Background
Rodgers was born in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand on 9 October 1915.
Rodgers was born in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand on 9 October 1915.
After receiving his secondary education at Street Patrick"s College, Wellington and Street Patrick"s College, Silverstream, he studied to be a Marist priest at Mountain Street Mary"s Seminary, Greenmeadows.
He was Vicar Apostolic of Tonga and Niue (1953-1966) Bishop of Tonga (1966-1973) then Bishop of Rarotonga (1973-1977), Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland (1977-1985), Superior of the Mission, Funafuti, Tuvalu (1986). A year later he went to Tonga and was principal of "Api Fo"ou College. In 1953 he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Tonga and was consecrated bishop in Street Mary of the Angels, Wellington.
Rodgers attended Sessions 1, 3 and 4 of the Vatican II Council.
He became Bishop of Tonga when Tonga was created a diocese in 1966. He resigned the see in 1972 to make way for an indigenous bishop Bishop Patrick Finau.
He became Bishop of Rarotonga in 1973. After his resignation from that see, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland to assist Bishop John Mackey.
In 1985 he was appointed superior of the Catholic mission of Funafuti, Tuvalu and Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific, but retired to Auckland in 1986 because of ill health.
He died on 10 January 1997, aged 81. He was buried on 14 January 1997 at Kalevalio Cemetery, Ma"ufanga, Tonga. Bishop John Hubert Macey Rodgers Master of Science, Catholic Hierarchy website (accessed 15 February 2011).