Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of Bishop Patrick Dougherty who has reached the age limit for retirement after 25 years at the helm of Bathurst diocese. "The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of His Lordship the Most Reverend Patrick Dougherty, Bishop of Bathurst, which was presented to him in accordance with Canon 401 §1 of the Code of Canon Law," the Nunciature said in a statement.
Bishop Dougherty's retirement comes a day after he rejected a publication by Coonamble parish Fr Peter Dresser as "watering down" or "emptying out" Christian teaching.
Bishop Dougherty was born in Kensington, Sydney on 21 November 1931, the second of four sons born to Madge and William Dougherty.
His Primary School education was at Our Lady of the Rosary school, Kensington and Waverley College. His secondary school education was completed at St Columba's College in Springwood in 1948.
From there he continued his studies for the priesthood at St Patrick's College in Manly (1950) before being sent that year to Propaganda Fide College in Rome, where he was ordained a priest on December 7 1954.
Obtaining his Doctorate of Divinity in Spiritual Theology from the Urban University in Rome in February 1957, he immediately returned to Australia and was appointed Assistant Priest of St Mel's in Campsie (Sydney).
At Cardinal Gilroy's invitation he was in Rome throughout 1958 to research the life of Mother Mary Potter, foundress of the Little Company of Mary.
Then followed three years (1959 - 61) as lecturer in Logic, History of Philosophy, Latin and Italian at St Columba's Seminary in Springwood where he was also a Dean of Students and in 1961 Director of the "Spiritual Year" for first year students.
January 1962 saw a return to Rome as an Assistant Vice Rector of Propaganda Fide College and in 1967 appointment as a Vice Rector of the College. In 1963 his book, "Mother Mary Potter, foundress of the Little Company of Mary" was published.
In August 1970 he again returned to Australia, having been appointed to the newly established secretariat of the Australian Episcopal Conference in Canberra. He was ordained a Bishop on 8 December 1976 and from then until 1983 was an Auxiliary Bishop of the Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese and the secretary of the Australian Episcopal Conference.
In 1983 Bishop Dougherty was appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst and was installed on October 5 that year.
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(Source: CTHN)