Principal Kate Nicholson's message has hit the headlines - just when she hoped to duck from media about the school's scandalous past.

Expecting the reason (sexual abuse) for the former Kavanagh College's name change to be front page news, Kate Nicholson wrote in her 29 January email:

"At least Auckland's terrible weekend is likely to keep us off the front page — a silver lining hopefully."

Four people died on 27 January as a result of the unprecedented weather event. A state of emergency was declared in the Auckland and Thames-Coromandel regions.

Nicholson's email was sent on 29 January, while Auckland was still being battered by historic flooding - the day after a pre-dawn blessing was held at Trinity Catholic College.

Staff, pupils, two survivors and members of the community attended the blessing.

The school was blessed with a new name because a 2020 investigation into the late Bishop of Dunedin John Kavanagh, after whom the school was named, found seven priests, two brothers and one lay teacher sexually abused children and an adult during his time as bishop.

Defending her message, Nicholson explained "all our work so far has been to acknowledge our past, learn from it and try to not re-traumatise survivors in the process, and I hope our actions in these challenging circumstances are not misconstrued".

Network of Survivors spokesperson Liz Tonks says the school's name change was a significant step, although some within the church still fail to accept or understand the impacts of abuse.

"It was clear that the blessing and acknowledgement was kept on the down-low by the College.

"The network has been in its headlights for the best part of five years working to achieve the change of name for survivors, and yet no formal and sufficient notice was received to allow survivors to attend and appropriate supports to be put in place for an event that had the potential to re-trigger trauma.

"Only two survivors of the many were able to attend.

"Others were unaware until the network was able to circulate the event on social media a few days before and arrange a local advocate/supporter to livestream the blessing."

Nicholson's email "illustrates a complete lack of understanding of survivor trauma and how important the name change was to survivor healing and restoration of their mana", she says.

"It illustrates a lack of intent to reach out to other survivors strewn throughout New Zealand who were given no notice or opportunity to attend or come forward if they have remained silent.

"What it does illustrate, is a continuation of church institutions seeing protecting of their reputation more important than addressing the harm suffered by those abused in its care."

Bishop Dooley was travelling and was unavailable when media sought him for comment.

Source

• NZ Herald
• Otago Daily Times
• Image:

A dawn service before the start of the 2023 academic year drew about 20 pupils, sexual abuse survivors and members of the public to witness the new era for the school.

Kavanagh College's name was officially changed on 1 January, following years of lobbying from abuse survivors.

The new name was chosen after an inquiry last year concluded the late Bishop John Kavanagh did not act on a complaint of abuse when he was Bishop of Dunedin from 1957 to 1985. The former Kavanagh College had been named after him.

At the dawn service, Dunedin' Catholic Bishop Michael Dooley said the early start was chosen to represent beginning in the dark and working your way into the light.

He noted the symbolism of that was very important to both Maori and Christians.

"We seek to have light shone in the darkness and our hope and prayer is that this school will be a place where the light will shine."

Dooley also acknowledged the sexual and physical abuse that had occurred at the school.

The Church "has not responded well to that", he said.

"That's a part of our history that we need to acknowledge honestly so that we can go forward."

Those at the service were then led around each part of the school and the school grounds as Dooley and Sr Sandra Winton OP blessed it with water from three significant sources: Wellers Rock, Toitu Stream and Lourdes, France.

Male Survivors Otago spokesman Michael Chamberlain said the ceremony marked the first time he had stepped foot inside his old school since 1976.

"One would hope that moving forward, things can only be better.

"We are very mindful that abuse is not a historical event of the past, and that everyone needs to be vigilant moving forward as well, as we know it still occurs today," he said.

Source

• ODT

The three men, Brs Richard Glen, Francis Henery and Victor Sullivan, have died.

In March, Dunedin bishop Michael Dooley (pictured) announced a name change for the College.

Dooley's move came after a report showed former Dunedin bishop, John Kavanagh, did not act on a complaint of sexual abuse by Fr Freek Schokker in about 1963.

Schokker was a priest from the Netherlands working in the diocese at the time of the complaint. He was accused of abusing two young people.

He left New Zealand at some stage after the complaint. He died in the Netherlands in 1993 age 81.

Schokker was not on the staff at Kavanagh College, and Bishop Kavanagh did not know of the other cases because complaints were not made until some years after he had died.

In renaming the college, Dooley said it was an effort to "contribute to some healing and reaffirm our desire as a church to listen to victims of abuse and work hard to provide a safe environment for those in our care".

Apart from the name change, College principal, Kate Nicholson, appears to have had no knowledge of Glen, Henery and Sullivan.

In a statement on the College's website, Nicholson says it was not the "intent to cause any distress to survivors of sexual abuse in the Church, nor to past pupils and their whanau.

"As soon as ‘we' found out through the ODT that this has happened, the boards were taken down and will remain down."

Nicholson says finding a balance between recognising the positive history and traditions and making pupils proud of their place in Catholic schooling in Dunedin has become a challenge in the last few years.

"I hope that our current whanau and wider community recognise the significant commitment we have made to the survivors of abuse and to all the young people in our care as we undertake to begin a new, forward-looking and exemplary history as Trinity Catholic College next year."

The discovery of the displayed photos stunned old boy survivors who were on a recent reunion tour of the College.

Kavanagh old boy, Dr Murray Heasley, of the Network for Survivors of Abuse in Faith-Based Institutions, was on the reunion tour.

The ODT reports Heasley saying survivors had been told over and over that the church now had a survivor focus, and there was no longer a default position to protect predators and the reputation of schools.

"Did not a single staff member find the honouring of these men reprehensible and unconscionable?

"Is there no awareness, no consciousness of the damage to any victim survivor who might chance on the faces of these men on the walls ... ?"

He said all Catholics were "spiritually, morally and ethically obligated to share and accept the pain and suffering of those grievously abused by Glen, Henery and Sullivan, not ignore it or dismiss it as unimportant."

"On the contrary, this acceptance is axiomatic and central or it's all a ghastly grift," Dr Heasley said.

Sources

• Kavanagh College (Last accessed 5 November 2022.)
• NZ Catholic
• ODT
• ODT

Kavanagh College's Tom Davis (15) has published three books since 2019, a trilogy which now resides in the school library.

The Lizard trilogy is a series of books aimed at readers aged 7-13 following the tale of Scale, a jewelled gecko on a fantastical adventure.

Tom said he always liked expressing his imagination through writing, but had never tackled anything longer than a short story before the trilogy.

He was inspired by series like Wings of Fire and How to Train Your Dragon. Read more

The change takes place on January 1, 2023.

The move by Dooley comes after a report shows former Dunedin bishop, John Kavanagh, did not act on a complaint of sexual abuse.

Dooley says systemic failures at the time let survivors down badly and it is wrong to have a school associated with Kavanagh's name.

"A number of survivors of abuse in the Dunedin diocese have asked me to change the name of the college," says Dooley.

"Having the college named after the bishop of that time represents for a number of people the systemic failures of that time and contributes to their trauma.

"I would hope that the renaming of the college will contribute to some healing and reaffirm our desire as a church to listen to victims of abuse and work hard to provide a safe environment for those in our care," Dooley says.

Renaming the college is the result of an investigation after a number of Dunedin survivors complained that Kavanagh failed to act on claims of sexual abuse by priests.

The result of the investigation shows that seven priests, two brothers and one lay teacher sexually abused children and, in one case, an adult during Bishop Kavanagh's time as Bishop of Dunedin.

In line with Pope Francis' 2019 decree, "Vos estis lux mundi" the Metropolitan Archbishop of New Zealand, Cardinal John Dew, requested the inquiry.

In a statement, Dew reported that the investigation showed Kavanagh failed to act on one complaint.

Kavanagh was Bishop of Dunedin for 28 years; from 1957 to 1985.

Dew said the investigation found that Kavanagh knew of complaints relating to two priests: Fathers Freek Schokker in about 1963 and Magnus Murray in about 1972.

He said the investigation also showed Kavanagh did not know of the other cases because complaints were not made until some years after Kavanagh died.

"In the case of Murray, the Complaints Assessment Committee found that Murray admitted the abuse to Bishop Kavanagh and was sent to Australia for treatment," said Dew.

"Because of that admission, and by sending Murray for treatment, Bishop Kavanagh did what he was required to under the Church canon law at the time.

After returning from treatment in Australia Magnus Murray did not return to Dunedin but became a priest in the Auckland Diocese.

In 2003 he was jailed for five years after admitting 10 offences against four Dunedin boys from 1958 to 1972.

Murray was removed from the priesthood in 2019.

"In the case of Father Schokker, Bishop Kavanagh should have investigated the complaint, but failed to do so," Cardinal Dew added.

Freek Schokker was a priest from the Netherlands working in the diocese at the time of the complaint. He was accused of abusing two young people. He left New Zealand at some stage after the complaint and was told not to come back. He died in the Netherlands in 1993, at age 81.

"There has been considerable public interest in this inquiry," said Cardinal Dew.

"Survivors of abuse committed in the Dunedin diocese have called for Kavanagh College in Dunedin to be renamed, based on their belief that Bishop Kavanagh did not act properly on complaints of abuse.

"The outcome of the inquiry is that Bishop Kavanagh failed to act as required at the time on one of the two complaints he knew of. It is now for Bishop Dooley to decide the future of the name of the college.

"I accept that some survivors may not be happy with the decision that Bishop Kavanagh acted properly in respect to Magnus Murray. But that was in the context of canon law of the time.

"We take immediate action on complaints of abuse today. We are committed to a safe environment for all within the Church community," said Dew.

The inquiry was conducted by the Church's complaints body which engaged senior Christchurch investigator Micky Earl of the firm Corporate Risks.

Earlier Male Survivors Otago spokesman Michael Chamberlain said he was quietly hopeful the name would change but was unhappy the investigation was to be conducted by the Church's National Office of Professional Standards.

"It's coming out, and it will come out from others, how much blood Kavanagh's got on his hands," Chamberlain told the Otago Daily Times in 2020.

Sources

• ODT
• Supplied Catholic Bishops Conference
• Scoop
• CathNews

Concerns around former Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, Bishop John Kavanagh are the reason for the push to change Dunedin high school's name.

An independent investigation has been started into the way Kavanagh handled sexual abuse complaints during his time as bishop.

More, who has been a barrister for 50 years and is Catholic, said regardless of the investigation's outcome, the school should be changed to St Paul's.

Kavanagh College opened in 1989 as a result of a merger between St Paul's High School for boys and Moreau College for girls.

The Vatican was informed last year of the concerns about Kavanagh, however, because Kavanagh died in 1985 the investigation will be independently managed in New Zealand.

The Vatican's scope is limited to complaints about living clergy.

A concern about Kavanagh involves his response when informed of the actions of former Catholic priest, Magnus Murray.

Murray, who offended against boys in Dunedin from the 1950s to the 1970s, was brought to Kavanagh's attention in 1972.

Kavanagh's response was to move Murray to Australia. He later allowed him to return to New Zealand and resume public ministry in the North Island. More victims have emerged from that period.

Male Survivors Otago spokesman Michael Chamberlain says he is unhappy the investigation is being conducted by the Church.

The church's National Office for Professional Standards will undertake the investigation, which it has contracted to Christchurch senior investigator Micky Earl, of the firm Corporate Risks.

Chamberlain says he is hopeful Kavanagh College's name will be changed.

"It's coming out, and it will come out from others, how much blood Kavanagh's got on his hands."

Earlier this week Kavanagh College's board of trustees chairwoman Barb Long declined to comment on the investigation.

The investigation is independent and the school is not part of it, she explained.

Source

• Otago Daily Times
• Image: Catholic Diocese of Dunedin

The New Zealand bishops' conference (NZBC) says these concerns involved a number of victims of abuse in the Dunedin Diocese who had complained that Kavanagh had not properly dealt with their complaints of sexual abuse by priests.

The bishops' concerns about Kavanagh were referred to the Vatican late last year, in line with Pope Francis' 2019 decree, "Vos estis lux mundi."

New Zealand's Metropolitan Archbishop, Cardinal John Dew has now asked the National Office for Professional Standards (NOPS) to look into Kavanagh's response to these complaints while he was bishop from 1957 until he died in 1985.

NOPS is the Church's complaints body. It, in turn, appointed Christchurch senior investigator Micky Earl to conduct the investigation.

Dew says Earl will focus on finding out what information Kavanagh had regarding complaints of sexual abuse. He will also look into whether Kavanagh met his obligations as bishop in how he responded to and managed those complaints.

One of the priests Kavanagh was allegedly told about was Magnus Murray, who offended against boys in Dunedin from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Newspaper reports say Murray's offences were brought to Kavanagh's attention in 1972.

Kavanagh's response was to move Murray to Australia. He later allowed him to resume public ministry in the North Island. New victims have since emerged from that period.

Abuse survivors, their supporters and a group of former pupils have called for the name of Dunedin's Kavanagh College - named after the late bishop - to be changed.

Kavanagh College Board of Trustees chairwoman Barb Long has declined to comment about any decisions about renaming the school at this stage. This is because the investigation is independent and the school was not part of it, she says.

Dew is also waiting for the outcome of the investigation and its recommendations. He says these could help form the basis of any decision to rename the college.

Anyone who has any concerns regarding inappropriate behaviour in a Church setting should contact NOPS to report their concerns, Dew says.

"NOPS operates independently of diocesan and Congregation structures. It contracts professional, experienced and independent third-party investigators to conduct investigations on its behalf.

"We are committed to a safe environment for all within the Church community. Any form of misconduct or inappropriate behaviour in the Church community is not acceptable."

NOPS can be contacted by free phone on 0800 114 622, or by email at prof.standards@nzcbc.org.nz Go here for the NOPS website, which includes the latest edition of A Path to Healing.

In addition to contacting NOPS, the Church also encourages victims of abuse to contact the police or the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care.

Source

• New Zealand Herald
• Otago Daily Times
• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: NZ Catholic

Pressure has been growing for a name change following revelations the late bishop sent Dunedin priest Father Magnus Murray to Australia for counselling instead of contacting the police Read more

ALSO
Read Kavanagh College removes name from blazer for next year

The meeting was organised by former Kavanagh College pupils Christian McNab and Sam Murphy following ODT Insight revelations about sexual offending within the Dunedin diocese. Continue reading

During the last term of last year Arryn, who identifies as non-binary and asks to be referred to using the pronouns they, their and them instead of he or she, changed uniform and stopped being called Erin.

All this happened with the school's support and Arryn, whose parents asked their last name not be used, was "a little surprised" at just how willing the school was to let them wear boys' pants and the girls' uniform's top half.

Arryn's mother, Keely, said the school had been "absolutely brilliant" and concerns Arryn would be bullied after changing uniform were not realised.

Her advice to other parents with children who did not identify as either he or she was to "listen to what your child wants" and contact support groups if things were a struggle.

Mr Steve Read, the school's deputy principal said Kavanagh College's decision to be accepting fitted with its core values of service, respect, justice and truth.

"I guess justice and respect are the two that sit around this issue.

People don't choose this path. They are born into it and feel like they are in the wrong gender and we need to respect that difference."

Read accepted there would be some in the Catholic community who were against the school's stance.

"Whereas we would say we are all made in God's image ... and therefore we should be being supportive and respectful."

Source

• odt.co.nz
• Image: gender.wikia.com

The Mass on Sunday will be part of Kavanagh College's 25th jubilee celebrations and will attract all schools and parishes in the city. Continue reading