Fr John Edward Ryan died on 23 January 2025, at the age of 88, after sixty-one years of faithful service to the people of God. He was a visionary priest whose influence continues to shape the priesthood today. 

In addition to serving as a priest of our Diocese, he became widely known as a lecturer, retreat-giver, counsellor and spiritual director. His deep understanding of the human side of priests, coupled with his big-picture thinking, helped to revolutionise priestly formation in Australia, and transformed the way priests are supported and nurtured in their vocations.

Born in Red Cliffs in 1936, Fr Ryan was educated by the Mercy Sisters in Red Cliffs and Yarrawonga and was a boarder at Assumption College, Kilmore for his high school years. While a student at the University of Melbourne, he discerned his vocation as an engineer or a priest. “Ever since age 11, I knew that one day I would have to test the call to the priesthood,” he once said.

Fr John completed his priestly formation at Corpus Christi College in Werribee and Glen Waverley, and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Sandhurst on 27 July 1963. He worked as an Assistant Priest in Yarrawonga and at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo. In 1970, Fr John studied overseas at the Collegio di San Pietro, Rome for a Licentiate in Pastoral Theology and later, the Jesuit University at St Louis, Missouri earning a master’s degree in Spirituality.

Returning to Australia in 1974, Fr Ryan once again served as Assistant Priest at the Cathedral and later, Myrtleford and Wodonga.

In 1977, at the request of Cardinal Freeman, he moved to Sydney to establish the Centre for Christian Spirituality in Randwick with Fr David Walker.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, Fr Ryan was a force in a grassroots clergy movement that advocated for more relevant support for priests – not just spiritual, but emotional and practical. Fr Ryan rejected the outdated idea that priests should be self-sufficient, noting that many worked themselves far too hard. He advocated for a system that nurtured their humanity. He believed that, for priests to serve others effectively, they needed time for themselves and time to find inner peace. "If a priest has peace in his own life, it will flow out of him to others," he once said.

After researching renewal programs in other countries, and consulting with clergy and educational personnel, Fr Ryan presented a proposal to the Australian Bishops which led to the establishment of St Peter’s Centre for Clergy Education in Canberra, a centre which provided ongoing formation and renewal for priests.
Later, Fr Ryan’s leadership at the Centre for Human Development and the Catholic Institute for Ministry helped countless priests to better care for themselves and, in turn, foster healthier communities.

After a stint back as a priest in Wodonga, Fr Ryan returned to Canberra to work as a counsellor at CatholicCare. In 1999 he helped establish the Humanita Foundation, an Australian Foundation for Integrated Christian Living.

Fr Ryan retired in 2005, having left an indelible mark on the Australian Church. His legacy lives on in the way priests today are formed and supported.

A Funeral Mass to celebrate Fr Ryan’s life and ministry will be held on Friday, 7 February at 12:00 p.m. at St Patrick’s Church, 1 Ford Street Wangaratta.
May Fr John rest in peace, and may his family, friends, and the many whose lives he touched find comfort in his legacy.

Interested in learning more?

On the occasion of his 60th Jubilee, Fr John wrote for Sandpiper e-News, it’s a delightful and humourous read: Fr John Ryan – 60 Years a Priest.

If you’re interested in Fr John’s advocacy for priestly formation, which nurtures priests, you might like to read A Priesthood Imprisoned (2018) written by Fr Ryan. Copies are available in the state library. 

Return to Sandpipere e-News 92.