My own journey in life began in Toowoomba, Queensland, nearly 75 years ago. I received many gifts – life in this world with a family that treasured and nurtured faith, prayer, love and action. God, a loving faithful God, was central. I had lots of committed Catholic relatives and lots of committed Christian relatives in other traditions… and in due course, after some ‘ups and downs’, I was ordained in 1959.

The journey since has taken me from St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish in Toowoomba (two years) to Warwick (ten years) into the Australian Army (eight years), and then for 17 years to live and work and share life in Melbourne with thousands of wonderful people. Many of them were struggling with poverty and exclusion, many others provided inspiration and challenge, many had no Church connections at all.

Fourteen years ago I returned to my home diocese – to Dalby, Warwick again, and back to the Cathedral. If anything, my passion about the mission of Jesus and the mission and ministry He called us to share, as Church has deepened. Within that, my passion about ministry as an ordained priest has also deepened, and broadened too!

Forty years involvement in the National Council of Priests has certainly meant a great deal to me. It is exciting to be able to contribute regularly to The Swag, one of the NCP’s services to the Church of Australia and New Zealand, and to do that in partnership with Peter Maher from the Sydney Archdiocese. However, The Swag is an avenue for honouring and encouraging all the ordained priests of Australia and New Zealand in their lives and ministry, whether they are NCP members of not. I hope that there can be openness, real openness to the Spirit of God in the honest sharing of questions, responses, and experiences about ordained priesthood in this journal from across the board.

There is, of course, a much broader and more basic meaning and understanding of priesthood which St Paul, St Peter and the early Church embraced and we began to discover through the second Vatican Council. Any discussion of ordained priesthood – and any journal focusing on ordained priests – must recognise the priesthood to which all are called through Baptism. Right now in Australia alone that’s many millions of people!

The longer I live, and the more I read and think, so much the deeper is my conviction that Baptism and all its implications ought to be our focus. That mysterious call, and the ongoing relationship with Christ that follows, is the real treasure. We are, often quite mysteriously, chosen to be part of the team we call Church – whose task is to be, as a team, Christ in every way in each place at this time.

Despite the clear teachings of Vatican II and many other writings and teaching since, we so easily fall back into acting (and worrying) as though only ordained Priests are really playing members of the team!

Then other things – habits, no risk policies, self-image, etc, ‘kick in’, and we ordained priests keep trying to play in every position on the field, instead of focussing on the coaching, enabling, challenging, nurturing, encouraging of all those chosen by God to play their part in Christ’s team. We do have a specific role to carry out within the team, surely, but even in our central role – leading the celebration of Eucharist – we stand in the shoes of THE COACH, Jesus.

Our task as ordained priests is one of reminding, remembering, drawing all of the team members into communion and action in, with, and through Christ.

Ministry and mission are the responsibility and privilege of ALL members through Baptism and the life-path that follows. The contribution from Frank O’Dea in this issue of The Swag is, I believe, very pertinent.

For me, Easter in particular offers all of us the opportunity to revisit and recommit alongside all our brothers and sisters in Christ to His mission and ministry through us all.

Hal Ranger, co-editor

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I am looking forward to facilitating interesting and diverse reflections, news and information as co-editor of The Swag. We encourage you to write pieces about your life and interests, letters about ministry and in response to Swag articles and book reviews on your latest reading. Please let us know when priests die so we can recognise their contribution to the Australian church. I do hope The Swag can foster and support a wide ranging discussion amongst the clergy of Australia.

I am Parish Priest of Newtown in Sydney Diocese, having worked in the Archdiocese for over 30 years. I have been involved in many other interesting ministries over the years; in hospital and university chaplaincy, and in full time youth retreat ministry with the Marist Brothers. These have helped open my eyes to new ways of seeing the world and how priestly ministry intersects with the hopes and aspirations of people of all ages and situations.

In more recent times I have become involved with Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Ministries in Sydney to assist women and men suffering trauma after abortion, and have been chaplain to PALMS Australia. Lately, I have become a Pastoral Supervisor assisting people reflect on their ministry experience. I have had the privilege of studying Adult Education at the University of Technology.

As we approach Easter 2010 – what does it mean?  In Australia we are still embroiled in an immoral war in Afghanistan; Northern Territory Indigenous Australians are still excluded from the Racial Discrimination Act while suffering some of the worst social and economic indicators in the world and the future of the planet is still a political football.  In the church we are struggling to include women, laypeople, gays and lesbians as equals in all ministries.

For me, the Easter Jesus calls us to transformation because Resurrection calls us to imagine a whole new way of being in the world.  Resurrection is the belief that things can be revitalized and radically re-presented. It surely is the ultimate sign that Jesus’ love knows no bounds. Easter faith is about acting, as if for the first time, to make steps towards a more just, compassionate and equitable society but not without a cross or two on the way.

Go gently eastering into 2010.

Peter Maher, co-editor