Michael Putney (bishop)

The Right Reverend Michael Ernest Putney, AM, DD (20 June 1946 – 28 March 2014) was a Roman Catholic bishop.

Born in Gladstone, Queensland, Putney attended St. Joseph's Convent (Townsville) for his primary education, and Our Lady's Mount (Townsville) and St. Columban's (Albion Heights, Brisbane) for his secondary education.^[1]

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. Putney was named titular bishop of Mizigi and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) in 1995. In 2001, Putney was named bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville, succeeding Bishop Raymond Conway Benjamin. Putney was well known for his ecumenical outreach to other Christian denominations.

Health

Bishop Putney was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer in December 2012, and eventually died in office, having worked up until his admission to the hospital on 21 March 2014 (according to Australia's ABC), passing away 15 months after his diagnosis at the Mater Hospital, Townsville, on Friday, 28 March 2014, aged 67.^[2][3][4]

On 2 April 2014, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported the bishop's death:

"Bishop Michael had received many prayers during the past 15 months and believed that he had received a miracle which allowed him to continue his work last year and achieve many things that he had been working on ... Last week Bishop Michael in a statement to the priests of the diocese said that his life was very much one day at a time, and as always, he left each day in God's hands. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bishop Michael’s family at this time.”

Bishop Putney had been co-chairman of the International Methodist-Roman Catholic Dialogue, a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and President of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

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