2024 Dominic Oration - Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP
- paulrowse
- Jun 7, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 6
St Dominic's Parish was pleased to welcome the Most Reverend Anthony Fisher, OP to give the first Dominic Oration, as part of our centenary celebration. The Dominic Oration is an annual public lecture on parish life. The topic was:
What is the mission of a Dominican Parish?
Archbishop Fisher is a Dominican friar and son of the Assumption Province. He holds degrees in Arts, Laws, Theology, and a doctoral degree in bioethics at the University of Oxford. Ordained in 1991, he served variously as a lecturer at Australian Catholic University, Foundation Director of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Socius of the Dominican Provincial, and Master of Students. Archbishop Fisher was appointed the IX Archbishop of Sydney in 2014, having previously been Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney (2003-2010) and Bishop of Parramatta (2010-2014). He is a member of the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith and for the Oriental Churches and participated in the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia and the Synod on Synodality.
The Archbishop spoke lovingly of his time at St Dominic's as a student and young priest: "St Dominic’s holds a very special place in my religious life and ministry. I count it a great privilege to have lived in this priory community and this parish on-and-off for almost two decades. During my formation as a religious, my studies for the priesthood, my years as Student Master and my work as a university lecturer, the priory was my home, this church my sanctuary, and this parish my support."
The diverse audience of parishioners and well wishers were treated with an exploration of the question, "What is the mission of a Dominican parish?", using the stained glass windows in the apse. The Archbishop noted, "The three theologically rich and gloriously decorated windows in the apse of our church, commissioned by Fr Bertrand Curran, OP, crafted in the Harry Clarke studio in Ireland, and blessed by Archbishop Mannix in 1940, offer a way to plumb the question of the Dominican difference more deeply."
We are very grateful to the Archbishop for giving us some of his precious time to celebrate during our centenary year.
Download the 2024 Dominic Oration:
