Last week we heard of the death Bishop Pat Power, a friend of the Missionary Sisters of Service for many years. He was a patron of our mission entity, Highways and Byways, until it merged with Mary MacKillop Today Australia. Corrie van den Bosch MSS shares these words of reflection:
‘Bishop Pat, or Father Pat as he preferred to be called, was known for his strong stand of social justice and his compassion and support for people on the margins, especially the homeless, prisoners, refugees and so on. Always humble and personable, he addressed issues without condemning the people who held views and values different from his own.
For many years Bishop Pat was auxiliary bishop of Canberra-Goulburn. I visited him in Canberra a number of times, always warmly welcomed. One time, his friend, Archbishop Len Faulkner of Adelaide was visiting when I came. I was invited to join them celebrating Eucharist around Pat’s dining table. It was very special. In more recent years, his health deteriorated, both physically and mentally.
Let’s pray in gratitude for Bishop Pat for his contribution to the Church in Australia and the people of Canberra-Goulburn and for the friendship and inspiration he was for us and for Highways and Byways.’
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference of Australia released a statement on the death of Bishop Pat:
Bishop Patrick Percival Power, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, has died in Canberra [on 15 September], aged 83. Born in Cooma, NSW, Bishop Power was ordained a priest in July 1965 and appointed bishop in March 1986.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, paid tribute to the late bishop:
‘The news of the death of Bishop Pat Power, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, although not unexpected, will bring a sense of sadness and loss to many, especially the Catholic community of his archdiocese, which he served so generously for many years.
‘At the same time, it will become a source of renewed gratitude for all that God was able to do and be for so many people through Bishop Pat’s compassion and unceasing advocacy for those who in so many ways found themselves among God’s poor and abandoned children.
‘We pray, with great confidence, that he will be welcomed into the fullness of life and joy with the Lord whom he served so generously.’
In 2009, Bishop Power was named Canberra Citizen of the Year, recognising his support for Indigenous Australians, refugees and disadvantaged people. Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn Christopher Prowse described Bishop Power as a ‘quintessential Canberran’.
‘He was loved and revered as an outspoken supporter of the poor and marginalised,’ Archbishop Prowse said.
Bishop Power served in parishes in Braidwood and Goulburn before completing a Doctorate in Canon Law at Propaganda Fide College in Rome. On returning to Australia, he served for a decade as secretary to three Archbishops of Canberra and Goulburn and as director of the Marriage Tribunal.
In February 1985, he was appointed parish priest of his home parish of Queanbeyan and just over a year later he became the fifth Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn. He served on several Australian Catholic Bishops Conference bodies in the areas of health, social justice and canon law and was the first Catholic co-chairman of AUSTARC, the Australian Anglican-Roman Catholic Conversation.
Author Michael McGirr also penned this beautiful reflection, The Power of Pat, for EurekaStreet.
Rest in peace Bishop Pat.
Cover photo: From left, former MSS staff member Amanda Freeman, Bishop Pat, and former executive officer of Highways and Byways, Liz McAloon. Photo courtesy Fiona Basile