William Charles SADLIER

SADLIER, WILLIAM CHARLES (b. near Bandon, Co. Cork, Ireland, 1867; d. Raefield Essex, England, 1 Feb 1935). Anglican clergyman, bp of Nelson New Zealand.

Sadlier came to Australia in 1882 and after training at Trinity College in Melbourne (1888-91) was ordained deacon 1891 and priest 1892 by Bp Field Flowers Goe (q.v.). He served curacies at Pyramid Hill and Macorna 1891-92 and then St Paul's, Bendigo 1892-99 under Archdeacon John Charles MacCullagh (q.v.). During his second curacy he was principal of Perry Hall, a theological training college in Bendigo. He was then vicar of the Melbourne parishes of Holy Trinity, East Melbourne 1899-1904 and Christ Church, St Kilda 1904-12. His abilities were soon recognised and in addition to his parish duties he was elected to the council of the diocese and a number of other diocesan committees. He was made a canon of St Paul's Cathedral when only 34. Sadlier was an able scholar. His studies at Melbourne University were interrupted by typhoid fever in 1890 but he went on to complete his BA in 1894, with final honours in Logic and Mental and Moral Philosophy, and an MA in 1896. He completed a London BD in 1909. Significantly, these degrees were done while he was busy with parish and diocesan duties.

Sadlier's evangelical commitment and abilities saw him a member of the first council of Ridley College, and the founding [acting] principal when it opened in March 1910, whereupon Abp Henry Lowther Clarke promptly dismissed him from his position of lecturer at the diocesan St John's Theological College.

In 1912 he was invited to become bishop of the diocese of Nelson in New Zealand and was consecrated in Nelson cathedral on 21 July. Nelson diocese was evangelical and Sadlier was followed by a steady stream of bishops from Sydney. Sadlier diligently visited throughout his far-flung diocese, oversaw the building of the new cathedral, encouraged missions and religious teaching in schools. He instituted an annual Home Missions Festival to increase the interest and funds for mission work in the diocese, a Mission Van was purchased for work in remote areas and a launch was purchased to do by sea what the van did by land; he reopened Bishopdale Theological Hall. Sadlier put the diocese on a much sounder financial footing by careful research and investigation into all the funds and lands owned by the church, he discovered many which had been forgotten. The capital funds of the diocese increased during his episcopate from £43 000 to £184 656.

In 1918 the New Zealand bishops sent him to Europe on a special mission of encouragement to Anglican chaplains and soldiers; he was away for almost a year. He resigned his see in 1934 on grounds of health and retired with his wife to Raefield in Essex. Sadlier had a ready Irish wit and strong evangelical convictions. His ministry and episcopate were marked by energy and pastoral concern, enthusiasm for missions at home and abroad, and sound financial management.

DARRELL PAPROTH