8 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2025 2025 Reports Valley with the retirement of two long-serving and beloved priests. Monsignor Peter Jeffrey retired as Parish Priest of St Mary’s, Mooroopna, after a distinguished career in Sandhurst and as a seminary rector in three different countries. More recently, Fr Joe Taylor retired as Parish Priest of St Brendan’s, Shepparton, after 51 years’ service as a priest of the Diocese. With the help of an additional Rogationist priest, the parishes in this area are now being served together by the Rogationist community and Fr Adi Indra. The three Rogationist priests are living together in the St Brendan’s presbytery in community, as required by their congregation, and Fr Adi is based at St Mel’s. A further retirement occurred in November, when Fr Dennis Crameri reached the age of seventy-five. Fr Dennis is a much-loved priest who has served across many parishes, and who has been undertaking a ministry of hospitality and contemplation in recent years. In January, we lost one of our older priests, Fr John Ryan, who was a pioneer in developing ongoing formation and support of clergy across Australia. Many of the programs and structures he introduced are still in use today. The start of the year also brought further hope for flourishing priestly ministry into the future, with two young men from the Diocese commencing as seminarians: Aaron Baulch from Kerang and Mason Crosier from Mooroopna. They joined the other two seminarians for the Diocese in undertaking various pastoral placements in our parishes during the year. Another young man, Anil Madanu from India, who arrived in Australia in August, is participating in our vocation discernment program: Come and See. The Bishop’s Visitation Program to Parishes continued this year with visitations to Benalla, Kyabram and Tatura parishes. Once again, I was impressed by the thorough preparation undertaken by the parishes in the lead-up to my visits. The time I spent with parishioners, school students, their pastors, the sick and the elderly was extremely fruitful. I was heartened to see the faithful and generous involvement of these communities as they face a range of challenges. I am also glad to hear that other parishes in the Diocese have chosen to continue using the discernment and reflection tools provided by the Program, despite my appointment to Brisbane requiring the suspension of the actual visitations. Parishes and schools across the Diocese showed great commitment in working with the Diocesan Youth Office to prepare for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in December. Although I attended with young people from Brisbane, I was very pleased also to reconnect with the youth of Sandhurst in this faith-filled and faith-enriching experience. I close with a sense of sadness but a strong feeling of hope and confidence. I was certainly sad to leave the Diocese of Sandhurst, where I have been so warmly welcomed for nearly six years. But, as I leave, I am heartened by what we have been able to commence together across so many areas – in education, mission, formation and synodality. I thank all of you who assisted me in my ministry as shepherd of the Church in Sandhurst. I am encouraged that the Diocese is being cared for so faithfully by the new Diocesan Administrator, Fr Brian Boyle. I pray that the next bishop is appointed soon, and that the Diocese and its communities flourish, continuing our shared mission to build up the kingdom of God among us. Most Rev. Shane Mackinlay DD Archbishop of Brisbane Archbishop Mackinlay, Bishop Ramirez and Bishop Les Tomlinson at the funeral of Monsignor Francis Marriott
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