As rector of the Holy Spirit Seminary, in Harris Park, Fr Paul Marshall is helping to prepare the next generation of priests for the Diocese of Parramatta. But the seminarians are not the only ones learning, he is finding out a lot about himself too.
Fr Paul was ordained to the priesthood nearly 40 years ago by the first Bishop of Parramatta, Bede Heather, and has spent most of that time in the Diocese. For almost 30 of those years he has worked in parishes either as a priest, assistant priest or administrator.
He remembers life as a seminarian in the 1980s was firmly focused on academic studies; these days the seminarians at Holy Spirit are spending more time on human formation, on their emotional and spiritual development. This is necessary, he says, if priests are to be able to better help their flock.
Fr Paul (third left) with Bishop Vincent, Mark Buhagiar and our Seminarians. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
“We all have got a backpack on our backs; we carry our own family baggage and a lot of the seminary formation is about trying to process our own stuff that we get stuck on,” he says.
“There’s a lot of inner work and that’s the journey…it frees you to be there for others. It gives you the ultimate freedom – for God, for relationships. But it’s a tough journey.”
He says this new way of learning has “challenged my own human development and formation”, and he is working with his own spiritual director to “process stuff” too.
Fr Paul Marshall administers the Oil of the Sick to a gentleman during the 2025 Diocesan World Day of the Sick Mass at St Patrick’s Church, Mary Queen of the Family Parish, Blacktown. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
‘Bringing me close to God’
Fr Paul grew up in the mountains just outside Hobart, in Tasmania, which instilled in him a love of nature’s wild places that has never left him. This love has taken him to New Zealand to mountain climb and ski, as well as to the Himalayas. As Youth Chaplain in the Diocese in the 1990s he would often take groups hiking in the Blue Mountains.
“Mountains open me to a place of freedom, bringing me close to God,” he says.
The growth in his faith began at home with parents who were regular Mass-goers, but was further kindled by parish priests, teachers, peers and “other adventurous people” who taught him to better appreciate the wider world.
The Christian Brothers had a particular impact on his spiritual growth, especially during his school years. Their enthusiasm in teaching, on the sports field or on bushwalking excursions, “cultivated my interest in nature, engaging my sense of wonder and sowed the seeds of faith”, Fr Paul says.
Fr Paul Marshall. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
He remembers one brother, Br Chris Shearer, his year six teacher, was a key person on his road to the priesthood. One day in 1969 he brought a television into class so everyone could watch the moon landing. “A seed of vocation, unknown to me at the time, was fermenting in being humbled before the infinity of the universe around us.”
Years later after he had left school, Fr Paul received a letter from Br Chris asking if he had considered joining the priesthood. “It was timely because I was thinking about it,” he says.
The Christian Brothers were there for him again when he took up his first appointment as a parish priest at Luddenham-Warragamba, giving him accommodation for several years at their nearby retreat centre in Mulgoa until the parish had raised enough money to build a presbytery. “The Brothers taught me their love of God in prayer and the value of community and the power of storytelling,” Fr Paul says.
Another important moment came when his family relocated from Hobart to Sydney when he was 17. He remembers the feeling of despair at leaving his friends behind and, while walking along the coast at Coogee one day, asking himself what was the constant thing in his life? His answer: God.
Fr Paul Marshall during City 2 Surf. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
‘Priesthood is a unique seed’
Over the years Fr Paul has served in five parishes in the Diocese and is currently the Administrator of St Oliver Plunkett’s Parish in Harris Park, along with being Rector at the seminary.
He says in his many years as a priest he has been struck by the faith and love shown to him by parishioners.
He says when he first became a parish priest the belief was that priests were taught theology and canon law and expected to navigate the rest on their own. Nowadays he encourages his seminarians to recognise that they don’t have all the answers and to work with and consult the parish community. This consultation and listening is akin to the synodality championed by Popes Francis and Leo, and Bishop Vincent in Parramatta. “It’s not some magic thing, it already exists in parishes,” he says.
Fr Paul Marshall. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Fr Paul believes priests are still as important as ever, just for different reasons than in the past. His job, he says, is to prepare those looking to enter the priesthood to be adaptable and open to what society is doing.
“Priesthood is a unique seed planted in the rich soil of God’s love and it gives me deep joy as rector of our seminary to see our men formed to serve our Diocese into the future.
“I have seen God’s hand in my life as I look back over the years. God has looked beyond my limitations and has shown me my potential.”
This article was originally published in the 2026 Lent & Easter | Autumn edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can read the digital version here or pick up a copy in your local parish.
