 In 1887 he travelled 6,000 miles to consecrate fellow Irishman [[Matthew Gibney]] at Perth.He also travelled to [[Ballarat]], [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]], [[Bendigo]], [[Hobart]], [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]], [[Lismore, New South Wales|Lismore]], [[Melbourne]] and [[Rockhampton]] for the consecration of their cathedrals.Following the 1891 encyclical "Rerum Novarum", he supported the right of labourers to better their conditions.