Bishop John Mackey was born in Ireland in 1918 and was educated in Auckland by the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of St Joseph. He attended Sacred Heart College in Grey Lynn (now St Pauls), Auckland and studied for the Priesthood at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel.
He was ordained in 1941 and with a Doctorate in Education and a Master of Arts degree in history, he spent the earlier years of his priesthood as Director of Education in the Auckland Diocese.
He was previously Professor of Church History at New Zealand’s National Seminary, Holy Cross College, and lecturer in Church History at the University of Otago.
He was the 9th Bishop of Auckland from 1974 to 1984 and is also the author of three books: Reflections on Church History, The Making of a State System, and Looking at Ourselves – the Church Moving towards the Third Millennium.
