A symbol of the authority of a bishop is his ring. The bishop’s or episcopal ring is a circle of precious metal (usually gold, but more humble metals can also be used) worn on the right ring finger by the Bishop as a sign of their own role and their own office.
The Bishop receives the bishop’s ring during the episcopal consecration. The tradition of kissing the episcopal ring comes from the Middle Ages, when it was a sign of respect and submission to kiss the ring of the Monarch. However, the tradition is no longer practised in this country.
We hold the rings of past bishops of Auckland who have died in New Zealand. These rings are popular in displays and show the changes in style across the decades. In 1970 we added the ring of Bishop Pompallier to the collection.
The stone has been replaced with glass as the original stone was sold to help pay diocesan debt.
Below are the other rings in the collection together with the bishops who wore them.
Bishop Luck 1882-1896
Bishop Lenihan 1896-1910
Bishop Cleary 1910-1929
Bishop Liston 1929-1970
Bishop Mackey 1974-1982
The rings of Auckland Bishops who went on to another diocese are held at those dioceses, e.g. the ring of Bishop Browne who died recently is held by the Hamilton Diocese.
Bishop Brown 1983-1995
Fantastic article! Really interesting piece of Diocesan history.