Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv has presented papal awards to two people who have given a large part of their life to the service of the Church in the Diocese of Parramatta.
Pope Leo XIV awarded Fr John O’Neill – who recently retired as Parish Priest at Doonside Parish after 42 years – the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, which is bestowed on those who have given long-standing and distinguished service to the Church. Bishop Vincent presented the award to Fr O’Neill at his home in Baulkham Hills on 14 October.
At the simple ceremony, Bishop Vincent commended Fr O’Neill on his decades of service to the Doonside Parish, and read out to him the award’s citation, which highlights his “exceptional contribution to the life and mission of the Church, his more than six decades of priestly service and his enduring dedication to the faithful of the Diocese of Parramatta”.
Bishop Vincent told Fr O’Neill that “today is a very good day here with you”. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
Bishop Vincent also told Fr O’Neill that he had announced the award to Doonside parishioners at the installation of their new Parish Priest Fr Pio Jang a week earlier.
Fr O’Neill was ordained to the priesthood in 1962 and served in several parishes across the Archdiocese of Sydney before being appointed Parish Priest at Doonside in 1983. He remained in his ministry at Doonside until his retirement in December 2025.
“For more than 42 years, Fr O’Neill faithfully shepherded the Parish of Doonside, providing spiritual leadership, celebrating the Sacraments and accompanying generations of parishioners in their journey of faith,” the citation says.
“His deep love of the liturgy, dedication to preaching and unwavering fidelity to the Church have been hallmarks of his priestly ministry.”
Paul McMahon receiving his papal award from Bishop Vincent, with his wife. Image: Supplied
During the ceremony, Bishop Vincent told Fr O’Neill that “there are good days and not so good days” in the role of bishop, but “today is a very good day here with you”.
The other recipient, Paul McMahon, a former chair of Catholic Care Advisory Council for Western Sydney and Blue Mountains, director of Mamre Plains Limited and chief executive of Southern Cross Care NSW and ACT, was unable to accept his award – Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great – in person at the time that other papal awards were presented at St Patrick’s Cathedral, in August.
So, Bishop Vincent made the presentation to Mr McMahon in front of more than 120 of his friends and family and a group from the Diocese of Parramatta, including the Chief of Operations and Finance Geoff Officer, and Chief Executive of Catholic Care Western Sydney and Blue Mountains Helen Emmerson, at a liturgy at his local church, St Anthony’s in Clovelly, in early October.
The citation said Mr McMahon had over several decades “made an outstanding contribution to the mission of the Church, particularly through his leadership in Catholic social and aged care services”.
Bishop Vincent praised Mr McMahon for his long-standing dedication to the Church in Parramatta and beyond.
Family and friends with Paul McMahon and Bishop Vincent outside St Anthony’s Clovelly. Image: Supplied
“On behalf of the Church, both local and universal, I sincerely thank Paul not just for the leadership role he held and the years he served but also for the Christian spirit with which he carried out his duties, always with integrity, dedication, selflessness and above all love of Christ’s least brothers and sisters,” Bishop Vincent said.
“You have let the light of Christ shine through what you do and the self-effacing manner in which they are done.
“Thank you, Paul, for the tremendous contribution you made to the community, especially the Diocese of Parramatta.”
The awards are an example of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan priorities of Mission and Community. Visit Synodality to find out more.
