From sailor to bishop

Sydney
27 July 2003

Centre of it all ...

Two new bishops for Sydney

New bishops at cutting edge of Church

From sailor to bishop

Neocatechumenate priest for Redfern

Pokie tax threatens club aid to Church

Honours to chapel couple

Origin star, author, surf champ lend hand to Youth Off Streets

Four-day visit to Slovakia

Sydney group breaks Holy Land ‘drought’

Pope gives $10m aid

Unusable gifts cost Vinnies $½m a year

Specs to aid St Lucy’s

Finnish choir at St Francis

Editorial: Themes of ministry

Letters: Richness of our faith

Conversation: Jim Grainger, director of Centacare Broken Bay - ‘Following Christ’s ideals’ of caring

Three years on, Gershom pulls out all the stops ...

Father of four ‘honoured’ by L’Arche appointment

Checking to see if Mr Right’s in site

Mary MacKillop focus of digital learning aid

Franciscan’s journey in a new era of pilgrimage

World Youth Day on web

Blessing at the centre of it all

From sailor to bishop

Bishop-elect Max Davis

When Bishop-elect Max Davis succeeds Bishop Geoffrey Mayne he will be the first Australian Catholic military bishop to have served in the defence forces (in the Royal Australian Navy from 1962-64) before being ordained a priest.

Bishop-elect Davis said he felt “overwhelmed and humbled” at the news that he had been appointed one of Australia’s newest bishops.

However, he is looking forward to the challenge of leading Australia’s Catholic military diocese as the Military Ordinary Bishop of Australia.

“This has come as an enormous surprise to me,” he said.

“I recognise this is a great moment in time for the members of the Australian Defence Forces and their families, particularly when they seem to be involved in more and more operations and have many more challenges.

“This is a very active time for them and because of the nature of their work they need all the support and care our military ministry can provide.”

Bishop-elect Davis, 57, grew up in Perth. After his ordination in 1971, he was appointed part-time chaplain for the army and later served with parishes in the Perth archdiocese.

From 1975 to 1993, Bishop-elect Davis served as chaplain on various ships and bases in Australia and overseas.

He became part of the newly established Military Ordinariate in 1990 and was appointed its vicar-general and principal Catholic chaplain for the Navy in 1993.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998 and appointed chancellor of the Military Ordinariate until 2000.

He then served as chaplain to St Edmund’s College until 2002, when he went to St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra as an assistant priest.

Bishop-elect Davis estimates that 50,000 people make up the military diocese across the three armed forces.

That number includes the Catholic members of the defence forces, non-Catholics who have married Catholics, and their families.

“As their bishop I will be relying on God’s grace and on all our wonderful military chaplains, they are magnificent priests and deacons,” he said.

Bishop Mayne welcomed his successor in a letter to military chaplains.

“I know that you will give him the same loyalty and support that I have been privileged to enjoy,” he wrote.

“I wish him and you all, my dear chaplains, the fullness of God’s blessings for the future.”