Bishop Peter De Campo
Title:
Bishop
First Name:
Francis
Middle Names:
Peter
Preferred Name:
Peter
Surname:
De Campo
Order:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Melbourne VIC
Country of Birth:
Australia
Date of Ordination:
Place of Ordination:
Beechworth VIC
Country of Ordination:
Australia
Ordination Diocese:
Sandhurst
Seminary:
Corpus Christi College, Melbourne, Australia
Date of Death:
Place of Death:
Adelaide SA
Country of Death:
Australia
Date of Burial:
Place of Burial:
Port Pirie SA
Country of Burial:
Australia
Find A Grave URL:
Appointments Table
Diocese | Place | Role | Start Day | Start Month | Start Year | End Day | End Month | End Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhurst | St Kilian's, Bendigo | Catholic Leader, 3 May 1998 | |||||||
| Sandhurst | Cathedral | Catholic Leader, 3 May 1998 | |||||||
| Port Pirie | Port Pirie | Coadjutor Bishop | Nov | 1979 | Aug | 1980 | Cresp, Good and Faithful Servants; Catholic Leader, 3 May 1998 | ||
| Port Pirie | Port Pirie | Bishop | 11 | Aug | 1980 | Apr | 1998 | Cresp, Good and Faithful Servants; Catholic Leader, 3 May 1998 |
Episcopal Ordinations Table
Diocese | Day | Month | Year | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Pirie | 13 | Feb | 1980 | Bendigo VIC | Australia |
Biographical Notes
Mourning for bishop, Catholic Leader, Brisbane, 3 May 1998, p 1:
Bishop Peter De Campo, who led Port Pirie diocese in South Australia for 18 years with "a special love for the 'battler', migrants and refugees", was farewelled by mourners at the diocesan cathedral on Wednesday.
Bishop De Campo, 74, was being treated for a long-standing heart condition when he died on April 23 in Adelaide.
His sister Betty and former Archbishop of Adelaide James Gleeson were with him when he died. Adelaide's Archbishop Leonard Faulkner had been to see him earlier.
Bishop De Campo was buried from St Mark's Cathedral, Port Pirie, with 25 bishops and up to 100 priests attending. A prayer vigil was held in the cathedral on Tuesday night.
"Many people from many walks of life will miss Bishop De Campo very much," Archbishop Faulkner said. "He had a special love for the 'battler', for migrants and refugees, and for all country people, especially those from isolated places.
"Personally I shall miss him very much. With Archbishop Gleeson we were 'the hierarchy of South Australia'. We worked closely on St Francis Xavier Seminary, the SA Catholic Schools Commission, for the life and ministry of priests and on social justice issues."
Francis Peter De Campo, a priest of the Victorian diocese of Sandhurst, went to Port Pirie diocese as coadjutor bishop to Bishop Bryan Gallagher in November 1979. He became its bishop the following year.
Bishop De Campo was born in Melbourne on July 9, 1923 to Francis and Marion, who lived at Beechworth in Victoria's north-east.
He studied for the priesthood at Corpus Christi College, Werribee, and was ordained in Beechworth on July 24, 1949.
He served first in St Killian' s parish, Bendigo, then in the newly established cathedral parish in Bendigo.
He was given special responsibilities for migrants, following a demonstrated concern to help migrants and refugees settle. As a young priest he helped bring migrants to Australia, including large numbers of Dutch settlers.
For some years he chaired the Australian bishops' Committee for Migrants and Refugees and he was also a member of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.
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Fr Frank Cresp, Good and Faithful Servants: Recalling the Spirit of the Deceased Priests of the Diocese of Port Augusta and Port Pirie 1888-2008, 2008:
DeCampo, Francis Peter
Born: 9/7/1923 in Melbourne, Victoria.
Ordained priest: 24/7/1949 in Beechworth, Victoria.
Ordained Bishop: 13/2/1980 at Bendigo as Coadjutor Bishop of Port Pirie. Succeeded to the See on 11/8/1980.
Died: 23/4/1998. Buried at Port Pirie.
Remembered for his work for migrants and refugees over many years.
(Reproduced with the approval of Sister Mary Cresp RSM)