Michael McKenna (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Michael Joseph McKenna DD
(8 December 1951 in Bairnsdale
, Victoria), an Australian suffragan bishop
, is the eighth Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst
, appointed in 2009.
and St Patrick’s College, Sale
. From 1971 to 1974, he studied in the Honours Schools of Political Science and English Literature at The University of Melbourne. With an early interest in audio and video technology, McKenna worked as a producer and presenter on 3RRR-FM
and showed works at the Melbourne Fringe
and St Kilda Film Festivals. He commenced studying for the priesthood at St Paul’s National Seminary, Sydney, and in 1983 was ordained priest by Bishop D’Arcy
; graduating in theology from the Sydney College of Divinity
in 1984.
Returning to Victoria, McKenna was appointed an Assistant Priest in the parish of St Joseph’s, Warragul
in the Diocese of Sale
before moving to an administrative role as Bishop’s Secretary, Diocesan Secretary and Chancellor where he was a regular columnist in the diocesan monthly newspaper, Catholic Life. While undertaking postgraduate studies from the Gregorian University
in Rome, in 1991 McKenna was elected as General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, based in Canberra. During 1998 he was Administrator of Lumen Christi Parish, Churchill before taking up a Resident Fellowship in the Divinity School of Harvard University
.
Serving as rector of Corpus Christi College
from 1999 until 2005, McKenna established strong links between the Seminary and the Catholic Church in Vietnam. He was a member of the Senate of Catholic Theological College and of the Melbourne College of Divinity
, where he served as chair of the Board of Ministry Studies. In 2006, McKenna was appointed as Catholic Chaplain to the University of Melbourne, where it is reported he reintroduced the celebration of Mass on campus and started new groups in social service, biblical study, Christian meditation and philosophy and faith. In 2007, he took on the pastoral care of All Saints Parish, Fitzroy, an inner city community of many cultures, most notably Vietnamese and Sudanese. That year, he was elected to the Archbishop’s Council of Priests and appointed to the Melbourne Catholic-Evangelical-Pentecostal Dialogue.
on 26 June 2009 by George Cardinal Pell, together with Bishops Emeritus Patrick Dougherty and Jeremiah Coffey, Bishop of Sale. It was the first time since the ordination of Bishop O'Farrell in 1920 that a bishop was consecrated in the Cathedral of St Michael and St John's.
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
(8 December 1951 in Bairnsdale
Bairnsdale, Victoria
Bairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....
, Victoria), an Australian suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
, is the eighth Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst is a Latin rite suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1865, covering the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia...
, appointed in 2009.
Early years and background
The eldest of the first of the eleven children born to Maxwell and Marie McKenna, McKenna was educated at St Patrick's School, StratfordStratford, Victoria
Stratford is a town on the Avon River in Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne on the Princes Highway in Shire of Wellington. At the 2006 census, Stratford had a population of 1950. The town services the local regional community and travellers on the Princes Highway. Stratford's principal...
and St Patrick’s College, Sale
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
. From 1971 to 1974, he studied in the Honours Schools of Political Science and English Literature at The University of Melbourne. With an early interest in audio and video technology, McKenna worked as a producer and presenter on 3RRR-FM
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
and showed works at the Melbourne Fringe
Melbourne Fringe Festival
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is an annual independent arts festival held in Melbourne, Australia. The Festival runs for three weeks from late September to early October, usually overlapping with the beginning of the Melbourne International Arts Festival...
and St Kilda Film Festivals. He commenced studying for the priesthood at St Paul’s National Seminary, Sydney, and in 1983 was ordained priest by Bishop D’Arcy
Eric D'Arcy
Joseph Eric D'Arcy was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart from 1988 - 1999.Born in Melbourne, he was ordained as a priest of that city in 1949...
; graduating in theology from the Sydney College of Divinity
Sydney College of Divinity
The Sydney College of Divinity is a consortium of Christian seminaries and Bible colleges based in Sydney, New South Wales. The College is structured as a federation of member institutions, each of which retains its autonomy and respective theological traditions...
in 1984.
Returning to Victoria, McKenna was appointed an Assistant Priest in the parish of St Joseph’s, Warragul
Warragul, Victoria
Warragul is a rural centre with a population of 12,943 people east-southeast of Melbourne in Victoria. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north...
in the Diocese of Sale
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale is a suffragan Latin Rite diocese of Archdiocese of Melbourne, established in 1887, covering the south east of Victoria, Australia.-History:The Diocese of Sale was erected by Pope Leo XIII on 26 April 1887...
before moving to an administrative role as Bishop’s Secretary, Diocesan Secretary and Chancellor where he was a regular columnist in the diocesan monthly newspaper, Catholic Life. While undertaking postgraduate studies from the Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome, in 1991 McKenna was elected as General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, based in Canberra. During 1998 he was Administrator of Lumen Christi Parish, Churchill before taking up a Resident Fellowship in the Divinity School of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Serving as rector of Corpus Christi College
Corpus Christi College, Melbourne
Corpus Christi College is the regional seminary of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The seminary is administered by a board of Episcopal Trustees comprising the Archbishops of Melbourne and Hobart, the Bishops of Ballarat, Sandhurst and Sale, and the Auxiliary...
from 1999 until 2005, McKenna established strong links between the Seminary and the Catholic Church in Vietnam. He was a member of the Senate of Catholic Theological College and of the Melbourne College of Divinity
Melbourne College of Divinity
The Melbourne College of Divinity is a theological education organisation located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.The MCD is an ecumenical consortium of a number of theological colleges from a number of denominations...
, where he served as chair of the Board of Ministry Studies. In 2006, McKenna was appointed as Catholic Chaplain to the University of Melbourne, where it is reported he reintroduced the celebration of Mass on campus and started new groups in social service, biblical study, Christian meditation and philosophy and faith. In 2007, he took on the pastoral care of All Saints Parish, Fitzroy, an inner city community of many cultures, most notably Vietnamese and Sudanese. That year, he was elected to the Archbishop’s Council of Priests and appointed to the Melbourne Catholic-Evangelical-Pentecostal Dialogue.
Roman Catholic Bishop of Bathurst
On 15 April 2009 Reverend Father McKenna was appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst and was consecratedConsecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on 26 June 2009 by George Cardinal Pell, together with Bishops Emeritus Patrick Dougherty and Jeremiah Coffey, Bishop of Sale. It was the first time since the ordination of Bishop O'Farrell in 1920 that a bishop was consecrated in the Cathedral of St Michael and St John's.