Sydney
25 May 2003
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‘Good morning ... welcome to Crossroads’
Pockets of ‘very deep poverty’ - Tim Fischer launches Vinnies Winter Appeal
Time, place right for launch, to be sure, to be sure
Exploring faith at Branches
Young need education on media: Br Kelvin
‘Advocate for poor’
Pope honours Sir William, Lady Deane
Sculpture tribute to nuns
Inside the Inquisition archives
Edmund Rice superannuation forum
Bishops focus on asylum seekers, racism
Leagues club buys dignity for destitute
Catholic University produces second Bible aid in Chinese
Caritas calling: Uganda needs help
Spirituality and suicide
Casimir, De La Salle quick to respond
Yell! For fresh tunes
Editorial: Without fear or favour
Letters: Depth of understanding
Conversation: Molly Griffiths - retiree and Compeer volunteer - Sunday outings, music ... that’s what friends are for
A call for volunteers
What the single life can teach us
Serra clubs ‘foster spiritual growth’
Obituary: Trangie’s priest was ordained ‘to serve all God’s people’
Celebrating 200 years of Mass appeal
The Rosary - ‘a treasure to be rediscovered’
Scalabrinians choose new leaders
Media studies ‘can play a major role’
Obituary: Trangie’s priest was ordained ‘to serve all God’s people’
Fr Peter Edward Coyte
November 1927-April 2003
By Vince Coyte
Friends set off fireworks as a final salute to Fr Peter Coyte as his coffin passed through an impressive guard of honour after a funeral Mass in his beloved St Carthage’s Church in Trangie.
Fireworks had been part of many of his ceremonies.
The Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes, Bishop Chris Toohey, and fellow bishops and priests concelebrated the Mass at which Fr Peter was farewelled by his family, fellow priests and the Trangie community.
Bishop Toohey paid tribute to Fr Peter’s work as a priest and joined with his family and friends in admiring his humour, his personality and his eccentricity.
Peter was the first priest ordained in the Church of the Holy Family in Parkes - by Bishop Thomas Fox on July 25, 1951.
Among the many people at that joyful ceremony were Carmelite nuns. These sisters were recently arrived in Parkes and had not yet been enclosed in their convent.
Fr Peter (pictured) did not fit the traditional image of a young priest. He loved motorbikes and became a familiar sight riding around Broken Hill and then Narromine with his dog riding pillion. He played rugby league at Condobolin and often celebrated Sunday night benediction with a black eye.
He loved young people, not the least his younger brothers and his nieces and nephews. Schools in his parishes found him often coaching league, baseball or some other sport.
Peter loved the Aboriginal people he served at Condobolin, Bourke and Brewarrina, growing spiritually as he was exposed to their spirituality. He was profoundly affected, too, by the culture and the spirituality of Papua New Guinea and often spent his holidays taking his youth club from Forbes to build a new school in the PNG Highlands.
The Dubbo regional art gallery was hosting a display of his pastels and paintings - Icon of Reconciliation: The passion of Our Lord - at the time of his death.
Peter’s art featured many traditional rural and aboriginal themes; his poetry told of the floods of Nyngan or the coming of age in the cloisters of Manly and Springwood. As a priest he claimed to be ordained to serve all God’speople, not just Catholics. So, as the only clergyman left in Trangie, he ministered to all the district’s people.
His love of children was reflected in the merry-go-round and train in the grounds of his church. Fr Peter loved life. He loved to laugh and to make others laugh.
He was one of the band of great religious people who bought the love of Christ to many in the Outback.
The diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes is vast, but has been fortunate to be served by great bands of bishops, priests, brothers and nuns.
These people have risen up Christ in the wilderness and Peter Coyte was proud to he counted among them.