Michael Verdon
| Michael Verdon second Catholic Bishop of Dunedin 1896–1918 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
19 December 1838 Liverpool, England  United Kingdom
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| Died | 22 November 1918 Wellington  New Zealand
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Michael Verdon (19 December 1838 – 23 November 1918) was the 2nd Catholic Bishop of Dunedin (1896–1918).
Verdon was born in Liverpool, England on 19 December 1838 His father came from County Louth, Ireland and his mother came from County Kildare. He was a nephew of Cardinal Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin, and a first cousin of Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney. Verdon received his early education in St Vincent's College, Castleknock, Dublin, conducted by the Vincentian Fathers. In 1855 he proceeded to Rome, where he continued his studies in the Irish College. He was ordained priest on 28 December 1861.
In 1861, Verdon was appointed a professor in the ecclesiastical seminary of Dublin, the Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, of which nine years later, he became President. He enlarged the buildings there, constructed a "magnificent church" and considerably improved the quality of the teaching to raise the prestige of the college. In 1879 he was appointed a canon of the Cathedral Chapter, Dublin, by Cardinal MacCabe, Archbishop of Dublin. Verdon then joined the staff of the Irish College in Rome where as vice-rector he also made improvements and was raised to the dignity of a domestic prelate.
In 1888 he was recruited by Cardinal Moran to go to Sydney to take charge of the newly erected St Patrick's College, Manly. Under his rule the number of students rose to 65. At the Provincial Council, held in Sydney, in 1895, he was elected by the Bishops of Australia to represent them, and act as their agent in Rome; and, in February, 1896 when he had reached Melbourne on his way there, Verdon received news of his appointment to the see of Dunedin.
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