 As Bishop of Port Augusta , O 'Reily had fought to minimise the debt inherited from the old Diocese of Adelaide . Having reduced the new diocese 's debts by half in his six years as bishop , upon becoming Archbishop of Adelaide , O 'Reily found the rest of the old diocesan liabilities awaiting him , their size having actually increased . In 1895 , he presented a report on the state of the archdiocesan finances to the Sunday congregation in St. Francis Xavier 's Cathedral , revealing total liabilities of just over £ 37 @,@ 000 . O 'Reily reckoned £ 10 @,@ 000 could be paid off by selling land owned by the Archdiocese . Two weeks after his address , a meeting of Adelaide Catholics supported moves to liquidate the archdiocesan debts , with £ 3 @,@ 600 pledged at that meeting , including £ 1 @,@ 000 over four years from O 'Reily himself , a significant portion of his income . 
