Rev Caspar Smiers MHM
Title:
Rev
First Name:
Caspar
Middle Names:
Preferred Name:
Surname:
Smiers
Order:
MHM
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Country of Birth:
Netherlands
Date of Ordination:
Place of Ordination:
Country of Ordination:
Ordination Diocese:
Seminary:
Date of Death:
Place of Death:
Te Aroha, Waikato
Country of Death:
New Zealand
Date of Burial:
Place of Burial:
Country of Burial:
New Zealand
Find A Grave URL:
Appointments Table
Diocese | Place | Role | Start Day | Start Month | Start Year | End Day | End Month | End Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armidale | Narrabri | Sep | 1902 | Campbell | |||||
| Wilcannia-Forbes | Wilcannia | Sep | 1902 | Aug | 1904 | Campbell | |||
| Armidale | Emmaville | Aug | 1904 | 1918 | Campbell; Gravestone |
Biographical Notes
T.W. Campbell, The Priests of the Diocese of Armidale: A Necrology, Braddon ACT, 2005:
Smiers, Casper
Dutch born (date unknown). Presumably educated in Holland, it appears he joined the Mill Hill Missionaries, an English based missionary organisation founded by Fr Herbert Vaughan (who went on to become Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster). Date and place of ordination unknown. Caspar Smiers' brother, John, joined the Marist Fathers and ended up in New Zealand. He visited Casper Smiers at Emmaville in 1913 to celebrate his (John's) silver jubilee of ordination.
The first references to his work in the Armidale diocese occurred in September 1902 when he was farewelled from Narrabri, on posting to Wilcannia. He apparently was at Wilcannia in 1903 and 1904 and then returned to the Armidale diocese from August 1904, located at Emmaville. He was a very popular priest. He was presented with a new buggy by the parish in 1907. In 1911 he was presented with new vestments and cash. In 1918 it was announced he was going for twelve months of leave, initially to his brother in New Zealand then, if war conditions permitted, to Holland. He did get to New Zealand, but caught influenza which was particularly virulent in Auckland. He died within a week, on 13 November 1918. He is buried in Auckland.
(Sources: FJ 20 Sep 1902 p 24, 19 Sep 1907 p 31, 23 Feb 1911 p 7, 20 Feb 1913 p 12, 5 Sep 1918 p 14, 28 Nov 1918 p 16, Daily Express (Tamworth) 16 Nov 1918 p 5, 21 Nov 1918 p 5, IT 19 Nov 1918 p 2, Foley).
(Reproduced by permission of Tom Campbell.)