STATEMENT BY THE MOST REVEREND MARK COLERIDGE, ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE
I very much welcome the appointment by Pope Francis of Fr Michael McCarthy as the tenth Bishop of Rockhampton to succeed Bishop Brian Heenan.
Bishop-elect McCarthy has been a great contributor to the Church in Brisbane and Queensland through the years, serving as Parish Priest, Seminary Rector, Vicar for Clergy and Director of Clergy Life and Ministry. This wide pastoral experience means that he is unusually well equipped for what awaits him in Rockhampton. As a son of Toowoomba, he is no stranger to the rural areas that lie beyond the capital. Bishop-elect McCarthy will be much missed in Brisbane and our farewell to him will be tinged with sadness. But we rejoice with the Diocese of Rockhampton that they now have a new Chief Pastor who will make his own unique contribution in the Diocese and beyond.
The prayers of all in the Archdiocese of Brisbane go with him as he prepares to take up his new mission further north.
Most Rev Mark Coleridge,
Archbishop of Brisbane
March 10, 2014