From astrophysics to the priesthood: Fr Simon Wayte’s journey in science and faith

As a young teenager, Fr Simon Wayte was fascinated by the heavens and their mysteries. He was drawn to study astrophysics, with its many unanswered questions about the universe, which highlighted the majesty of God’s creation.

But while Fr Simon originally planned to pursue a career in academia, he doubted whether that was the right choice.

‘I wanted to do astrophysics since I was 13, but I also wanted to do what God wanted me to do,’ Fr Simon says.

Shortly after completing his doctorate in physics, a conversation with a mentor, Fr Ken Barker, proved pivotal in changing the course of Fr Simon’s career and in understanding his calling.

‘As soon as Fr Ken said the word “priesthood”, the Lord opened my soul and let me see inside,’ says Fr Simon. ‘I’d never thought about priesthood before then, but it was a lightning-bolt call. I was certain this is what God wanted me to do with my life.’

Now Fr Simon is Academic Dean of Catholic Theological College, at the University of Divinity, where he lectures in systematic theology. He is also a priest of the Missionaries of God’s Love, serving as Dean of Studies at their seminary in Burwood.

I felt like I was on a boat in the middle of a stream with no oars, being carried along by the current of my career.

Fr Simon’s journey to this point was marked by moments of clarity and chaos. Baptised as an infant, his childhood was marked by regular Mass attendance and a steady reliance on prayer, which kept him ‘faithful to God’ well into his teenage years and beyond. While studying astrophysics at the Australian National University (ANU), he started attending events run by the Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community, and eventually, he went to a Life in the Spirit Seminar.

‘There, I was baptised in the Holy Spirit through people laying on hands and praying,’ Fr Simon recalls. ‘And that was the most wonderful experience. It completely transformed me and deepened my faith.’

It also ultimately led to that important conversation that changed the course of Fr Simon’s life.

Suddenly, I knew who I was, and who I was meant to be.

‘I was really struggling to understand what the Lord wanted me to do with my life,’ Fr Simon says. ‘I’d been offered a postdoctoral astrophysics research job in Germany, and along with the expectations of my supervisors and professors, I felt like I was on a boat in the middle of a stream with no oars, being carried along by the current of my career.’

‘I spoke to Fr Ken about it, and shared some thoughts I’d had about doing lay mission work in Africa. But that’s when he suggested the priesthood. Suddenly, I knew who I was, and who I was meant to be.’

Fr Simon successfully completed his doctorate in astrophysics at ANU’s Mount Stromlo Observatory and was awarded the 1990 ANU J G Crawford Prize for excellence in PhD theses. But joining the priesthood didn’t mean leaving his passion for physics behind; instead, it offered him new insights into the ‘magnificence of God’ as he turned to studying theology.

His second doctorate was in Christology—understanding the person, nature and work of Jesus Christ. Along the way, he developed an interesting metaphor for understanding the nature of the risen Christ in the Church: holograms.

We perceive the world around us as light bounces off objects and enters our eyes. That light carries information about its intensity (how bright the light is) and phase (the position and direction of the light waves, which tell us about depth and shape).

If you chop a hologram into pieces, you have the full thing in each piece ... It’s the same sort of image we get in the Catholic Eucharist when the host is broken: Christ is fully in each of those pieces.

A regular photograph only captures the intensity of the light, resulting in a two-dimensional image. However, a hologram also captures phase information, allowing it to store a three-dimensional representation of an object that can be re-created with laser beams projected onto a special reflective surface.

‘If you chop a photograph into four pieces, you get a little bit of the photograph in each piece. But if you chop a hologram into pieces, you have the full thing in each piece,’ explains Fr Simon.

How does this relate to Christology? ‘In Matthew 18:20 (NRSVCE), Jesus says “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them,”’ says Fr Simon. ‘He’s not partially present, or half-present. He is fully present.’

‘It’s the same sort of image we get in the Catholic Eucharist when the host is broken: Christ is fully in each of those pieces.’

Fr Simon also sees this concept in action at the end of each Mass, as the congregation disperses and everyone returns to their own homes, with ‘Christ going to all these different places’ as well.

‘The Church itself is a place where Christ is fully present in all of those places that the Church reaches,’ Fr Simon says.

God gives us the light of reason to use, and the light of faith to guide us. Both guide us towards the same truth by different paths.

The hologram analogy is just one of the ways Fr Simon connects faith and science together. He is also a Fellow of ISCAST–Christianity and Science in Conversation, which he sees as a ‘natural fit’ for his interest in science and theology.

‘It harks back to Vatican I and the Catholic understanding of faith and reason working together,’ Fr Simon says. ‘In Dei filius, it says, “Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.”’

‘God gives us the light of reason to use, and the light of faith to guide us. Both guide us towards the same truth by different paths, and it opens up a whole new range of questions, which are quite fruitful.’

Fr Simon also sees the integration of science and faith as a way to serve the late Pope Francis’ decree for the Jubilee Year 2025, ‘Hope Does Not Disappoint’, which urges us to look for signs of hope in the world and work for peace and justice.

Physics tells us that due to entropy, everything should be in a state of disorder and chaos. But we’re not. That’s fascinating.

‘The foundations of faith and reason, of science and theology, can help anchor us in a world swimming with all sorts of superstitions and chaos,’ Fr Simon says.

‘God has called us to be partners with him, and can use reason and science along with our faith to accept what God has given us, and fulfill his will for us.’

And despite being a member of the priesthood for decades, Fr Simon is still amazed by the world God has created. ‘I’m in awe of the fact we live in such an ordered world,’ he says. ‘Physics tells us that due to entropy, everything should be in a state of disorder and chaos. But we’re not. That’s fascinating.’