The
Catholic Weekly
Online
Sydney
12 October 2003
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Spiritan
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Spiritan leader wants recruits
By Damir Govorcin
Fr Paul Hopper (pictured), parish priest
at St Joseph’s Church, Kingswood, admits to feeling a sense of pride after being
elected as the Australian leader for the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans).
“I wasn’t surprised to get elected, but at the same time I’m honoured to be given this new position,” he says.
“My job will be to keep fellow Spiritans happy and try to recruit more men to come and work in Australia.”
The Spiritans are a congregation of more than 3000 members involved in diverse ministries throughout Australia, Asia, Africa and the US.
The Spiritans are “One Heart, One Spirit”, dedicating themselves to working with the poor and in those situations where the Church has difficulty in finding ministers.
Their source of strength is derived from their deep faith in the power of the Holy Spirit which guides them in preaching the word of God and caring for those in need.
The Spiritans serve in parishes, schools and a variety of international missions, and go where living conditions are most difficult.
They choose to be with people who are struggling to survive from day to day, the downhearted and diminished in spirit, those forgotten or abandoned by civil and government institutions and suffering injustice.
In Australia, there are Spiritans working in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Southport, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Broome, South Hedland, Port Hedland and Albany.
In the eastern states they are mainly involved in parish work; in the west they help support Aboriginals and refugees in the Port Hedland detention centre.
Fr Paul says: “The Spiritans blend into the community and try to befriend the Aboriginals and refugees, making them feel valued and wanted.”
Fr Paul, who was born in England, spent 20 years doing evangelisation and social justice work in Nigeria.
He enjoyed getting his hands dirty helping build hospital clinics and wells.
He witnessed the tremendous growth of the Church in that part of the world, and also lived through three military coups and three years of civil war.
“At times I felt my life was in danger, but it was a wonderful experience being able to be of service to the people,” he said.
“It was giving voice to people who have no voice.
“The Catholic Church is flourishing over there in terms of vocations to the priesthood.”
After leaving Nigeria in 1991, Fr Paul spent three years on youth work in Scotland before transferring to Australia in 1994.
He has been parish priest at Kingswood for 18 months, and concedes it has been a challenge lifting the spirits of a community affected by crime, drugs and alcohol.
“It’s a small parish which has been dispirited for a while,” says the 59-year-old parish priest.
“It’s a community which has its share of problems, but on the flipside it’s an active, warm community.”