Fr Paul Durkin

 

Fr Paul Durkin began as Vice Rector and Director of Pastoral Formation at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in January 2023.

 

Fr Paul was ordained for the Diocese of Broken Bay, where he has been Assistant Priest in the parishes of Holy Cross Parish, Kincumber and MacKillop Catholic Parish, Warnervale. He was then Parish Priest of St Agatha’s, Pennant Hills and Holy Name, Wahroonga. Fr Paul also served the Diocese as Consultor and as a member of the Council of Priests, and as Chair of the Clergy Retirement Remuneration and Sick Fund.

 

Fr Paul was Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Broken Bay from 2013-2022. He has a deep commitment to encouraging and promoting vocations to the Priesthood and Permanent Diaconate, to promoting the call of all the Baptised, and to actively supporting seminarians and diaconal aspirants in their formation programs. Fr Paul has been actively involved in four World Youth Days.

 

In training for the priesthood, Fr Paul completed Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Theology through the Sydney College of Divinity. He has also undertaken a course in Spiritual Direction and various courses of interest in prayer, liturgy and spirituality.

 

Fr Paul’s background before becoming a priest was in Catholic Education. He undertook his initial teacher training at Mt St Mary College, Strathfield (then Australian Catholic University, Strathfield campus) and later a Bachelor’s degree at Macquarie University, Sydney. Fr Paul then completed a Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership at the Australian Catholic University.

 

Fr Paul held various positions of responsibility in four Sydney Catholic Secondary schools and colleges, including that of Religious Education Coordinator. Fr Paul then worked as a Religious Education and Curriculum Adviser, and as Project Leader of ‘A Sense of the Sacred’, a Values-across-the-curriculum initiative in Sydney Catholic secondary schools.

 

With his background and experience, Fr Paul looks forward to contributing to the life of the Seminary and Church, and to the formation of seminarians.