I arrived in Australia at the end of July 2008 not knowing what lay ahead of me, not knowing how my apostolate there would develop or come to an end. After just over four years, four wonderful years of priestly life and grace, family responsibilities call me to end this period of work abroad and return to England.
The call to go to Australia came out of the blue, literally. I was asked to become the first full-time chaplain of Campion College, Australia; a position I held for two years. During this time, and for three years, I moved to live and work also at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney.
My mother's diminshing health has convicted me that I should now be more available to the family back home.
My Australian experience has been so marvellous that I would like to make a series of posts here. In this first post I simply want to enumerate the pricipal people with whom I was involved and to whom I am indebted:
Firstly, Bishop Manning (now Emeritus) of Parramatta for his very warm welcome.
The Campion Foundation, and the staff and students of Campion College.
His Eminence Cardinal Pell, and the staff and students of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd.
The Officers of the Marriage and Family Life department of the Sydney Archdiocese.
The Theology on Tap team.
The iWitness team.
The Queensland Catholic Home-Schooling Association.
The National Asspciation of Catholic Families, Australia.
The Servants of Jesus Community.
The Catholic Youth Services of Sydney Archdiocese.
The leaders and members of the Youth Formation Course of the Sydney Archdiocese.
The Nashville Dominican Sisters.
The Dominican Fathers of the Sydney Archdiocese.
The Immaculata Sisters, the Immaculata Youth Community, and the leaders and members of the Immaculata Formation Course.
The Chaplaincy of the University of New South Wales.
The Schoenstadt Sisters of Mulgoa.
The priest members of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.
The Sydney priests of the Fraternity of St Peter.
The Jesuit Fathers of Brisbane.
Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous of Sydney and the members of the Credo Office of Evangelisation of the Sydney Archdiocese.
Archbishop Coleridge of Brisbane.
Bishop Jarrett of Lismore.
Bishop McKenna of Bathurst.
Bishop Fisher of Parramatta.
Bishop Mathys (now Emeritus) and Bishop Kennedy of Armidale.
Auxiliary Bishop Comensoli of Sydney.
My involvement in the Church in Australia was so wonderful, and I will rejoice in it for a long time, that I will endeavour to follow this with some appreciative posts. Watch this space!
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