|
Fr Roger Burns
Appointed Parish Priest
1st January 2005
Born in Newcastle
upon Tyne in the North of England. After leaving
school, he began an apprenticeship in the Shipyards as a Marine Engine
Fitter and then trained as a Design Draughtsman. With the decline of the Shipbuilding Industry, he trained as a
Secondary School teacher and taught Design Technology, in a number of
schools.
In 1980, he began
his training at Ushaw College, senior Seminary near Durham City
and was ordained at Ushaw
College for the
Hexham and Newcastle Diocese in June 1985. His first appointment as
Assistant priest was in Durham
City with two
churches, four Hospitals and two, schools within the parish.
After four years he
was asked to take up the position of Pastoral Director on the staff of
the Seminary, a position he held for six years.
Leaving the
seminary he was appointed Parish Priest of the Parish of St Joseph in Newcastle City and took up the
responsibility of Dean of the Newcastle West Deanery.
In December 2002,
he was granted a sabbatical year to investigate the possibility of his
ministering in Australia.
The main reason being that the majority of his family was living in Brisbane.
In January 2003, he
took up the position of Assistant Priest at St Mary’s in Ipswich
August 2004 he was
granted Permanent Residency in Australia
and released from the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The Archbishop
incardinated him in to the Brisbane Archdiocese. With the withdrawal of
the Augustinian priests, the parish became vacant and Fr Roger was
appointed in December 2004.
On 2nd
December 2006, at a Service within St Francis Xavier’s Church for
Roger was granted Citizenship of Australia by the Mayor of Ipswich Cr
Paul Pisasale. In attendance were Cr Paul Tully and Bernie Ripoll MP.
|
