Columban Fr Wally Tudor, his four brothers and three sisters grew up in the town of Gordon which used to be a junction on the road to Ballarat. His father was a motor mechanic and ran a petrol station there. But the new highway to Ballarat by-passed Gordon and took away much of its significance for travellers.
Fr Wally’s primary schooling was at St Patrick’s, Gordon, and St Alipius, Ballarat East. His secondary school was the renowned St Patrick’s College, Ballarat.
After graduating from St Patrick’s and a year of reflection, Fr Wally headed north to Hayes Park, Turramurra, New South Wales, that is, St Columban’s Seminary where he began a Spiritual Year followed by the required years of Philosophy and Theology Studies. He was then ordained in his own parish church (another St Patrick’s) by the Archbishop of Melbourne, Archbishop Francis Little, and on the actual centenary of St Patrick’s parish.
After a few months of pastoral experience at the Ballarat Cathedral parish (also St Patrick’s!), Fr Wally received an appointment to the Philippines where he began studies of the Cebuano language in Ozamis City in Mindanao.
On graduation from language school, appointments to the parishes of Iligan and Karomatan followed. Then, while back in Australia for home vacation, Fr Wally availed of the opportunity to develop his pastoral skills with six months of Clinical Pastoral Education at the Peter MacCallum Hospital in Melbourne. This was followed by an appointment back to the Philippines, this time in the parish of Maranding, Lanao del Norte.
An appointment back to the Australia/New Zealand Columban Region followed. A term at the Pacific Mission Institute in Sydney resulted in an appointment to the Mission Education Team at St Columbans, Essendon, and visits to schools and various groups seeking support and interest for the church and the work of the Columban missionaries in the Philippines. A further appointment as Regional Lay Missionary Co-ordinator came next.
In 1986 Fr Wally was appointed to the Diocese of Ballarat to assist at the Cathedral Parish (St Patrick’s) and at the parish of St Alipius, Ballarat East This was followed by 32 years of pastoral ministry in several parishes of the Diocese and at the Catholic Regional College in Camperdown. The final and longest appointment (13 years) was to the prize seaside parish of Apollo Bay.
We congratulate Fr Wally on reaching this incredible milestone. Such an achievement is a testament to his unwavering commitment, faith, and service to the mission of spreading the Gospel and bringing hope to countless lives around the world.
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - March/April 2025
