Sydney
27 April 2003
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Tears as Canadians part with the World Youth Day cross
3 million live in poverty: Vinnies
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Prelates and priests bid Fr Les farewell
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Fr Michael’s life of friendship, respect
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Obituary: Fr Michael’s life of friendship, respect
More than 150 bishops and priests said farewell to Fr Michael Foster at St Mary’s Cathedral
Fr Michael Foster, 1955-2003
By Fr Gerard Kelly
When Fr Michael Foster died on April 5, at the relatively young age of
47, the Archdiocese of Sydney lost an energetic and conscientious priest.
He was ordained on August 16, 1980 and appointed to St Luke’s parish, Revesby. The first appointment of a priest is a significant one as adjustments are made from life in the seminary to active parish ministry.
In Michael’s case the three years spent at Revesby turned out to be very formative.
Not only was he involved in the usual parish ministry, but at that time St Luke’s also provided the chaplaincy to Bankstown hospital.
Perhaps most significant of all, however, was the strong sense of teamwork that prevailed at Revesby.
This owed much to the vision of the parish priest, Fr Ron Hickman, but also to the energy of those on the parish team, which included the two assistant priests and a pastoral associate, Kate Hewitt.
These were pioneering days, and they shaped Michael’s approach to ministry.
He learnt the powerful connection between collaborative ministry and the overall life of the parish community.
He also deepened his conviction, already long-held, that friendships sustain life.
The friendships developed at Revesby, particularly with Fr Ron Hickman, endured to the present.
The insights and skills learnt and developed at Revesby were further refined and developed in successive parishes. While at Revesby he was appointed to St Christopher’s, Panania, on a part-time basis.
In 1983 he went to St Thomas Aquinas parish, Springwood, and later served as administrator for a short time.
He was appointed to St Joseph’s parish, Enfield, during 1985, and then to Holy Family parish, Mt Druitt.
After the division of the archdiocese he moved to Sacred Heart parish, Cabramatta, in 1986, and remained there until 1989 when he was appointed director of vocations for the archdiocese.
The six years spent as director of vocations was another significant period of his life, and for the life of the diocese.
He had always shown a concern for priestly vocations, and for the life of priests.
As vocation director he carried on and developed the work that had been done in helping young men discern their vocation and preparing them to enter the seminary.
The work of vocation director was an occasion for him to broaden his experience of the Church, especially as he worked closely with vocation directors from religious orders and congregations, as well as from dioceses in NSW and other parts of Australia.
Around this time important developments were taking place in many parts of the world as more attention was given to the screening of candidates and their formation before going to the seminary.
Fr Michael studied what was happening and was asked by Cardinal Clancy to open a house of pre-seminary formation at Earlwood.
The house served as a residence for some men as they discerned their vocation while continuing their current work or study.
Days of reflection for people inquiring about priesthood were also held on a regular basis.
The emphasis was on helping the men develop their life of prayer, deepen their sense of the Church, and be active in service to others.
In the middle of 1984 Michael had gone to Dublin, Ireland, where he was a participant in an intensive program for religious leaders involved in formation.
The rigour of this program, the skills it helped develop and the personal formation it entailed made this one of the most formative times of his life.
The experience of an international group of participants further broadened his knowledge and love of the Church. He came to love and admire Ireland and the Irish people and, as always, developed strong bonds of friendship, which endured to the present.
The time in Ireland fitted him well to move into priestly formation in a more direct way, and it was no surprise to many when, at the end of 1995, Cardinal Clancy appointed him to be the first rector of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd, which was due to open the following year.
The task was demanding. In material terms it meant setting up the newly built premises. But it also meant taking responsibility for the on-going development of the formation program when St Patrick’s College, Manly, closed.
Pope John Paul II’s instruction on priestly formation, Pastores dabo vobis, had not long appeared and already formation programs were taking account of it. Michael studied it carefully and gradually implemented it at Homebush.
There was an emphasis on the integration of the various aspects of formation and an expectation that students would actively engage in the life of the seminary, owning the personal challenges that the formation program placed on them.
While students inevitably found this challenging, Michael ensured that the seminary was able to provide the support they needed.
He was a good listener, but was also able to challenge them to make what were sometimes difficult decisions.
From this potted sketch of Fr Michael Foster’s life as a priest of the archdiocese of Sydney, it is possible to recognise common threads.
He cared for people and knew the importance of friendship; he respected the gifts of others and worked collaboratively with them.
He had a great sense of the integrity and wholeness of the person. For this reason it could be said that he was truly catholic - he belonged to the Great Tradition of the Church. He had a deep sense of the sacramentality of the Church.
This is why he valued life and people and everything that expressed the marvels of God. There was a common pattern: he began by recognising a person’s baptismal dignity, encouraging them to listen attentively to the word of God and leading them in worship of God in the Eucharist.
This pattern was reflected in the way he established the seminary, particularly the various focal points such as the chapel, dining room, or common room.
On entering any of these spaces you had a sense of the ekklesia, the assembly of the Church. Symbol was important, but subtle.
You were being invited to see the movement in your own life to a deeper fidelity to God and God’s people.
The pattern was also evident in his own life, which grew out of his own baptismal dignity, his meditation on the word of God and the daily celebration of the Eucharist.
This is the legacy he has left - not just with those priests who were ordained from the Seminary of the Good Shepherd, but also with those many people to whom he ministered in various parishes in Sydney.
Fr Gerard Kelly is a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart