Message from the New Chairman Hal Ranger, Dalby Parish Toowoomba

We bring a bagful of past experiences and dreams for the future to every new challenge in life.

My bag of experiences begins in Toowoomba, Queensland, where I was born, grew up and after seven years at Banyo Seminary in Brisbane, was ordained in 1959.

So for 43 years I've been carrying, through many ups and downs, this mystery of Priesthood. Two years at the Toowoomba Cathedral, ten years in Warwick, eight years as an Army Chaplain in Toowoomba, Portsea, Balcombe and Duntroon. In 1979 I returned from Canberra to Melbourne to work for eleven years in Box Hill, three years with sacred Heart Mission, St. Kilda and four years with Melbourne Catholic Social Services ( including eighteen months in Woodend). Five years ago I returned to Toowoomba Diocese as Parish Priest of Dalby.

Those years have broadened my horizon so much, and have enabled me to meet and work with many hundreds of Australia Priests. Through a long involvement in the NCP and through the wonderful opportunity to live in many places I've experienced at first hand the variety, the gifts, the struggles and the dedication of clergy across the land.

I'm happy to muster the energy to serve and to represent the dreams and the struggles of all of you who share in this mystery called Priesthood.

My hopes and dreams for the National Council of Priests of Australia revolve around two things-

Offering ENCOURAGEMENT to ALL Clergy to live out faithfully their mysterious, vital and obviously difficult role.

Providing and extending FORUMS, nationally and locally, for open and honest discussion on the issues around priesthood in today's Catholic Church.

Questions around:

- privilege, service, power and the abuse of power
- mandatory celibacy
- accountability
- the sharing of responsibility
- the ministry of women
- the widespread lack of interest in seriously considering priesthood as a vocation
- serious ecumensim
- issues of social justice
- liturgy that engages Australians to name just some.

I am very much aware of the contributions made over the years by members and executive officers, in particular the past Chairman - Les Cashen, Frank Marriott, Tony Redden, Ian Dempsey, Neville Green, Gary Russell, Denis Minogue and Peter Bianchini.

I am sure that ther's plenty of energy and enough fire in the bellies of Australian clergy to ensure that the mystery of Priesthood is re-vitalised in Australia. There's certainly some in me as I take up this responsibility in late February 2003.