“SO the Church of Rocky? Well, I’m looking forward to it and the first thing I’ll be doing is to get out and visit the country centres.”
Rockhampton’s Bishop-elect Michael McCarthy was both reflective and enthusiastic as he prepared to take on his role as the city’s 10th bishop.
The 63-year-old priest was due to head north to celebrate Mass for the feast day of the patron saint of Rockhampton’s St Joseph’s Cathedral when he spoke to the Leader.
He was in his office at Francis Rush Centre from where he’s ministered as episcopal vicar for clergy for the past 14 months.
Interviewing him was a bit like a relaxed chat over a backyard fence – a style which will doubtless go down well in the rurally-influenced environment where he’ll be bishop.
Influences on the bishop-elect’s life and priesthood played a major part in the conversation with several mentions of his often-struggling farming parents.
Then there were the priests, all sorts, from teachers at Downlands College, Toowoomba, where he boarded, to Brisbane’s Archbishop Mark Coleridge.
He described watching the live telecast of Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon as “a seminal moment” in his studies to become an industrial chemist.
There was his time as “rector of three seminaries” – Pius XII Seminary, Banyo; Holy Spirit Seminary, Wavell Heights; and finally leading the Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary on its return to Banyo. Even his trusty Peugeot got a mention as he eagerly discussed driving it “west”.
“I got my faith from my father and mother as they kept faith to the Church and God through the droughts and other hard times as farmers in the Greenmount area on the Darling Downs,” he said. “Mum and Dad did it tough during the droughts, handfeeding cows and so on. Farming was not easy and often a constant struggle.
“My parents did it hard and often went without to educate myself and my brother as we boarded at Downlands for four years … I was there from ‘64 to ’67.”
Growing up on a dairy farm in the country Steele Rudd of “Dad And Dave” fame made famous, young Michael was up early milking cows and did likewise after school.
The faithful were closely connected to the parish in those days.
“Masses had almost 100 per cent attendance from families in the district,” he said.
“Religious education at the local state school was from Mercy Sisters based at St Saviour’s School, Toowoomba. The Sisters would prepare us to receive the sacraments.”
Bishop-elect McCarthy recalled religion in those days was hands-on.
“Dad did a lot of fencing around the church and the priests helped build the churches or in the case of Cambooya, rebuilt the church there,” he said. “We had great parish priests – notables like Bill McCormack, Johnny Bennett and Vinnie Maher.
“When my brother was born, he needed a lot of medical attention with his hips and John Bennett would occasionally drive my mum to Brisbane for doctor’s appointments.”
At Downlands, the positive influence of priests continued into Michael’s teenage years.
“Two priests really stand out – there was Max Douglas who I had for Year 10 religion.
“He was one of most encouraging men you could meet … he once wrote on work I’d done: ‘You’ll be a good theologian one day’.
“Mind you, at that point I didn’t know what a theologian was.
“Another lovely guy was Albert Chan.
“He was my sub-junior physics and chemistry teacher and a great influence in my life.
“Later when I started to study chemistry, he’d say: ‘You can take my place teaching chemistry so I can go off and look after the Chinese community’.”
At this point young Michael McCarthy wasn’t considering the priesthood.
He was focused on getting through school which he did, gaining good enough grades to enter the newly established Queensland Institute of Technology annexe at Darling Heights in Toowoomba. He took on a three-year course in industrial chemistry.
A “seminal moment” arrived for the keen young student in July 1969.
“We were ushered into the physics lab to watch a black-and-white live television broadcast of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon,” he said.
“Our teacher Dr Harvey Billing said to all six of us: ‘Gentlemen, this is your future. The technology being based around the space program will be based around the technology that you will be part of.’ I also recall visiting the computer lab at a Toowoomba foundry – the computer occupied a room about the size of this office.”
Amid this “exciting time with new horizons”, he graduated and was offered various positions. Ultimately, he chose to work as an industrial chemist with BHP in Newcastle.
But, as Bishop-elect McCarthy explained, “the call to the priesthood was becoming stronger and stronger”.
Involvement with the YCW (Young Christian Workers) deepened his connection to the Church and finally in 1975, aged 24, he entered St Paul’s National Seminary for late vocations in Kensington, Sydney.
“The Sacred Heart Fathers, the same order as at Downlands, were running the seminary,” he said. “I felt as though I was back home again.”
Ordained in 1978, then Fr McCarthy’s first posting was in Gympie the following year.
There, he worked alongside the legendary parish priest known far and wide as Dr Kenny.
At times he also journeyed in the Gympie priest’s equally well-known Mercedes Benz.
Bishop-elect McCarthy chuckled as he recalled some swift motoring heading to outlying areas such as Kilkivan and Dr Kenny’s comment one day that he had a licence as a pilot.
“I had a wonderful four years there,” he said.
“I loved Gympie and it was great getting out into the country to places like Kandanga and Imbil and Kilkivan.”
Surfers Paradise parish followed.
“I went from about six people at Mass at Kilkivan most Sundays to about 800 at Mass at Surfers during holiday season,” he said.
“I looked out and there was just a sea of faces.
“It was the most incredible experience of priesthood … when people came on holidays they were often prepared to take a closer look at their lives.
“There was always a sense God was working in a very powerful way.
“There I worked alongside remarkable priests like Owen Oxenham – he had the ability to open you up to the whole wider Church and give a wonderful vision.”
In subsequent years, the priest who grew up in Greenmount has served in a number of pastoral roles including rector of the three versions of the Banyo seminary, dean forane of South Coast, director for the permanent formation of the clergy, and as priest of the parish of Hendra and episcopal vicar for clergy.
He counts his involvement in Brisbane archdiocese’s overseas priests program as a highlight, describing it as a “wonderful gift which has made our local Church very universal”.
Right now, Rockhampton’s new bishop is looking forward to the next phase of his ministry with “excitement and apprehension”.
His installation will be at an 11am Mass in St Joseph’s Cathedral on Thursday, May 29.
He had a lot to do with the diocese and others in Queensland, visiting and giving support to seminarians when he was seminary rector.
“I’m taking the Peugeot west,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to Rocky into what will be often familiar territory.
“There are many needs in the parishes – we need to lead a prayer campaign for rain and really storm the heavens.
“There are also the mining areas and communities like Bundaberg …
“Mainly, I just aim to get out and listen. With God’s help I hope to be the best pastor I can be.”
