O'REILLY, JEREMIAH JOSEPH PURCELL (1799-1880) was born in Cork, Ireland, educated there and in France, and finally in Rome, where he joined the Franciscan Order of Friars. Ordained in 1824, he was appointed to the mission in Cork under Dr Delaney and was afterwards in the mission at Kilkenny under Dr Kinsella. In 1841 O'Reilly came to Wellington as chaplain to the Hon H. W. Petre, and he established the first Catholic Church in Boulcott street. In 1865 he made a tour through the South Island, visiting many goldfield centres, and in 1868 he visited Europe and was for a while chaplain to the Papal Zouaves. Returning to New Zealand with Bishop Viard (1870), he was actively engaged in parish work till 1879, when he retired in ill-health.

O'Reilly was the founder of the first Catholic school in Wellington. He was an ardent temperance advocate and spoke eloquently at meetings with Sir William Fox. As an author he published Exhorto Ecclesiae. He died on 21 Jun 1880.

Ward; N.Z. Times, 13 Aug 1880; Wellington Independent, 16 May 1867.

Reference: Volume 2, page 71

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