Bishop Power
2009 CANBERRA CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Bishop Pat Power has been named this year's Canberran of the Year. At a ceremony in Canberra on 12 March, ACT Chief Minister Mr Jon Stanhope paid tribute to the Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn as he named him this year's recipient of the prestigious award. The award was made in recognition of Bishop Power's "personal efforts and significant contribution to the ACT community", his strong advocacy for all Canberrans, particularly those in need and for "publicly giving voice to many issues of concern to the wider community".
The following is the text of Bishop Power's acceptance speech:
Thank you all for being here today to share with me the honour of being named 2009 Canberra Citizen of the Year.
This morning I walked up Mount Ainslie, as I try to do most days. From there I am always delighted by the beauty of the bush and the city; added to that, there is a camaraderie among the walkers, rarely without a greeting or a smile. I realise how blessed I am to live in Canberra.
I have always been proud of my origins in Queanbeyan and Canberra. The family of my youngest sister, Pauline de Jongh who is here today with her daughter, Melissa, still live in the home where we grew up in Queanbeyan.
I am grateful to so many people who have touched my life. Having done all my primary schooling at St Christopher’s in Manuka and my early secondary education as a foundation student of St Edmund’s College, I still have lots of my childhood friends around me. You friends here today represent a group of people who have had a profound effect on my life.
Living in the suburb of Campbell, I often say that I couldn’t have better neighbours and my three immediate neighbours, Audrey, Marion and Vera are here today. It is such wonderful neighbourhoods which contribute so much to the ethos of Canberra.
One of the most satisfying aspects of my life is the opportunity for ecumenical and inter-faith relations. I am pleased that Dr Kevin Bray, my colleague and dear friend from the ACT Churches Council is with us, accompanied by his wife, Gwenyth. It has been my privilege to be part of lots community activities in the ACT, many of which have flowed from the ACT Churches Council membership.
Some of the greatest lessons of my life in Canberra have come from the battlers in our community – the people of Causeway in my years as a young priest in the 1960s, the residents of the Narrabundah Longstay Caravan Park, the members of the L’Arche community, the refugees who have shown so much tenacity and courage; the people I stand beside in Weston Park, Yarralumla in October most years, mourning the loss of loved ones from illicit drug use.
In the years to come, I know that one of my most significant memories will be the national apology given by the Prime Minister in February last year to our indigenous people. I took part in the year 2000 walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while many others did likewise here in Canberra. Many of you people, especially the Chief Minister, can be proud of what you have done in giving recognition to and seeking justice for the people who have lived on this land for 40,000 years.
In the audience today is my Archbishop, Mark Coleridge. I would like to thank Archbishop Mark and his predecessor, Francis Carroll, for allowing me the freedom to spend so much of my time involved in community activities. They have never begrudged the time I have spent out on the fringes and at times they have had to cop a bit of flak when my stances have appeared to be controversial.
Canberra, our city and our home, is also the national capital where we are in a special position of influence in relation to the rest of Australia and the international community. For us, that is an enormous privilege which brings with it the responsibility to help shape a better world.
My favourite ACT numberplate is the one which describes Canberra as the Heart of the Nation. I am deeply conscious of the honour being bestowed on me today by the Chief Minister on behalf of the people of Canberra. I promise to do all I can during the coming year to promote Canberra as the heart of the nation – a city which cares for its environment and all its people, especially the most vulnerable in our midst.
Thank you and God bless you.
(Bishop) Pat Power
Canberra
12 March 2009
A journey of discovery
Bishop Pat Power spent seven months on long service leave. "It has only been in the second half of my life that I have fully appreciated my Irish and Lebanese origins," he said. "Taking long-service leave in 2008 has afforded me the opportunity to tap into some of my ancestral past as part of my own life’s journey."
Read about his travels in A Journey of Discovery and Lebanon: A Personal Encounter
Above: Bishop Power on his travels.
Biographical Information
Pat Power is the eldest child of Ken and Olga Power, born in Cooma NSW on 11 February 1942. He has four sisters, Maria (Pullin), Margaret (Summerhays), Loretta (O'Connor) and Pauline (de Jongh) and seventeen nephews and nieces.
He grew up in Queanbeyan and did his primary schooling at St Christopher's School, Canberra, was a foundation student in 1954 of St Edmund's College, Canberra and completed his schooling at Chevalier College, Bowral NSW.
After leaving school, he undertook his seven years training for the priesthood at St Columba's College, Springwood, and St Patrick's College, Manly NSW.
He was ordained to the priesthood in Queanbeyan on 17 July 1965 and served in the parishes of Braidwood, Canberra, and Goulburn before being asked by Archbishop Cahill to undertake a doctorate in Canon Law in 1972 at Propaganda Fide College in Rome.
On the completion of his studies in mid 1975, Fr Power returned to Australia and for 10 years served as Archbishop's Secretary (to three Archbishops) and director of the Marriage Tribunal.
In February 1985, he became parish priest of his home parish of Queanbeyan.
On 18 April 1986, he was ordained bishop, by Archbishop Carroll, in St Christopher's Cathedral, Canberra, becoming the fifth Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
Since that time he has served on Bishops' Committees for Laity, Ecumenism, Canon Law, Family & Life, Social Welfare and Media. He is currently secretary of the Committee for Justice, Development, Ecology and Peace and a member of the Australian Social Justice Council. He is currently a member of the Bishops’ Commission for Justice and Service and on the Board of Catholic Social Services Australia. He also serves on the Bishops’ Commission for Canon Law.
Much of his ministry has been in the field of ecumenical and inter-Faith relations. He was the first Catholic co-chairman of AUSTARC, the national Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. He has served a number of terms as chair of the ACT Churches Council.
At the 1998 Oceania Synod of Bishops in Rome, he spoke on marginalised people in society and in the Church. Much of his efforts have been directed in this area through Catholic Welfare Australia and through local community organisations in Canberra. He has been a strong advocate for the East Timorese and the Palestinian people, for Aboriginal people, for racial respect, for the unemployed and for the rights of the unborn and the old and dying. In 2000, he chaired a major inquiry into poverty in the ACT. With some passion, he supported the (successful) moves to have South Sydney restored to the national Rugby League competition.
Despite some difficulties, he remains hopeful that the Church will play a significant role in the lives of its members, and of society as a whole, in reflecting the person and teaching of Jesus. He sees dialogue on many different levels as vital to the mission of the Church.
He tries to keep close to the lives of his people and believes that he has much to learn from their goodness. He still runs most days, although not as far or as fast as he used to. He enjoys a game of tennis, the odd game of cards, reading and seeing a film occasionally. In 2003, he walked 300km of the Pilgrim walk to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He is glad to be alive!
