The idea of becoming a priest came to Luke Thien Quoc Huynh very early in life, but it wasn’t until he attended an Open Day at the Diocese of Parramatta’s Holy Spirit Seminary that the path forward in his vocation began to fall into place.

Macky Amores’ journey to the Holy Spirit Seminary in the Diocese of Parramatta has been a somewhat winding road, but it is definitely where he feels God is calling him to be.

Seminarians in the Diocese of Parramatta’s Holy Spirit Seminary, Harris Park, are being formed for faithful priestly service to our parish communities, and, in turn, the people of our Diocese have an opportunity to support and accompany them on their journeys with a gift to the Bishop’s Good Shepherd Appeal.

This National Refugee Week, 19 to 25 June, we give thanks for our generous supporters who have helped changed the lives of refugees and asylum seekers like Agnes, for the better. After fleeing war-torn South Sudan with her young children in 2002, Agnes says Australia has given her a second chance at life.

Earlier this year, the Diocese of Parramatta welcomed James Atanasious as our Peace, Justice and Ecology Facilitator. James, originally from South Sudan, spent 14 years in an Ugandan refugee camp before being accepted into Australia in 2004. For Refugee Week, James has written this message of hope for people who are seeking a place of safety where they can rebuild their lives.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, we asked seminarian David Sebastian about his mother Sophia, and the role that his spiritual mother, Mary has played in his life.