Presentation: Celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Bishop Kevin Manning’s Ordination to Priesthood, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, Saturday 4 February 2012
My Lord Bishop Manning – Father Kevin – Your Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, my brother bishops David Walker and Terry Brady, my brother priests of Jesus Christ whose priesthood we have celebrated today, my fellow religious, and my dear friends all.
Please excuse me if I first address our 11 seminarians for the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta, from our senior seminarian Larry who, God willing, will be ordained a priest later this year, down to the five fine men who have joined our seminary this week.
Let me say to you young men, look and learn. Learn from this faithful priest of Jesus Christ, for 50 years His servant and friend to God’s people. Learn his generosity and fidelity and in 50 years or so from now it will be your Golden Jubilee which the People of God celebrate!
For most of us retirement means taking things a little easier. But as his retirement project Bishop Manning took on the administration of the See of Wilcannia-Forbes, a diocese that covers about half of NSW and allows an easy 9½ hour drive from his cathedral to his presbytery!
We thank God for the gift of the priesthood today. We thank Christ that He called Kevin Manning to share in His priesthood and graced him to respond to that call. We thank God for allowing Kevin five decades of such service so far and that Kevin has given without counting the cost as Christ the Priest and Good Shepherd did.
Pope Benedict XVI has said that it is more important for us to have good priests than to have many priests; best of all to have both! Bishop Kevin is a good priest. Everyone who knows him knows that it the pastoral things, the priestly things which would bring light to his eyes, a smile to his face, the energy to keep going amidst the rest of his life as bishop.
Not that our lives as priests are ever meant to be superficial or boring; but when we enter the sacred territories of God’s sanctuary and people’s lives we priests are touched profoundly.
A passion for God’s ‘battlers’
Bishop Manning’s life as a priest has included many pastoral achievements. After completing his studies at Propaganda Fidei College he was ordained in Rome 50 years ago last December. At that time I was a little baby with no cares in the world; but it was at this time that Kevin took on all the cares of the world.
He served in parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst until 1978 when he went to work to serve the entire Australian Church in the Bishops Conference. In 1991 he became one of that Conference as pastor of the Catholic Diocese of Armidale. In 1997 he was named Bishop of Parramatta and, most recently, Apostolic Administrator for Wilcannia-Forbes. So he’s had a very varied experience of priesthood.
At the end of his time with us in Parramatta we celebrated his many achievements. I will not rehearse them, except to note that they include everything from building a cathedral complex, welcoming a pope, promoting the Catholic faith, building bridges to other faiths, campaigning for justice for workers, Aboriginal people, migrants and refugees, women and families, and building up the body of clergy, religious and lay ministers in this Diocese. Bathurst, Armidale and Wilcannia-Forbes have been blessed with similar leadership from him.
But behind all these headlines was a humble priest of Jesus Christ, a down-to-earth, straight-talking Aussie priest at that, with a passion for God’s ‘battlers’ and a strong sense of duty. We love him for his balance of toughness and compassion, his humility, good humour and an unfailing sense of the Church.
I am pleased to make this presentation to Bishop Manning, Father Kevin, and I thank you my brother for being such a good pastor for 50 years so far. Ad multos annos!