At 18 years of age I travelled from Wangaratta in North East Victoria to Melbourne to begin University studies. I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was studying Computer Science but the “lights” and excitement of city life were quickly becoming the focus. My solid Catholic upbringing seemed to fail me under the constant attraction of this new life. My parents are faithful Catholics, Italian migrants who came to Australia in the 50s seeking a new life in a new world.

But within that first six months in Melbourne I was to reconnect with a friend from “Wang”, this encounter would change my life. It was all quite innocent really (or perhaps some would say a gentle conspiracy), we had been friends in the ANTIOCH Catholic youth movement and he invited me to a weekend on the Mornington Peninsula with “some other young people”. He failed to explain how Christian it would be!
The weekend was hosted by the Disciples of Jesus Catholic Charismatic Community, they presented the simple Gospel message in a way I’d never heard before (or witnessed).  I’d never met so many young people so strong in their faith, yet so “normal”. There were 5 “strange” guys on that weekend dressed in “brown and white”, who were introduced to me as the Missionaries of God’s Love (MGL) seminarians. I couldn’t get over how these young guys were so strong in their faith, committed to poverty and wanting to give their lives to spread the Gospel. I was touched deeply that weekend and made a commitment to have Jesus as number one in my life. 

From then on I just couldn’t spend enough time with these young people. 1991 was supposed to be my first year in Melbourne going to see my beloved Hawks play football every week; ironically I never got to one game that year and they went on to win the premiership. I grew in my love for the Mass, charismatic praise, the bible, and just building strong christian friendships. Towards the end of the year I attended the “Light to the Nations” conference in Canberra where I met and stayed with Fr Ken Barker, founder of the MGLs, and the other brothers in the Novitiate House. I was drawn to their radical commitment to prayer: getting up early in the morning to chant the Divine Office, praising God in a Charismatic way and being immersed in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

By the end of that year I discovered that I had a great attraction to the MGL way of life:  their prayer, brotherhood, and mission. I began to ask that question: “What do I really want to do with my life?” I sensed deep within me a call to be a Missionary priest. I was able to speak with Fr Ken about this and his advice was that “if God is calling you, he will give you the grace to respond.” With this encouragement I made the decision to defer university and join the MGL novitiate program in Canberra the following year.

Since that time there have been many trials and many awesome blessings. I have had the great privilege of witnessing thousands of young people hear and experience the Gospel. I have lived in the highlands of PNG for a year at our MGL mission during my seminary training. I was ordained to the priesthood in Canberra on December 1, 2000. I have been to 3 World Youth Days, been a University chaplain and lived in the Northern Territory for 4 years working with youth and our indigenous brothers and sisters.

I have grown in my identity as a Priest of the New Evangelisation, a term coined by Pope John Paul II. I love my life as a priest within the MGLs. The many and great sacrifices, especially those in relationship to family life, God uses to reveal his great love for all people. I have found my way of being a man in this world, of being a brother and a “father” and sharing life and love with those in my care and those whom I meet. I am currently working as Vocations Director for the MGL and assisting in the formation of our men for priesthood at our Melbourne House of Studies.

If you would like to know more about the Missonaries of God's Love, click here to enter their website.