Archbishop Anthony Fischer - WYD Testimony

Testimonies from WYD Lisbon 2023
Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP
Born in Sydney on 10 March 1960 to Colin and Gloria Fisher, the eldest of five children. His father, Colin, a pharmacist, is of Anglo-Irish heritage and his mother, Gloria, grew up in China and the Philippines, with a Spanish-Basque father and an Egyptian-born (half-Italian, half-Romanian) mother.
He was baptised Anthony Colin Joseph Fisher at St Thérèse Catholic Church, Lakemba on 3 April 1960 by Father Cyril Hatton and attended the parish school in 1965 and 1966 before his family moved to the northern suburbs. There, he attended St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, Lane Cove, Holy Cross College Ryde, and St Ignatius’ College Riverview. He graduated from St Ignatius’ College in 1977 as dux of the school.
Archbishop Fisher attended the University of Sydney, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Bachelor of Laws. While still a student, on one Holy Thursday evening, the then- Archbishop of Sydney washed his feet at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Archbishop Fisher recalls thinking: “This is as close as I’ll ever get to the Archbishop of Sydney!” God had other plans.
After graduating with first-class honours, Archbishop Fisher practised law at Clayton Utz in Sydney. He took leave from his legal job and backpacked around Europe to discern his vocation.
Dominican friar
In 1985, Archbishop Fisher entered the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), a religious congregation dedicated to preaching the Catholic faith in the context of a life of study, prayer and community. He studied for the priesthood in Melbourne, receiving an honours degree in Theology from Yarra Theological Union.
He worked for a time on immigration and refugee issues at Uniya, a centre for social research in Kings Cross.
Archbishop Fisher made his perpetual vows for the Dominicans on 18 February 1987, and was ordained a priest at Holy Name Parish, Wahroonga, on 14 September 1991, by Bishop Eusebius Crawford OP.
Following his ordination, Archbishop Fisher completed a Doctorate in Bioethics at the University of Oxford on the subject of the just allocation of healthcare. From 1995 to 2000 he was a lecturer in the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.
From 2000 to 2003 he was foundation Director of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family, Melbourne. During this time he was also Master of Students (seminarians) in the Dominican Order and Socius (deputy) to the Provincial.
Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney
On 16 July 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, and he was ordained a Bishop on 3 September 2003 alongside Bishop Julian Porteous, now Archbishop of Hobart. Archbishop Fisher took “Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) as his Episcopal motto.
During his time as auxiliary bishop of Sydney, Archbishop Fisher was Parish Priest of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Watsons Bay and served as the Episcopal Vicar for Life and Health, Chair of the Catholic Schools Board, Chair of the Catholic Education Commission of New South Wales, Deputy-Chancellor of the Catholic Institute of Sydney, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
He was also Co-ordinator of World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, the largest youth gathering and largest religious event in the history of Australia. 250,000 young pilgrims took part in the week-long festival of faith and more than 400,000 in the Final Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.
Since 2004, Archbishop Fisher has been an ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, the body that advises the Church on bioethics.
On 18 September 2014, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Anthony the ninth Archbishop of Sydney. His installation took place at St Mary’s Cathedral on Wednesday, 12 November 2014.
At his Installation Mass, Archbishop Fisher outlined his vision for the Church in Sydney:
“My hope is for a Church in which the Gospel is preached with joy, the wisdom of our tradition mined with fidelity, the sacraments celebrated with dignity and welcome, and the seminaries, convents and youth groups teeming with new life; a Church in which our parishes, chaplaincies and educational institutions are true centers of the new evangelization, our laity theologically literate and spiritually well-formed, our outreach to the needy effective and growing, and God glorified above all.”
He also indicated he was keen to move forward in dealing with survivors of sexual abuse. “I have personally found it harrowing as a bishop to listen to survivors tell me their stories, to hear how abandoned they felt and how they continue to suffer. To survivors of abuse and all affected I say: the Church is - I am - profoundly sorry for what happened. All young people must be cherished and protected. The Church can do better and I am committed to giving a lead in this area,” he said.