By Stefano Girola
Odhran O’Brien, Martin Griver: Unearthed, St Pauls publication, Sydney 2014.
In the preface to his biography of Bishop Martin Griver (1814-1886), author Odhran O’Brien refers to the “much underexplored history of the Catholic Church in Western Australia”.
Although this statement may not apply to the Benedictine mission of New Norcia that continues to attract much scholarly and media attention, it is certainly an accurate assessment of the limited space occupied by the ecclesiastical founders of the Perth diocese in the Australian historiography.
In this light, O’Brien’s work and Fr Christopher Dowd’s biography of Bishop Clune (1864-1935) are valid scholarly efforts that ‘unearth’ stories waiting to be told.
Martin Gríver y Cuní was born to a rural and devoted Catholic couple in the Catalonian town of Granollers and entered the seminary at 14 years of age. The post-Napoleonic period was a turbulent time in Spain, with growing clashes between secular governments and the Church that escalated after the liberal revolution of 1834.
One of the consequences of the anti-clerical persecution for the young Griver was the interruption of his seminary studies. Although his vocation remained strong, Griver decided to study medicine and surgery in Barcelona – a providential diversion that gave him skills that would prove precious in the missionary field of Western Australia.
Eventually able to complete his preparation for priesthood in 1847, after a pastoral experience in his home town Martin Griver responded positively to the recruitment tour of Bishop Salvado and Serra in Europe during 1849.
Feeling called by God to missionary work, Griver accepted the two Benedictine monks’ requirements to make a first profession of vows according to St Benedict’s rule. Joining a religious order seemed a drastic change from his intentions to become a secular priest, but circumstances in Western Australia would bring him back to his original plans.
The missionary band was welcomed in Fremantle by Bishop John Brady in December 1849. Although Griver remained attached to his homeland, where he had formed his spirituality characterised by a deep devotion to Holy Mary and by penitential practices, Western Australia was to remain his home for the remainder of his life.
The early years in the newly established diocese were very challenging for Griver.
These were the times of the Brady-Serra crisis, when clashes of policies and personalities led to public scandals compounded by financial difficulties. Roman authorities and then Sydney Archbishop John Polding had to intervene.
Ongoing problems in the relations between the monastic communities of New Norcia and New Subiaco and the Diocesan authorities, aggravated by the difficulties in finding adequate numbers of priests for the huge diocese, tested the personal relationship between Griver and Salvado that remained, however, amicable.
Griver was not fluent in English but his personal qualities, respect for authority and pastoral dedication, evident in his care for prisoners and those sentenced to death, earned him the trust of his superiors.
In 1859 he was entrusted by Serra with the administration of the diocese. It was his many achievements as an administrator during a period of great social change for the Catholic community in Western Australia that led to Griver’s consecration in Rome as Bishop of Perth in 1870. This took place just as he was attending Vatican Council I.
Building the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Perth and many other churches and schools, as well as establishing more positive relations with the Colonial Government and Church leaders in Eastern Australia, were among the highlights of his administration.
Following the methodology of eminent biographer Richard Holmes, Odhran O’Brien has travelled across Australia and the world, not only searching for historical sources but also visiting the places significant to Griver’s life.
This has allowed him to write a fascinating story of the background, pastoral activities and deep spirituality of a man who concluded a long period of Perth Catholic history, characterised by the leadership of the diocese by Spaniards.
Later, Perth would follow the pattern of the Eastern colonies at the turn of the century, with a predominance of the Irish clergy.
The linguistic difficulties that O’Brien also had to deal with in accessing many Spanish sources should not be a sufficient reason for overlooking the contribution of Southern European missionaries to the history of Catholic Australia.
O’Brien’s goal to ‘make a distinct and valuable contribution to the history of religion in Australia’ has certainly been achieved by this book.
The book can be purchased by Clicking Here.