32 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2022 Rev Ted Harte IN MEMORIAM Rev Owen Doyle Fr Edward Joseph Harte was born on the third day of the third month in 1933 and was coincidentally ordained a Catholic Priest when he was 33 years old. A quiet achiever, Fr Harte was known, not only for his commitment to Pastoral life, but also his delight in engaging with his wider community. In 2018, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Catholic Church and to the community. The sixth child of eight children to Harold and Elsie Harte, Fr Harte joined the seminary in 1958 when he was 25 years old. At the time, he was considered a ‘late vocation’, ordained a priest at St Brendan’s Church, Shepparton on July 23, 1966, Fr Harte served in the parishes of Euroa, Wangaratta, Shepparton and White Hills, where he was Parish Priest for 37 years until his retirement in January 2017. Fr Harte worked as Chaplain to many hospitals in the region and also took the opportunity, to serve for several months as an assistant priest at St John the Evangelist Parish in New York City. A distinguished patron, committee member and life member of the Marong Racing Club and Chaplin to the Bendigo Jockey Club at Fr Harte’s funeral Mass, friend and fellow priest Fr Andrew Fewings said, “Fr Ted had many foretastes of the promises of God: fine wine among friends — the happy hours in the parish on Fridays and many social occasions, and at the races’ finishing line — he was noted for very good collects from the Tote ... Of course, more than the material blessings, he received and gave many spiritual blessings.” March 3, 1933 – January 2, 2022 Fr Owen Doyle’s recount of his journey to the priesthood. “One weekend, on a visit to my sister in Murchison, the priest mentioned the scarcity of priests and my reaction was that perhaps I could help fill the ranks. At that time our assistant priest at Greensborough had studied as a mature-aged student at St Paul’s Seminary in Sydney, so our Parish Priest, Fr Kierce, sent me to St Paul’s and I was ordained four years later on September 8, 1988 for Sandhurst Diocese. Because I was well into my sixties, I did not have to do a pastoral year before ordination. I was sent to Beechworth to help over Christmas and New Year and spent a couple of months there when the parish priest went on holidays. He had everything organised, even a wedding in the Beechworth Goal. My first appointment was to Numurkah (the Parish Priest was Fr Gerald Moylan, a classmate) for almost two years, then to St Kilian’s, Bendigo for almost two years. After which I was parish priest at Rushworth for just short of twenty-one years until I retired at the age of 89, twenty five years of being ordained to the very day: Our Lady’s birthday, September 8, 2013.” Before his retirement, in May 2013 Fr Owen was awarded the Bishop Noel Daly Award for Outstanding Service to Leadership in Catholic Education in the Diocese of Sandhurst. Almost one hundred years of life in the service of God and others was eulogised at Fr Owen Doyle’s Funeral Mass. In his Homily Fr Rom Hayes described Fr Doyle as “a wonderful man, husband, father, who became an amazing priest in our Diocese; a man who accepted the call to a new way of life and approached it in his own unique way.” May 30, 1924 - March 7, 2022
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