Monsignor M. J. Ryan Print Page

The stained glass window erected by parishioners commemorates Monsignor Ryan, parish priest of Mount Gambier for 39 years.

His Holiness the Pope has conferred upon the Very Rev. Dean Ryan, of St Paul's Church, Mount Gambier, the titular honor of Monsignor. This is an title which is bestowed upon clergy men who have done long and good service in ceremonial functions, and gives the holder a considerably higher status in the Church than that of Dean.

In 1883, when he was appointed to the charge of the Mount Gambier parish, and made a Dean, his Port Adelaide parishioners expressed great regret at his leaving them, and gave him an enthusiastic send-off, at which he was presented with a valedictory address and a purse of sovereigns from the congregation, and addresses from the schools and associations-connected with the church. Since then he has been working at Mount Gambier in the interests of the Church, and has been no less successful than elsewhere. He has been energetic and enterprising, loved by his own people and respected by all other sections of the community. He has been a wise manager of the affairs of the church, and has proved himself a born financier. In building he has particularly distinguished himself, and the fine Church of St. Paul, the handsome presbytery, the St. Paul's Hall, and the splendid Convent of Mercy, which have been erected and opened at Mount Gambier during his residence here, are monuments to him.
Border Watch (Mount Gambier), 2nd November 1917.

To perpetuate the memory of the late Monsignor M. J. Ryan, who for 39 years was in charge of the Catholic parish at Mount Gambier, and who died in 1922, the Catholic people of the town and district have erected a beautiful stained glass window in the western end of St. Paul’s Church. The blessing of this and two other stained glass windows, presented by Mrs. B. Spain and Mrs. Ellen Molony and family, in memory of their relations, took place on Sunday afternoon in the presence of a large congregation. The ceremony was performed by the Very Rev. Monsignor Hourigan, of Goodwood. The windows are of German workmanship, having been made in Munich, the artist being F. Zettler, and imported and erected by Mr. M. S. Duigan.
Border Watch (Mount Gambier), 23rd September 1924.
 

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