Fr Michael Morley sees himself as one of the post-Vatican II ‘new wave’ of priests. For him, being a priest has always meant being immersed in community – a spiritual leader, yes, but also a bloke you could talk to, who'd show up when needed. A neighbour, a listener, a steady presence at the kitchen table or by the hospital bed.
A trained electrician from Moonee Ponds, Fr Mick brought with him a practical wisdom, a down-to-earth warmth, and a pastoral style shaped as much by real life as by theological study.
His journey as a priest has been one of deep companionship with parishioners, prodigals and prisoners, each shaping and forming him as much as he guided and supported them. As Fr Michael puts it, “You can’t be a priest in isolation. The people you serve end up forming you just as much as you hope to help them.”
At the heart of his vocation is a deeply human approach to ministry – authentic, sincere and present. He has never tried to be anything other than who he is: a practical man, a faith-filled servant and a pastor who meets people where they are.
Fr Michael grew up in a strong Catholic family. For the six Morley children, faith wasn’t relegated to Sundays; it was lived in daily life. Fr Michael received all his sacraments at his home parish of St Monica’s, Moonee Ponds, even his Ordination as a Priest of the Diocese of Sandhurst. “People were surprised Bishop Bernie Stewart ordained me in Melbourne, but St Monica’s was actually his home parish, too,” said Fr Michael. “So, it wasn’t difficult to get him to agree.”
Fr Michael credits his love of country life and desire to become a priest for the Diocese of Sandhurst to his mother, who was originally from Rushworth, and a close family friend who was a key figure in his early formation, Fr Edward (Ted) Tehan. “He was just part of our lives and would visit us when he came to our family home in Moonee Ponds,” said Fr Michael. “He was the kind of priest who made faith seem both holy and familiar.”
Years later, when Fr Michael became Parish Priest in Yarrawonga, he discovered he had inherited a bit of Fr Tehan’s legacy – literally. Years before, Fr Tehan had removed the stained-glass windows from the church because the sun was blinding the congregation. “When I came along, I put them back in,” Fr Mick laughs. “I liked the light.”
It was a fitting image for the kind of priest Fr Michael has become – someone who helped people see the beauty in faith, not by shielding them from life’s realities, but by helping them see God’s light through it.
Before entering the seminary, Fr Michael was a qualified electrician and had worked in the trade for eight years. His ute, emblazoned with 'Great Northern Electric', became a fixture outside St Monica’s Moonee Ponds at seven o’clock every morning.
It was during this time that an unlikely formative influence in his vocation emerged: his boss. “He wasn’t Catholic or religious,” Fr Mick remembers, “but he was curious. He’d watch something on TV and then say, ‘So what does the Church teach about grace?’ or ‘Explain original sin to me.’”
These weren’t just passing conversations; they were spiritual explorations. “If I didn’t know the answer, he’d tell me to go find out. He kept pushing me to think more deeply about my faith. I didn’t realise it then, but the penny was dropping all the time.”
This boss, who later became a close friend and father figure, demonstrated a kind of respectful inquiry that Fr Mick carried into his own priesthood. The seeds of pastoral ministry were being sown as invoices were handed in and timesheets completed.
Unlike many of his seminary peers, Fr Mick didn’t go straight from school to the priesthood. He worked, saved, bought land, and even day-dreamed about a possible family. He socialised and lived a full life, yet something deeper lingered.
“At about 23, I thought, ‘I need to do something about this,’” he recalls. He came across an advertisement promoting mature vocations with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, so he made an appointment to meet them. “As I drove away from that first visit, the thought solidified: I can become a priest!”
F Michael initially considered becoming a missionary, imagining himself preaching and building by hand. “But I realised I didn’t want to lose that connection with my family. And I liked having a car,” he adds, only half-joking. So, he leaned toward diocesan life.
Getting into the seminary wasn’t straightforward. After some back and forth between Melbourne and Sandhurst, he was finally accepted and spent his first year at Werribee before continuing studies in Kensington and Sydney. “I didn’t really like school, so the idea of seven years in a seminary was a real challenge. But once I was in, I never looked back.”
The seminary provided not only academic and spiritual formation but deep friendships and strong mentors. “One of the rectors lived in the room next to mine. He’d knock and say, ‘What are you working on?’ That kind of support kept me going.”
It’s hard to overstate the impact Fr Michael has had on the parishes he’s served. His style of ministry – relational, grounded, present – wasn’t always the norm. As one parishioner from Tatura put it: “When he arrived in Tatura, we were still in the 19th century. He brought us into the 20th.”
Whether baptising, visiting the sick, or spending time at Dhurringile Prison, where he served as Chaplain for sixteen years, Fr Michael approached every person with the same philosophy: don’t judge, just walk with them. “You learn quickly not to ask what someone’s done,” he says of his prison ministry. “Just accept them, listen, and treat them like people. That’s where the healing begins.”
At Fr Michael’s jubilee celebrations, a Mount Beauty parishioner shared how Fr Michael’s flavour of ministry reignited his faith:
“I’d lost my faith. Got married, started going to Church with my wife … then Fr Mick came along. The fact that he rode a motorbike sucked me in, but it was our conversations that brought me back. He became part of our life.”
Fr Michael's pastoral sensitivity was especially evident in the most tender moments. A Kyabram parishioner recalled how Fr Michael supported his wife, who wasn’t Catholic, as she neared the end of her life:
“At first, she was intimidated by him. I told her, ‘He’s just an electrician from Moonee Ponds!’ Over time he became a friend and when she became ill with cancer, his visits were the highlight of her day. He gave her a palm cross which she held until she slipped into unconsciousness. I’ll never forget that.”
Now retired in Yarrawonga, Fr Michael is grateful to live in a “beautiful part of the world”. He prays each morning, catches up with friends, and enjoys the gift of unhurried conversations. “One of the greatest blessings of retirement is time,” he says. “Time to pray, time to talk to people, time to really be present.”
Looking back, he’s full of gratitude – for his health, for the opportunities of the priesthood, and for the people who helped shape him along the way. “God has given me so much. Every time you give, you get twice as much in return.
The motto Fr Michael chose on becoming a priest fifty years ago was, “To live justly and tenderly with your God.” And that’s exactly what he’s done.
Congratulations, Fr Mick, on 50 years of faithful, pastoral and joy-filled priesthood. Thank you for walking with us, listening to us, and reminding us that holiness can look like a motorbike, a pair of overalls, and a heart that never stops giving. Ad multos annos!
