Thomas Williams (cardinal)

Thomas Stafford Williams (20 March 1930 – 22 December 2023) was a New Zealand cardinal in the Catholic Church and the fifth Archbishop of Wellington from 1979 to 2005.

Early life and education
Williams was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and educated at Holy Cross Primary School, Seatoun; SS Peter and Paul School, Lower Hutt; St. Patrick's College, Wellington; and St Kevin's College, Oamaru. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Victoria University College, and worked for some years as an accountant. During his studies, he was deeply involved in the Catholic Youth Movement (YCW) and for a period worked full-time for the movement. In 1954, he commenced studies for the priesthood at the National Seminary, Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, Dunedin. In 1956 he was sent to the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, where he obtained a licentiate in theology and was ordained a priest on 20 December 1959. Later he received a social sciences degree from University College Dublin.

Early church career
Returning to Wellington, Williams served as assistant pastor and as Director of Studies at the Catholic Enquiry Centre. He left that post when he volunteered to serve as a missionary in Samoa (today the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia), where he was parish priest for five years. He returned to New Zealand in 1963 and became parish priest at St. Patrick's in Palmerston North for two years. This was followed by four years as Director of the Catholic Enquiry Centre in Wellington. In 1971 he moved to Leulumoega, Samoa and returned to New Zealand in 1976 to the Holy Family Parish in Porirua East. He celebrated the 60th year of his ordination in December 2019.

Archbishop of Wellington
Williams became Archbishop of Wellington on 20 December 1979 – his 20th anniversary of priestly ordination – following the death of Reginald Cardinal Delargey. His principal consecrator was Owen Snedden, long-term Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington. Williams was created Cardinal-Priest of the titular church of Jesus the Divine Teacher at Pineta Sacchetti by Pope John Paul II on 2 February 1983. He was additionally appointed Military Ordinary in 1995. He was appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand's highest civilian honour, in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Williams campaigned strongly against the passage of the law allowing civil unions in New Zealand saying it would turn New Zealand into a "moral wasteland". He also campaigned against the expansion of casinos.

Conclave and retirement
Williams was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. He resigned as Archbishop of Wellington on 21 March 2005 having reached the age of 75 and was succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop John Dew.

In retirement, Williams lived at a retirement village in Waikanae. He died there on 22 December 2023, at the age of 93.

Selected works

 * In his own words: a tribute to Cardinal Thomas Williams. ISBN 0-86469-476-8