Fr Thomas Renshaw SJ was ordained earlier this month at St Raphael’s Church in his home town of Queanbeyan.
While the day was a cold one outside, Fr Tom says being surrounded by family and friends ensured there was plenty of warmth for the occasion.
‘I remember as I walked into the church, and I was standing next to my parents, just seeing so many brother Jesuits and fellow priests process in, and feeling deeply loved and deeply empowered’, he says.
Fr Tom, now 34, grew up in Queanbeyan, just outside of Canberra. He was a boarder at St Ignatius Riverview from 1985 to 1990. It was there that he was first attracted to the Society.
‘For me it was the inspiring example of many of the Jesuits when I was at school, and very much feeling attracted to the spirituality of the Jesuits. Also the possibility of there being such a huge variety of work that we could do in terms of serving God and God’s people.’
After graduation, Tom studied Arts/Law, and did honours in Law at Australian National University in Canberra. After working for a few years as a lawyer in Sydney, he was drawn back to the idea of becoming a Jesuit.
‘I’d first thought of joining the Jesuits when I was at school, and the thought of doing that just persisted throughout that whole time’, he says. ‘When I was coming to the age of 25, I thought that I’ve got to either give this a go, or let it go. Thankfully I decided to give it a go.’
He joined the Jesuits on 1 February, 1999. During his novitiate, he worked part-time at St Canice’s parish in King’s Cross. He did a pastoral placement at Balgo, and worked for a term at Loyola Senior High School in Mt Druitt as well as at Corpus Christi in Greenvale.
Since coming to Melbourne, Fr Tom has done pastoral work at The Way in Fitzroy. He has been the assistant chaplain at Newman College. He is also currently working at a soup kitchen based out of Our Lady Help of Christians in East Brunswick.
Over the past few years, Fr Tom has been on the board of Jesuit Social Services (2002-2003) and since 2005 has been on the board at Xavier College.
He says the last few years in ministry have helped him grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus, and come to a deeper realisation of the person God is calling him to be.
‘And trying to, in my own small way, radiate the love of God to various people along the way’, he adds.
More than anything, he says, he has felt drawn to work in the Society’s educational works, and he is currently finishing a Dip Ed at Australian Catholic University. He feels that it’s at Catholic schools where he can connect with people who might not feel drawn to the institutional church, but are still looking to explore their faith in their own way. He enjoys being able to meet them where they are at, and give them a positive experience of church and God.
In 2004, he got his strongest taste of educational ministry working for 12 months at Loyola Senior High School in Mt Druitt. He was the school chaplain, and also taught legal studies, geography and religion.
‘I said in my thank you speech on the day of my ordination, that the year I’d spent at Mt Druitt in 2004 had been the happiest year of my life’, says Fr Tom. ‘It was very much that positive experience of being in the schools ministry of that year that has lead me to saying that’s where I’d like to begin my priestly ministry.’
Tom’s next step will be helping out with the MAGiS program as part of World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney next year, after which he is hoping to return to working in a school.
Two bishops were present at Fr Tom’s ordination, Bishop Patrick Power, the Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, and Bishop Greg O’Kelly from Adelaide. Also in attendance were around 60 priests and Deacon Brian Ahern SDB.
The support of so many brother priests and fellow Jesuits, says Tom, gave him the ‘sense that this wasn’t just of my own making, but that God and many others were saying “yes” along with me.’