A Man to Remember
A man to remember Noel connolly
When an Italian-speaking priest was needed for the parish of Reservoir in Melbourne,
Fr Yu a Chinese priest from Han Yang filled the bill.
About two years ago I was invited to an extraordinary function. It was the 80th birthday of Fr Joseph (Joe) Yu, retired parish priest of North Reservoir. It was a bright and happy celebration attended by over 120 people from more than 15 different nationalities. Fr Joe was a much loved and skilled pastor. For me it was an occasion that sums up what our 90th anniversary as a missionary society means.
You see, Fr Joe is a native of Han Yang, the Chinese Diocese where our founder Edward Galvin was Bishop. Joe had been Australian Columban Fr Patrick Hennessy's altar boy. He joined the seminary and in 1948 Bishop Galvin sent Joe to Rome to complete his studies. He was ordained in 1954. Because of the Communist revolution he could not return to Han Yang and instead came to Melbourne where he has been a priest of the Archdiocese ever since.
After a number of shorter appointments Cardinal Knox appointed Fr Joe as the Parish Priest of the yet to be established parish of North Reservoir. Over the next few years, he oversaw the building of the church hall, presbytery, school, community centre and finally the Church of St Joseph the Worker.
But it's not his building skills that were on show at his 80th celebration. It was his pastoral and personal skills. People from almost 20 nations were comfortable together and were genuinely fond of their former pastor who had obviously brought them together.
I couldn't help thinking how proud Bishop Galvin would have been of Fr Joe. Columbans went to China and many other countries to build Christian communities across boundaries of country, culture and class. And here was one of our Chinese priests coming to one of the most multicultural parishes in Melbourne and building a truly multicultural Christian community.
I smile when I think that it took an Italian-speaking Chinese priest to help build what is now regarded as one of the most Catholic (57%) parishes in Melbourne.
Fr Connolly is the Regional Director of the Columbans in Australia and New Zealand.
