Robert Morris SJ was ordained to the priesthood at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Christchurch on June 2. It was a special homecoming for the newly ordained Fr Morris, who has been away from home for many years. He took his first vows in Sydney in early 2010 and did most of his formation in Australia and the United States.
In a video interview with Jesuit Communications Australia later that year, he spoke of why he had joined the Society of Jesus. “I was touched by the stories especially of the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador in 1989. There was something that spoke to my heart about that story, and I think I was just drawn to the idea of caring for people. There was something that really touched me about the Jesuit ethos, spirituality.”
On Saturday, surrounded by family and brother Jesuits, he was ordained to the priesthood by Christchurch Bishop Paul Martin SM. A number of Australian Jesuits and lay companions had travelled across the Tasman Sea for the celebrations. They also joined the new priest for his first Mass at 10 am the next day in Our Lady of Victories in Sockburn. There, on Sunday, June 3, Fr Morris preached in the very church where he once sat as a young boy.
As he begins his priestly ministry, perhaps he is thinking of his role models for the priesthood. In another interview given just before his diaconate ordination, he had said, “Before Francis was elected Pope, I was actually drawn to Bergoglio as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. I had read a bit about him – his very simple way of life, his pastoral example, and his depth of spirituality. He practises what he preaches. His simplicity of life, I was really drawn to that.”
