Fr Brendan Ward is a priest of the Dunedin Diocese and has been ministering in parishes since his ordination in 1995.

"Parish ministry, along with his work in the forestry industry prior to entering the seminary, and his study, including a Masters in the Psychology of Religion, will greatly assist him in this next role," says Archbishop Dew President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

Fr Ward comes from a large Invercargill family.

After leaving school he went to Canterbury University where he completed a Bachelor of Forestry and then worked for some years in the forestry industry in Rotorua and later in Bougainville.

From 1986 to 1988 Fr Ward played cricket as a semi professional.

He studied for the priesthood at the seminary in Mosgiel and was ordained by Bishop Leonard Boyle at St Mary's Basilica in Invercargill at the end of 1995.

In addition to parish ministry, Fr Ward, more recently studied for a Masters at Heythrop College (the Jesuit College) in London.

He is currently parish priest of Queenstown.

Fr Ward will take over from Monsignor Peter Jeffrey whose term ends at the conclusion of this year.

Archbishop Dew says this year will give Fr Ward the time to prepare, and "I along with my brother bishops offer our ongoing support."

"I'm pleased to be taking on this new role next year and I will be spending this time researching and preparing to begin. I can see that under the leadership of Monsignor Peter Jeffery and the staff that the Seminary is in good heart" said Fr Ward.

"I'm grateful to all those who have formed, supported and encouraged me in my own priestly vocation and I hope that I too can make a valuable contribution to the vocation of many others in this role." he said.

Source

• Supplied NZCBC
• Image: Supplied NZCBC

His appointment takes effect this time next year. The lead in time will allow him to prepare and visit other seminaries to observe formation processes.

Source

Archbishop John Dew's Newsletter 20/02/14