For Fr Chris del Rosario, swapping the fast-paced world of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta for a small parish in the Blue Mountains has been the making of him.
Not that he didn’t enjoy his time as Assistant Priest at the Cathedral; he loved it. But taking on the role of administrator in St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood, five months ago – his first position leading a parish on his own – has been a challenge he feels has led to him becoming a better priest.
No longer able to look forward to the camaraderie, and counsel, of fellow priests at the end of a tough day, Fr Chris says that being on his own has meant prayer has now become his source of “energy and drive”.
“I always knew as a priest we need to spend that time with God. Not that I didn’t do it at Parramatta, I always put the time in,” he says.
“But now it’s a slower pace, so how do I get that energy and that drive to be an effective priest? Well, you need to sit with God and just be with him, which I found has been really the answer.”
Able to grow as a leader
Fr Chris was ordained as a priest in 2018 after completing his studies at the Holy Spirit Seminary at Harris Park. Soon after that, he joined the Parish of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta, where as well as being Assistant Priest he was Master of Ceremonies, a role he continues to hold.
He remained at the Cathedral until Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, appointed him as administrator at Springwood in October 2023.
At age 31, he has been told that he is young to be an administrator of a parish, and even he admits he was not expecting to be given a leadership role so soon. But he is grateful to Bishop Vincent for “placing this trust in me”, as it has meant he has been able to grow as a leader.
He says taking on the role has challenged him to make better decisions, to manage uncomfortable situations and have “tough conversations with parishioners”. It has also showed him how to be patient – “the biggest virtue that I need and which I’ve prayed for all my life. I’m a man who is extremely impatient,” he says.
“In my five months here I can see the growth that I’ve made,” Fr Chris says. “Even some of my other brother priests have seen it, and my family has seen it when I visit them.”
A history of growing priests
The parish has a long and unique history in the Diocese. Mass has been celebrated at various sites in the Parish since 1839 and it’s almost 90 years since the arrival of full-time priests.
The land which houses the current church building, as well as the adjoining St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, and St Columba’s Catholic College, was the site of a former Catholic seminary built in 1909.
Many current and former priests in the Diocese of Parramatta, as well as from other dioceses around Australia, attended the seminary, which was run by the Archdiocese of Sydney before it was closed in 1977.
Fr Chris says the Springwood Parish has “got a history of really growing priests. There’s been a faith community here for a very, very long time.”
He says this history is an important part of the fabric of parish life, and everything he is doing is building on the work of his predecessors, even down to restoring some historical items that he has returned to the church sanctuary.
Asked what his hope was for the Parish during his tenure, Fr Chris says it is the same as when he was at Parramatta.
“I just want to see saints in this Parish,” he says. “That’s really my only hope.”
“I just want to have a holy Parish, where people, when they come into the church, they encounter God.
“[I hope] they see that this is their home, and they can come here whenever they like to pray and just be very intimate with God.”
Kids can “ask me whatever they want”
Being “present” for his parishioners is also important to Fr Chris, and he has an open-door policy where “anyone can come and have a chat”.
This extends particularly to young people, who he says often feel disengaged from the Church. His mission, when he talks to young people, is to make them understand that “God is loving, God is all encompassing, God is just, God is virtuous, God loves you”.
“I think that a priest should never be the strange man at the altar who wears weird clothes.
“I want to be someone who kids can have a chat with and ask me whatever they want.
“At Parramatta, it was always about the footy. ‘Do you reckon the Eels will win? No’,” he laughs.
“The priest is not just the spiritual father but a confidant where they can go when it comes to faith and morals, and hopefully guide them towards God.”
But he is quick to dismiss the idea that young people are the future of the Church. Rather, he sees them as important now.
“I think everyone who walks in the Church is not a past or a future, they’re the present – we need you now. And God wants you now.
“Let’s be present with God and see what he does. See how he works wonders in your life right now.”
When he’s not tending to Parish business, Fr Chris can often be found playing his beloved basketball, something he has played competitively every week for about eight years – “although my knees are not enjoying basketball”.
Because of this, he is playing more and more golf. “Some would say I’m a little obsessed and I’ll take it,” he says. “I haven’t yet put a putting mat in my office, but we’re working on it.”
