A community of care: supporting Melbourne’s retired priests

To work like a priest, as the saying goes,* is to work very, very hard. And that means that by retirement, these men deserve to put their feet up.

The Archdiocese of Melbourne has around a hundred retired priests, most of whom live in one of two retirement communities: George Maher House in Clifton Hill and Justin Villa in Balwyn. The facilities are funded by the Priests Retirement Foundation, which is a major beneficiary of the annual Archbishop’s Campaign fundraiser. These facilities and the team running them ensure that those who have dedicated their lives to God’s service are supported in their later years.

Among the residents of George Maher House is Fr Kevin McIntosh, who moved in after a long and varied career. He recalls how he came to enter the seminary at the age of 17: ‘I was in Matric, Year 12, and this vocations man came around. I told him I thought I might do a second-year Matric. “Oh no, here’s a form, fill it out, bring it back tomorrow.” He didn’t want to lose me.’

His priesthood took him from the seminary at Werribee—’a great spot,’ he says of the location that is now Werribee Park Mansion—to parishes from Mansfield to Sunbury.

In 1976, then-Archbishop Frank Little asked him to take on specialised work with the Marriage Tribunal, which he still does. Reflecting on being asked to annul marriages, he says, ‘You hear plenty of stories of sadness and violence and control, and all the things that cause marriages to break up.’

He says he is in semi-retirement now, although it is unclear where the ‘semi’ comes into it. As a ‘supply priest’, he goes wherever he is asked to go, including once a month to a men’s prison. ‘I thought I’d be sitting around reading books, but I’m not,’ he laughs. ‘A couple of weeks ago, I did four Masses over five days at four different places.’

Another George Maher House resident, Fr Patrick Harvey, spent 18 years in Papua New Guinea with Melbourne Overseas Missions before serving in parishes like Fitzroy and West Brunswick. ‘Melbourne had a relationship with the part of Papua New Guinea that I was in,’ he explains.

‘Archbishop Knox had been the papal nuncio in India and in Africa in for some years, so he sort of had the mission approach, I suppose you call it. That’s how it started off: him calling for volunteers.’

Fr Pat indicates that it was tough leaving PNG, and settling back into Australia, after so many years. But he says coming to multicultural Fitzroy ‘was like being in another country’. His parish incorporated high-rise housing commission flats. ‘When I came, the South Americans were moving out to get their own places, and the Vietnamese were coming in. When I was finishing up there, the Sudanese were coming in, so it’s always been like that in Fitzroy.’

Asked how he finds his current life, he smiles. ‘At my age, in my 80s, it’s like being a hermit again, nice and restful.’ He appreciates the simplicity and peace of his retirement, adding, ‘When you get to a different stage in your life, you adjust to it.’

The physical and mental wellbeing of all retired priests is overseen by the Clergy Life and Ministry Team, including a group of three registered nurses funded by the foundation. Therese Rush has been part of the team for 11 years and says she finds it deeply meaningful.

‘I still very much enjoy coming to work,’ she says. ‘They don’t always say it, but gosh they appreciate us.’

Her role is varied and is as much about providing company and comfort as about health care. ‘One of my guys is in intensive care, so I went in there and, you know, his face just lit up,’ Therese says. She recently helped a priest move in after he had been living independently, and says part of the reason he’s moving back is to be in community again.

The challenges are very real, Therese admits, as health issues and resistance to change can make things difficult. She also speaks of the emotional toll of end-of-life care. ‘[There have been] about five, six deaths since September last year,’ she says, recalling one in particular. ‘He called me in and said, the doctor’s going to speak to me about my end of life. I want you to be there.’

Therese and the two others on the nursing team, Fiona and Deslee, provide immeasurable support to the retired priests, helping with everything from medical appointments and medication management to arranging home care and retirement accommodation.

With priests living across the Archdiocese, the working day can be very long for the small team. ‘We’re getting better now that we’ve got Fiona here,’ Therese says of their recently expanded team, which allows them each to take time off, knowing their charges are in good hands.

‘I feel very supported here,’ Fr Kevin says. ‘The facilities are quite good, you know, the meals are good. They do the cleaning and the laundry, and we’re very well looked after.’ He knows the value of this community. ‘As we get older, you know, there becomes greater need for more care. These guys have been in parishes up till their late 70s and 80s, have done a tremendous amount of work, and now they need caring for.’

Through the Archbishop’s Campaign and the work of the Priests Retirement Foundation, these men, who have given their lives in service, are afforded that care. And for those who do the caring, there is a lot of love. ‘I hate to say it without sounding corny,’ Therese says, ‘but it’s such a privilege.’