The appointment of Bishop Tim Norton SVD as Bishop of Broome has been met with joy by the local Church, the national Catholic Indigenous community, and the Divine Word Missionaries.

Bishop Tim, who has been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane for almost three years, is a former SVD Australia Provincial and has a deep interest in mission, culture and interculturality.

Bishop Tim was born in Sydney in 1958 and initially trained as a physiotherapist, working in inner-city Darlinghurst with young people who were experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health issues.

He entered the Society of the Divine Word in 1984 and took his first vows in 1986.

In 1991 he was ordained priest, ministering in parishes in Mexico until 1996.

Having undertaken post-graduate study in spiritual direction in Melbourne in 1997, he served as the Society’s prefect for theology students and novice and postulant director, based in Melbourne and Sydney, from 1998 to 2004.

His nine years as leader of the SVD’s Australian province (which takes in New Zealand and Thailand) was followed by ministry in Italy from 2014 to 2021.

And in February 2022 he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Archbishop of Perth, Timothy Costelloe SDB, said Bishop Tim would bring “energy, enthusiasm and vision” to the Diocese of Broome.

“As a member of the Society of the Divine Word, Bishop Norton has a deep appreciation of the importance of cultural traditions in the living of the Christian faith,” Archbishop Costelloe said.

“Having lived and worked in rural and remote areas of Australia, as well as overseas, he brings with him a love for the Indigenous people of our nation, a heart for the poor and marginalised, and a ‘down-to-earth’ approach to the needs and realities of our time.

“He will be a blessing not only to the Catholic community in the vast Diocese of Broome, but to all who live in the north-west.”

Apostolic Administrator of the Broome Diocese, Bishop Michael Morrissey, noted Bishop Tim currently served as a member of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

“In the Diocese of Broome, where 61 per cent of Catholics identify as being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, his commitment to strengthening relationships with Aboriginal community members will be greatly valued,” Bishop Morrissey said.

NATSICC WA Councillor/Deputy Chairperson and Broome local, Shirley Quaresimin, welcomed the appointment, saying: "We are over the moon".

“Broome Catholics, from Kunanarra to Broome and everywhere in between, have patiently awaited the appointment of their new Bishop, having been wonderfully supported and served in the interim by Geraldton's Bishop Michael Morrissey,” a NATSICC statement said.

“Bishop Tim is a friend and ally of NATSICC and First Australian Catholics and serves as a member for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

“Congratulations to Bishop Tim, the Catholic Diocese of Broome and our Australian Catholic Church!”

Bishop Tim said while he had not anticipated leaving the Archdiocese of Brisbane, where he had been facilitating the Archdiocesan Synod process, and was involved in the LGBTIQ Reference Group, the Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, and interculturality issues, he was happy to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.

“To find myself yet again in a new place with new people, the call comes again, comes anew and I hope to rediscover the call I’ve kept answering from the beginning, and trust that the Spirit will continue to guide and support me, and if I can be of some good to God’s mission that will be good as well,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to engaging with the people in the Broome Diocese, especially the Aboriginal people.

“And while I’ve had more to do with the Eastern Arrernte people in Central Australia through the process of setting up the SVD ministry there, I am very much looking forward to being a part of the mix of cultures in the Diocese of Broome.

Bishop Tim said his identity as a Divine Word Missionary stands him in good stead to take up his new role.

“The SVD Australia Province now has an understanding, it seems to me, of being involved primarily in multicultural parish work and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. And in the SVD we take culture seriously and we are known for that,” he said.

“And for me personally, over the last 12 to 15 years the whole area of culture and cultural transition has interested me greatly.

“So, I’m looking forward to engaging with culture in Broome Diocese and trying to learn some local languages, all of which helps me to be true to my call as an SVD in this particular mission.”

SVD Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD, said the Province was delighted to hear of Bishop Tim’s new appointment.

“I’m very happy about this appointment, because that’s who we are and that’s who he is,” he said.

“Tim is a missionary bishop with a deep understanding of culture, and we stand ready to work with him and collaborate with him in his role as Bishop of Broome Diocese where the SVD already has a pastoral presence at Balgo.”

Bishop Tim will be installed as Bishop of Broome in early December.

PHOTO: Bishop Tim Norton SVD (Catholic Leader)