Fr Gerald’s priesthood a ‘gift from God’

By Josh Low

Priest of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (Passionists), Fr Gerald Quinn CP, says the 60 years of sacramental priesthood have been a huge blessing and privilege in his life.

Ordained at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on 21 July 1962, Fr Gerald was sent to the Passionists in Adelaide for the rest of the year before then spending 17 years in Marrickville, NSW, nine years in Hamilton, New Zealand and the last 33 years at St Joseph’s Church, Hobart.

Thirty-one of those 33 years in Hobart has also seen him serve as Catholic Chaplain of the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Fr Gerald said he had always somewhat felt the call to priesthood as a young boy who loved serving the Mass as an altar server, regularly riding his bike several kilometres to the church to do so.

It was through prayer and contemplation during the annual silent retreats in his high school years where he slowly became more conscious of his vocation and what God might be calling him to.

“In my third year of high school, I went to see the priest who was running the retreat and told him that I thought I’d like to become a priest,” he said.

However, he was advised to complete his secondary education first.

After its completion, Fr Gerald decided to join the Passionists, whose charism and devotion to Christ’s Passion was appealing to him.

“St Paul of the Cross used to say that the Passion of Our Lord is the greatest and most overwhelming proof of God’s love for us.

“I had a great love for praying the Stations of the Cross, before I had even heard of the Passionists, so it felt fairly natural,” he explained.

Thus began Fr Gerald’s journey with the Passionists and towards the priesthood.

Over the many years as a priest, his ministry has seen him involved in pro-life organisations, teach the faith to the young, support families whose children had run away from home, tend to the sick and dying and actively promote the virtue of chastity.

“Each morning when I turn the alarm off at 5.30am, the first thing I do before anything else is to pray to Our Lady, St Joseph, St Gemma Galgani, St Paul of the Cross, St John Paul II and all the angels and saints that I’ll be pure like Our Lord,” he said.

Now having been a priest for sixty years, he says that while he is grateful for his vocation, he holds a passage from the Gospel of John (15:5) close to his heart.

“I’m constantly saying to myself and to others that I’m so grateful that the Lord lets me be a priest.

“I love administering the sacraments, especially offering the Holy Mass” he said.

“But in my time as a priest I’ve also become increasingly aware of my need for God’s help. I’ve got no hope without Him – I need the Lord totally because without Him I can do nothing.

“I often say, it’s the Lord who is in fact present, working through me as a priest – it has been a huge privilege.

“It’s a beautiful gift for which I can’t thank God enough.”