Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, who is currently serving as Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs, has been appointed by Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci to be Vicar-General of the Diocese.

Fr Prakash, who is from India, completed his SVD formation at Melbourne’s Dorish Maru College and was ordained by the former Bishop of Darwin, Bishop Eugene Hurley, in 2014, before being assigned as a missionary to Central Australia.

His first appointment was as assistant priest in Alice Springs, followed by several years as Parish Priest of Santa Teresa, before taking up his current parish appointment.

Since his installation as Parish Priest, Fr Prakash has also been the Darwin Dioceses’ Vicar for Central Australia.

In announcing the appointment, Bishop Charles said Fr Prakash “brings many gifts with him as well as nine years of Pastoral experience”.

“Fr Prakash will continue in his role as Parish Priest of Alice Springs while assuming this new Ministry,” Bishop Charles said.

“We now have a Chancellor in the person of Mrs Clalia Mar in the Diocesan office as well as of course other members of our Diocesan staff. With the help of modern technology, I believe that Fr Prakash is able to effectively take on this new position and I will not be asking him to come to Darwin more often than necessary.”

Bishop Charles said it was not the first time that a Divine Word Missionary had served the Diocese of Darwin as Vicar-General.

“We have a precedence in this when Bishop Eugene appointed (the late) Fr Jim Knight SVD as Vicar General while residing in Alice Springs,” he said.

He thanked Fr Prakash, for taking on this new vital responsibility in the service of the Diocese and also thanked the retiring Vicar-General, Father Malcolm Fyfe MSC, for his 11 years in the role.

Fr Prakash said the announcement of his appointment followed a period of consultation with Bishop Charles and also his SVD superior.

“I took time to discern about it and pray about it,” he said. “But after that discernment and those discussions, I said that if this is the need of the Diocese and if my Provincial is ok about it, then I’ll do it.

“It’s good to know that there’s a precedent there for an SVD to be in this role, with Fr Jim and it’s also good that I am able to continue with my pastoral role here in Alice Springs.”

Fr Prakash said the Darwin Diocese was enormous in size and posed unique challenges and opportunities.

Covering an area of 1.5 million square kilometres, the Diocese of Darwin, established in 1938, is one of the largest Dioceses in Australia. Despite this, it has one of the smallest populations with only about 230,000 people, with about 21 per cent of the population being Catholic. Geographically, most of the Northern Territory is included within the bounds of the Diocese of Darwin, except for the very bottom. The Diocese of Darwin includes 20 parishes, 18 schools and a range of agencies.

“So, there are huge distances to cover in the Diocese, but with technology now, there are many things that can be done online, which does make a big difference,” Fr Prakash said.

“Being Vicar-General is essentially an administrative responsibility, being an extra support for the Bishop in his pastoral administration. As part of the role I will be also looking at the wellbeing of the clergy and working out any Tribunal matters that need to be addressed.

“This Diocese is not only spread out, but also very diverse and very multicultural and, of course, we are enriched by having a significant number of First Nations people.”

Fr Prakash said his time in Central Australia has given him a practical understanding of various aspects of pastoral ministry in the Diocese which will help him in his new role.

“I think the Bishop has probably seen that as one of the positive things, that I have developed a pastoral understanding and awareness of differences, and sensitivities and have been able to respond accordingly,” he said.

In a Diocese where the majority of the clergy belong to missionary religious congregations, Fr Prakash said his lived experience of religious life would also assist him in the role.

“I’m still trying to see how I can adapt to this new role. But the Diocese has a very good team and well-organised diocesan office, so I feel well-supported by that,” he said.

“And we have a very pastoral Bishop who likes to be hands-on in his approach to things, and that’s how I like to operate too, so I’m sure we’ll be able to share ideas and support one another in that way.

“I’m only 40, so I still feel quite young for this role, but with the help and understanding of the Bishop and my SVD community I will certainly do my best to carry out my responsibilities in a way that will help the Diocese.”

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: Fr Prakash Menezes SVD promises to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of Vicar-General of the Diocese of Darwin, while Bishop Charles Gauci looks on.

BOTTOM LEFT: SVD Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD says some words during the installation Mass at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish, Alice Springs.