Photo courtesy of the Australian Jesuits
Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ has appointed Fr Chris Middleton SJ as the next Provincial of the Australian Jesuits, beginning 1 January 2027. He will succeed Fr Quyen Vu SJ, who has served as Provincial since 2021.
Fr Middleton entered the Society of Jesus in 1976 and was ordained in 1989. He currently serves as Rector of Xavier College in Kew, Melbourne, where he also teaches History and Religious Education. With many years in the education apostolate, he brings to his new role a strong commitment to education and human rights advocacy.
His ministry in education has included serving as Vice-Rector and Chaplain of St Leo’s College at the University of Queensland from 1992 to 1996, and as Rector and Deputy Headmaster of Saint Ignatius’ College in South Australia in 1998. During his time there, he helped introduce Kairos retreats to Jesuit schools in Australia. From 2003 to 2014, he served as Principal of St Aloysius’ College.
In 2007, Fr Middleton founded the Benenson Society, a human rights advocacy group. He was appointed Rector of Xavier College in 2014 and has continued to combine his commitment to education with advocacy for human rights.
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In a Xavier College podcast marking his 50 years as a Jesuit, Fr Middleton reflected on his vocation and the experiences that led him towards education. He recalled that he was initially drawn to the Society by its history, particularly the stories of the English and North American martyrs, as well as its approach to mission.
“I thought about being a missionary originally,” he said. “The thought of being an educator wasn’t there at the start.” That changed during his early Jesuit formation, when he spent a term at Burke Hall and encountered educators who helped spark his interest in teaching. “I was just 20 at the time and that’s where I think I first got the teaching bug.”
His vocation was also shaped by his own experience as a student. “When I was a student in boarding school in Bathurst, I saw priests who were teachers and that definitely had an influence on my own pathway,” he recalled. “Most of my teachers right through my school years were priests.”
Alongside his work in education, Fr Middleton has served as a Province Consultor and as the Australian Province Procurator at the Congregation of Procurators in Nairobi in 2012. He is also a member of the boards of the Friday Night School at Richmond and The Cardoner Network.
