GROWING up in a bustling city of more than a million people in the Philippines, a young Elmer Ibarra could never have imagined he’d one day be standing side-by-side with a bishop in the dust in the dead centre of Australia celebrating Mass. That’s part of the great unknown Fr Elmer signed up for when he was ordained a priest ... Read More »
Tag Archives: missionary priest
Australian priest from small Louisiana missionary order says God may want them to visit Australia
A SMALL religious order known for “evangelising on the streets of the world” hopes to send a mission to Australia after COVID-19 subsides. The Little Friars and Little Nuns of Jesus and Mary is an order with only 34 members, but the significance of the mission was revealed after one of its priests prayed and receiving a sign to come. ... Read More »
Queensland Catholics thankful for missionary priests’ evangelisation in Brisbane and Townsville
BRISBANE Archbishop Mark Coleridge celebrated Mass last month with priests from the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (MCBS) serving in Queensland at St. Joachim church in Holland park and Mt. Gravatt parish in Brisbane . Archbishop Coleridge joined MCBS priests from Brisbane, Toowoomba and Townsville for the occasion that marked the Congregation’s 86th anniversary, founded in 1933 at Mallappally, ... Read More »
Nigerian priest details his honest experiences of Brisbane parishes in first memoir
A NIGERIAN Catholic priest in Brisbane has written a heartfelt book about his experiences working in a suburban Australian church, including dealing with culture shock and bridging cultural barriers. “At times, having a foreign priest is a source of tension for some parishioners who have not done much with people from other countries, particularly Africa,” Fr Emmanuel Aguiyi, who is ... Read More »
Former refugee returns to Brisbane after a decade of ministry in Brazil
FOR the past five years Divine Word Missionaries priest Fr Manh Le has travelled between remote villages along the Amazon River, with little more than a hammock and a mosquito net. The priest, who was ordained in Brisbane 15 years ago and sent to Brazil, recently returned to Australia and is still adjusting to life. “Every night I stayed with ... Read More »
Brisbane missionary priest who built a church and school in Ecuador returns to see finished product
WHEN Manly parish priest Fr Frank Jones returned to Ecuador recently he was hailed as a hero by the slum dwellers of San Francisco. Fr Jones set up a clinic, built a church and founded a school for the poor during his many years as a missionary, before poor health forced him to return to Australia. “It really moved me ... Read More »