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:
Tappeiner, Josef, SJ

Born: 10/12/1820 in Tyrol, Austria.
Arrived in Seven hill on 10/10/1852.
He, with his fellow missionaries, took many difficult pastoral journeys through the countryside.
Famous for his parish missions and retreats especially for priests.
Died: 10/2/1882 in Adelaide as the clock struck twelve. Aged 61.
"He befriended and upheld Mary MacKillop in the days of her persecution, and especially while she was under sentence of excommunication, a sentence which Tappeiner knew to be uncanonical and invalid. But he did not in any way join in the storm of abuse which was directed against Bishop Sheil.
His funeral was well attended with an estimated 15,000 following the coffin to the railway station on its way to Sevenhi/1, where the Church was packed with mourners." Jesuit Records.
He was the first Jesuit to be buried in the crypt of the Sevenhill Church.

(Reproduced with the approval of Sister Mary Cresp RSM)

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Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Tappeiner, Josef

Pastor and missionary; born Glurns, in the Tyrol, 10 December 1820; died Adelaide, 10 February 1882, aged 61.

Joseph Tappeiner had been educated by the Franciscans in their gymnasium at Botzen, and entered the Austrian province at Graz, 11 August 1841. His noviciate was followed by rhetoric studies at Graz, 1843-44, and philosophy at Linz, 1844-46. Theology was at Innsbruck, 1846-48, and because of the revolution at the time, he was ordained, 25 June 1848. He completed theology at Louvain and tertianship was at Tronchiennes, Belgium. In 1851 he was sent to the Australian mission and arrived at Sevenhill, 10 October 1852.

During his time in Australia he was superior at Sevenhill, 1856-61, and superior of the mission twice, 1866-70 and 1873-1877, as well as superior and parish priest of the Norwood parish, 1870-73. His chief work was pastoral. He, with his fellow missionaries, took many difficult pastoral journeys from Sevenhill through the countryside.

Later on, he was to specialise in giving missions and retreats, and he was in much demand, especially for retreats to the clergy. The Melbourne diocese invited him for clergy retreats in 1862 and in 1865. The clergy were so impressed with him that they expressed the desire that the Jesuits should establish a house in Melbourne, and so pressure was generated for the establishment of the Irish Jesuit mission in Australia.

What attracted priests especially to his ministrations was that he combined sound theological knowledge with a profound spiritual wisdom and prudence. This made him an admirable director in the troubled circumstances of the developing Australian Church. He befriended and upheld Mother Mary of the Cross, Saint Mary MacKillop, in the days of her persecution, and especially while she was under sentence of excommunication, a sentence which Tappeiner knew to be uncanonical and invalid. But he did not in any way join in the storm of abuse that was directed against Bishop Shiel.

His missions to the people were equally successful; there can be few missioners who, after completing an eight-day mission, have been asked to extend it to ten! Yet this happened in Adelaide in 1865. While at Norwood he gave special time and attention to the children in the Catholic orphanage, and to the 'penitents' in the Magdalen asylum.

His funeral was well attended, with an estimated 15,000 following his coffin to the railway station on its way to Sevenhill, where the church was packed with mourners.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)