The Seminary Of The Good Shepherd

13/10/2026

An announcement about a good deed from one of our faculty members!

On 24 October, the Seminary’s Facilities Supervisor, David Taffa, will participate in this year’s esCarpade car rally to support Camp Quality’s program helping Kids with Cancer.

esCarpade is a seven-day outback motoring adventure and one of Australia’s most iconic fundraising events, supporting kids facing cancer. This year the journey will begin on the Sunshine Coast and travel to Tweed Heads via Lightning Ridge, with a collective goal of raising $1.1 million to help bring positivity and laughter back into the lives of kids and families impacted by cancer.

To help reach esCarpade’s goal, donations can be made directly via David’s fundraising page: https://fundraise.campquality.org.au/fundraisers/TheBushTurkeys. All funds go directly to Camp Quality, and donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

28/09/2026

Back-to-Back Champions!

Earlier in September, we took part in the inter-seminary soccer tournament held by the Corpus Christi College in Melbourne. It is a tournament where we compete against other seminaries across Australia. We were the defending champions from last year's competition, and by God's grace, we did it again in 2026.

While a victory is good, the real gift was being able to interact with other men who are on the same journey, getting to know each other, praying and eating together and getting to explore a little bit of the city life. Despite different backgrounds and experiences, we were all united by our faith and the universal love of kicking a ball!

Praise God that more men are saying yes to the priesthood, and we look forward to the next one.

May God bless you always!

P.S. Shoutout to our very own brother Anh for the photography and video!

14/09/2026

Through different cultures, we are united in the Body of Christ.

Last month, we held our annual culture night, where we honoured and celebrated the many cultural backgrounds that make up the Seminary of the Good Shepherd. It was a joyful night of good food and entertaining performances that helped us appreciate the diversity and love we, as brothers, share with each other.

For some, it was their first culture night; for others, it was their last. But everyone joined in to make it a night to remember for a while. Culture night has always been one of the highlights of our formation, and it's a real blessing to do this every year.

May God bless you always!

11/08/2026

It is the return of the Ordination Roundup as we celebrate the Priestly Ordination of Fr Peter, Fr Lukasz and Fr Stephen for the Archdiocese of Sydney!

Braving the cold weather on the Solemnity of Australia's very own St Mary of the Cross, thousands attended a breathtaking and solemn celebration in which three men accepted the call to the priesthood, with two coming from distant countries of Vietnam and Poland. It is always a pleasure to know them as fellow brothers in the seminary, and they have been models of how to be witnesses to Christ.

We pray for guidance by the Holy Spirit in their new ministry and that they will continue to be priests after God's heart. Please continue to pray for them and for us to continue with our formation.

May God bless you always!

07/08/2026

Consecration of Vessels and Blessings of Vestments:

This ritual usually takes place before the ordination of a priest, and despite being a small liturgy, it carries great richness and beauty, reminding us of the sacredness that takes place in the Mass.

The paten and chalice are consecrated so that they become a worthy resting place for Our Lord in the sacrifice at the altar, while the vestments are blessed for purification and to assist the priest in dedicating himself to divine worship and bringing Christ to the faithful.

It is a sign of encouragement for Dcn Peter, Lukasz, and Stephen as they prepare to enter the vocation God called them to from the beginning. Please pray for them and for their ordination tomorrow at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney and praise God for vocations to the priesthood.

May God bless you always!

14/07/2026

We look back on a sacred and beautiful evening as we have received the photos from Deacon Anthony's Ordination. It is safe to say that our brother was full of joy!

Please continue to pray for his ministry and that he continues to serve the will of our heavenly Father. May God bless you always!

(Our gratitude to Alphonsus Fok for providing the photos)

10/06/2026

On a lovely sunny day, the Seminary had their day out in the city, heading to the Cathedral for mass and a visit to the Revelations Exhibition dedicated to the Sistine Chapel.

We all had a wonderful time sharing meals and conversations, and unpacking the depth and beauty of Michelangelo's greatest work for the Church. It is an experience that we would all highly recommend to anyone.

As the end of the semester approaches, please continue to pray for us and for our continued discernment during the break.

May God bless you always!

09/06/2026

The Feast of Corpus Christi last Sunday is a beautiful solemnity, but it was particularly special this year as we got to celebrate the silver Jubilee (25 years of the Priesthood) of our Rector, Fr Michael DeStoop.

We honoured the occasion with a lunch and an acknowledgment of the ministry the Rector has given to the Archdiocese of Sydney and to our Lord, which has been much in the last 25 years.

It was also beautiful to see the Rector's family and friends of the Rector come to our evening mass to support and celebrate, as the seminarians showed great reverence and joy in the liturgy.

We, as Seminarians, are grateful for his service and care for us, and we continue to pray that his ministry will be fruitful for many more years.

May God bless you always!

06/06/2026

We are heading towards the end of the first semester, and last Thursday, our Schola Choir group decided to celebrate the occasion with coffee, cakes, and singing at the local cafe.

We give thanks for these brothers who lent their voices to bring beauty to the liturgies, whether it was for Solemnities, Sunday Mass, or Ordinations. The amount of effort and dedication they all put in is definitely apparent, and it is a great example of putting our God-given gifts to good use.

Please enjoy a clip of the choir in action, and continue to pray for all of the brothers as we begin preparing for the mid-year break.

May God bless you always!

23/05/2026

We come to the end of another Ordination roundup with Deacon Anthony Karaira on the Feast of St Matthias the Apostle (May 14). With Bishop Richard Umbers as our presider, we all battled the heavy rain to celebrate our brother from Uganda, who accepted his vocation with humility and joy. The liturgy was solemn and full of beauty, which was followed by great festivities and good food to celebrate the wonderful occasion.

Please continue to pray for our brother Anthony with his ministry, and we'll post more photos when they come out. Thank you again for tuning in to another Ordination roundup and we look forward to the next one.

May God bless you always!

St Joseph’s parish in Enfield in Sydney’s inner west has welcomed Anthony Karaira as the archdiocese’s newest deacon.