COORPAROO parish has farewelled Carmelite Father Frank Shortis who served the community at Our Lady of Mount Carmel for 13 years.
Fr Shortis (pictured) was asked by the Carmelite prior provincial to move to Melbourne to assist with provincial archiving and to help the seminarians in formation. He left on March1.
Fr Shortis was the chaplain to the lay Carmelites and a spiritual director for many parishioners and Catholics in Brisbane archdiocese.
Parish priest Fr Paul Sireh said Fr Shortis would be sadly missed by his fellow Carmelite brothers and the Coorparoo parish community.
“Those of us who have been here longer know the smile of joy we would have upon arriving at this 6pm Mass to see that it was Frank who was to lead our celebration that evening,” Fr Sireh said.
“His manner of celebrating Eucharist is deeply prayerful and his homilies are always a treat of wry humour, incredibly practical wisdom and a challenge to each of us to be more deeply faithful in the way we live our Christianity.
“For the last three, maybe four, years, Fr Shortis has preached on Holy Thursday night about priesthood as service, which has been quite a moving reflection because it has described his own living out of his priesthood.
“Whether it has been in his years as an educator, working in parishes, or as a leader in his order, Frank has served people with great gentleness and humanity.
“What a gift he has to offer those in training for the priesthood.”
Parishioner and lay Carmelite Peter White said Fr Shortis was “a remarkable man”.
Young parishioner Paul Mulligan said Fr Shortis was a man who “led by example” and made an effort to know everyone in the parish.
“He is a gentleman who lived out a spirit of Carmel and followed the footsteps of Jesus Christ as priest,” he said.
