BISHOP MICHAEL E PUTNEY

Date and Place of Birth:

Gladstone (QLD) 20 June 1946

Primary Education:

 St. Joseph's Convent, Townsville.

Secondary Education:

Our Lady's Mount, Townsville;

St. Columban's, Albion Heights, Brisbane.

Seminary Studies:

Pius XII Seminary, Banyo.

Ordained Priest:

28 June, 1969.

Ordained Bishop:

27 July, 1995 -  Auxiliary Bishop, Brisbane.

Appointed Fifth Bishop of Townsville

24 January 2001

27 March 2001 -  Solemn Liturgical Installation and Reception as Bishop of Townsville

Parish ministry:

1970-1971, Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast;

1975-1976, regular weekend assistance in the parish of North Ipswich, Brisbane;

1986-1988, regular weekend assistance in the parish of Scarborough, Brisbane;

1989, 1991-1995, regular weekend assistance in the parish of Maroochydore, Brisbane;

1990, priest in residence, St. Cecilia's Parish, Boston, USA.

Post-Graduate Studies:

Gregorian University, Rome, Licentiate in Theology (1971-1973).

18 months of doctoral studies at Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium (1973-1974).

Gregorian University, Rome.  Doctorate in Theology (1982-1985).

Doctoral Dissertation:  The Presence and Activity of the Holy Spirit in the Church, in the Studies of the Commission on Faith and Order (1927-1983) - Summa cum laude (May, 1985).

Sabbatical leave (1990) spent as Visiting Scholar at Weston School of Theology (Boston, USA) and one month at the World Council of Churches, Geneva.

Lecturing Positions:

Lecturer in Systematic Theology, Pius XII Provincial Seminary, Banyo (1975-1995):  Theology of Sacraments, Ecclesiology, Ecumenism, Revelation, Creation, Mariology, Grace, Eschatology.

Part-time Lecturer, Theology of the Sacraments, Australian Catholic University (1992-1993).

Part-time Lecturer, University of Queensland in History of Christian Thought (1986-1989).

Assistant Professor of Theology, Gregorian University, Rome (1983-1984).

Lecturer in Sacramental Theology, Ecclesiology in McAuley Teachers' College, Institute of Faith Education, Ain Karim Renewal Program, Verbum Dei Renewal Program, Pastoral Liturgy Institute, Brisbane (1975-1981).

Appointments / Membership:

Member Ecumenical Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane (1975-1989, 1995-  ).

Foundation Member, Australian Catholic Theological Association, and President (1989).

Roman Catholic representative on the Faith and Order Commission of the Queensland Ecumenical Council, later Queensland Churches Together (1975-1997).

Vice-Rector, Pius XII Seminary (1980-1995).

Academic Dean, Pius XII Seminary (1980-1982, 1993-1995).

Archdiocesan Liaison Priest to charismatic prayer groups and communities in Brisbane Archdiocese, e.g. Emmanuel Covenant Community, Emmaus Community (1978-1981).

Nominated by Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity to attend, as a Catholic graduate student, a seminar at the Orthodox Centre, Chambesy, Switzerland, entitled "Luther and the German Reform in an Ecumenical Perspective", April-May, 1982.

Roman Catholic delegate to a consultation of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, on the role of the Holy Spirit, in their study:  "Towards a Common Expression of the Apostolic Faith Today, Chantilly, France, March 1985.

Appointed a Censor by the Australian Episcopal Conference in June, 1986.

Director, Banyo Institute for the Study of Ecumenism, held every two years (1987-1993).

Convenor of Theology Field, Brisbane College of Theology (1988-1989, 1991-1994).

Editorial Consultant, Pacifica.  Australian Theological Studies (1988-1992).

Liaison Priest to Emmanuel Covenant Community (1989-  ).

Member of Editorial Board, Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs,  Louvain, Belgium (1989-  ).

Member of Religious Education Committee of National Catholic Education Commission (1989-1995).

Member of Task Force on Eucharist in Catholic Schools with representatives of Catholic Education and Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission (1991-1996).

Roman Catholic Delegated Observer to World Council of Churches Assembly, Canberra February, 1991.

Member of the Theology Task Force of the Australian Catholic University (1992-1994).

Co-Secretary of the National Uniting Church/Roman Catholic Dialogue (1993-1999).

Vice-president of the Catholic Institute of Australia (1994).

Participant in a Regional Consultation on Viability of Ministerial Formation organised by the Sub-Unit for Ecumenical Theological Education of the World Council of Churches, Sydney, November 7-11, 1994.

Acting Head of School of Theology, Griffith University (1994).

Informal inquiry in Papua New Guinea, on behalf of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, into the relations between the Catholic and Anglican Churches (1995).

Participant in an International Consultation on Ecumenical Theological Education - Its Viability Today organised by the Sub-Unit for Ecumenical Theological Education of the World Council of Churches, Oslo, August 5-11, 1996.

Member (1995 - 2003) of Bishops' Committee for Doctrine and Morals, and Chairman (1997  -  1999).

Chairman of Bishops' Committee for Year of Great Jubilee (1995 - 2000)

Member of Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations (1995 -  ), Chair (2000-2006).  Chair of Bishops' Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations (2006-        )

Catholic Co-Chairman of International Methodist / Roman Catholic Dialogue (1996 -  )

Visiting Professor, School of Theology - Griffith University (January 1, 1998 - December 31, 2000).

Roman Catholic Observer to Executive Meeting of World Methodist Council, Hong Kong, September, 1999.

Chairman of the Implementation Committee for Woman and Man.  One in Christ Jesus (1999 - 2000).

Chairman of Steering Group for Ethical Guidelines for Catholic Health Australia (1999 - 2000).

Patron of World Community for Christian Meditation (2000 -          )

Member of ACU Review Committee for Sub-Faculty of Philosophy and Theology (2003)

Member of Bishops' Committee for Health Care (2003 -2006)

Member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (2004 -                )

Member of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference Permanent Committee (2006 - .)

Patron of Townsville Catholic Education Arts Festival (2006 - ...)

Patron - The Centre for Ecumenical Studies

Interim President - National Council of Churches in Australia (19 June 2009 - 7/2010)

Publications:

"Catechumens and Ecumenism," Liturgy News 11:2 (April-June 1981) 58-65.

The Presence and Activity of the Holy Spirit in the Church, in the Studies of the Commission on Faith and Order (1917-1983).  Rome.  May, 1985.

"Ecumenical Trends in the Roman Catholic Church Since the Second Vatican Council," Compass 23:4 (Summer 1989) 13-18.

 "The Present Discussion on the Theological Significance and Teaching Authority of Episcopal Conferences," Compass 23:4 (Summer 1989) 27-32.

"The Ordained Ministry in the Light of Recent Ecumenical Statements", in Neil Brown, ed., Faith and Culture.  Challenges to Ministry (Sydney: Catholic Institute, 1989) 137-154.

"The Sacrament of Penance ‘In Crisis'," Australasian Catholic Record 67:1 (January 1990) 19-30.

"Ecumenical Moments" Ecumenical Review, 43:2 (April 1991) 226-229.

"A Theology of Priesthood Then, Now and Still to Come," in Neil Byrne (ed.), Banyo Studies (Brisbane: Pius XII Seminary, 1991) 7-44.

"From the Urgency of the Sixties to the Demands of the Nineties," Compass 25 (Summer 1991) 30-33.

"Come Holy Spirit, Renew the Whole Creation.  Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches," Theological Studies 53 (December 1991) 607-635.

"The World Council of Churches, the Catholic Church, and Ecumenism," Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand.  Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth Annual Conference (CLSANZ, 1991) 202-208.

"The Influence of Ecumenical Dialogue on Contemporary Catholic Theology", Australasian Catholic Record 69:3 (July, 1991) 278-290.

"Pastor and Priest - A Roman Catholic Reflection" in Inari Theil (ed.), Apples of Gold Essays in Honour of H P V (Paul) Renner, on the occasion of his retirement (Brisbane: Sophia Collective, 1992) 92-107.

"Deacons in Australia:  Restoration of a Permanent Order," Australasian Catholic Record 70:1 (Jan. 1993) 80-101.

"Mary and the Saints", Liturgy News 23:2 (June 1993) 8-11.

"Viability of Ministerial Formation:  A Roman Catholic Response," Ministerial Formation 66 (July 1994) 8-13.

"Koinonia - An Ecumenical Breakthrough" in Themes in Interchurch Dialogue.  Koinonia, Scripture, Justification (Melbourne: JBCE, 1994) 10-32.

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church in the Australian Context," Australasian Catholic Record 71 (July 1994) 387-399.

"Catechism of the Catholic Church," Liturgy News 24 (1994) 1:3-4;  2:6-7;  3:3-4;  4:6‑7.

"This stumbling block", Eureka Street 5:6 (August 1995) 6-8.

"The Roman Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Movement" in Denise C. Sullivan (ed.), Living Ecumenism.  Christian Unity for a New Millennium (Melbourne: JBCE, 1995) 179-193.

Ecumenism and the Year 2000.  1995 Jack Woodward Lecture.  Federation of Parents & Friends Associations Qld, 1995.

"A Contemporary Roman Catholic View of Martin Luther" in M.W. Worthing (ed.), Perspectives on Martin Luther.  Papers from the Luther Symposium held at Luther Seminary Adelaide, South Australia, 22-23 March, 1996, Commemorating the 450^th Anniversary of the Reformer's Death (North Adelaide:  Faculty of Luther Campus, 1996) 35-48.

"The International Methodist/Roman Catholic Dialogue - hopes for the future," Trinity Occasional Papers 16:2 (December 1997) 41-57.

"The Papacy - is there a place for the papacy in a future united church?," Trinity Occasional Papers 16:2 (December 1997) 58-71.

"Ecumenism in Australia Today,"  Australasian Catholic Record 76:2 (April 1999) 208-216.

"The Churches in the Public Forum in Australia" in Neil Brown & Robert Gascoigne (eds), Faith in the Public Forum (Adelaide:  Australian Theological Forum, 1999) 109-136.

"One Personal View of the Statement of Conclusions," Compass 33 (Winter 1999) 31‑33.

"An Australian Catholic Comment on ‘We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah'," Australian Catholic Record 76:3 (July 1999) 343-349.

"Something to Celebrate," Compass 33 (Summer 1999) 1-7.

"A Church in Dialogue with Itself and with Others.  Australia 2000", Compass 34,  (Winter 2000) 3-16.

"Globalisation" National Outlook (October 2000) 18-21.

"The Holy Trinity and Ecumenism" in Winifred Wing Han Lamb & Ian Barns (eds), God Down Under; Theology in the Antipodes (Adelaide: Australian Theological Forum:10, 2003) 23-39

"Health Care and the Church's Mission", Health Progress 85:1 (January-February 2004) 19-25.

"The Catholic School of the Future", Australasian Catholic Record 82:4 (October 2005) 387-398.

"A Roman Catholic Understanding of Ecumenical Dialogue", Ecclesiology 2.2 (2005) 179-194.

Chapter: "Catholics and Ecumenism" in "The Church and Ecumenism".  Catholic Studies for Senior Secondary Students.  General editor: Rev Mgr Peter J Elliott

"Receptive Catholic Learning through Methodist-Catholic Dialogue". Catholic Learning: Explorations in Receptive Ecumenism.  Oxford University Press (2006).

"Mind the Gap. The Church in Australia 40 years after the Second Vatican Council."  General editor: Rev Gerard Kelly, Catholic Institute of Sydney.

"Evangelisation and the Liturgy", The Summit, Vol 33 No 4 (December 2006) 7-8.

"Evangelisation in Australia", The Australasian Catholic Record 84:1 (January 2007) 80-87.

"A New Ecclesial Context for Catholic Schools", in Anne Benjamin and Dan Riley (eds), Catholic Schools. Hope in Uncertain Times, (Sydney: John Garrett, 2008) pp 17-31.

"Catholic Identity and Mission" in Neil Ormerod (ed), Identity and Mission in Catholic Agencies, (St Paul's Publications 2008) pp15-37

"Do Jesus and his Church have a Curriculum?", Journal of Catholic Schools Studies, 80:1 (May/June 2008) 4-35.

"Receptive Catholic Learning through Methodist-Catholic Dialogue", in Paul D. Murray (ed), Receptive Ecumenism and the Call to Catholic Learning, Exploring a Way for Contemporary Ecumenism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008) pp 122-133.

"The Churches and Ecumenism 2008", Compass 42:3 (Spring 2008) 25-35

"The Mission of the Church on Life Matters in Contemporary Australian Society", The Australasian Catholic Record, 85:4 (October 2008) 442-455.

"Reflections on the Priesthood", Daniel P. Cronin, (ed) Priesthood: A life open to Christ, (St Pauls London: 2009) pp 158-160.

Commentary on the Report:"On Becoming a Christian: Insights from Scripture and the Patristic Writings with Some Contemporary Reflections - Report on the Fifth Phase of the International Dialogue Between Some Classical Pentecostal Churches and the Catholic Church (1998-2006)", Information Service 129 (2008/III) pp 216-226.

Reviews:

John N. Collins, Diakonia.  Re-Interpreting the Ancient Sources  (Oxford Uni. Press, 1990);  Are all Christians Ministers?  (E.J. Dwyer, 1992) in Liturgy News 22:4 (Dec. 1992) 13.

Gerald P Gleeson, Priesthood:  The Hard Questions  (E.J. Dwyer, 1993) in Australasian Catholic Record 71 (1994).

Richard P. McBrien, Catholicism.  New Study Edition (Collins Dove, 1994) in Catholic Leader 24 July 1994, p.15.

Gideon Goosen, Bringing Churches Together.  An Introduction to Ecumenism (E.J.Dwyer, 1993); 

Günther Gassman,  Documentary History of Faith and Order (WCC, 1993); 

Marc Reuver, Friedhelm Solms and Gerrit Huizer (eds.), The Ecumenical Movement Tomorrow, Suggestions for Approaches and Alternatives (Kok Publishing, 1993) in Colloquium 26:2 (1994) 142-145.

Raymond K. Williamson (ed.), Stages on the Way.  Documents from the Bilateral Conversations between Churches in Australia (Melbourne: JBCE, 1994) in Trinity Occasional Papers 14:1 (June 1995) 69-71.

Thomas R. Best and Günther Gassman (eds.), On the Way to Fuller Koinonia:  Official Report of the Fifth World Conference on Faith and Order, Santiago de Compostela, 1993, in Colloquium 27:2 (November 1995) 164-165.

Institute for Ecumenical research, Strasbourg, Crisis and Challenge of the Ecumenical Movement (Geneva: WCC, 1994) in Colloquium 28:1 (1996) 76-77.

Ekkehard Schuster and Reinhold Boschert-Kimmig (eds.) "Hope Against Hope: Johann Baptist Metz and Elie Wiesel Speak Out On The Holocaust," (Paulist Press 1999) in Australian Catholic Record 77:4 (October 2000) 489-491.

Emmanual Clapsis, Orthodoxy in Conversation:  Orthodox Ecumenical Engagements.  Brookline, Mass.:  Holy Cross Orthodox, 2000 in Theological Studies, 64:1 (March 2003) pp..

Tamara Grdzelidze, World Council of Churches.  One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic: Ecumenical Reflections on the Church. Geneva. WCC, 2005) in Ecclesiology 4:1 (2007) 119-122

Gerard Kelly, John Paul II:  Legacy and Witness (Robert Gascoigne, 2007) in Australasian Catholic Record 84:4 (October 2007), 504-506.