. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Papal visit to the heart". The Catholic Leader. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. 8 October 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Address of John Paul II to the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in Blatherskike Park". The Holy See. 29 November 1986. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Frank Brennan (28 November 2011). "The Pope in Alice: 25 years on". Eureka Street. Jesuit Communications Australia. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  12. 1 2 Margie Smithurst (31 August 2007). "Fond Farewell". Stateline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  13. 1 2 Xavier La Canna (19 August 2014). "Bishop Ted Collins funeral held in Darwin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "The Most Reverend Edmund John Patrick Collins". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  15. ↑ "Ted Collins Village in Darwin". St Vincent de Paul Society. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Sophie Cunningham (19 July 2014). "Blown away by the impact of Cyclone Tracy on Darwin". The Australian. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  17. ↑ Bill Bryson (2 March 2010). Down Under. Random House. ISBN   9781409095637 . Retrieved 8 September 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.