Photo: St Columbans Mission Society
This year, the 2025 Jubilee Year: “Pilgrims of Hope”, we give thanks for and celebrate the remarkable priestly jubilee of Fr Paul McGee, a Columban missionary whose life has been one of dedication, cultural immersion, and pastoral compassion across continents.
From the inner suburbs of Sydney to the rural communities of the Philippines and from Filipino families in Australia to Chinese Catholic communities in Sydney, Fr Paul has carried Christ’s message of hope with quiet strength and enduring joy.
Born on November 8, 1941, in Camperdown, Sydney, Fr Paul was the fourth of five children to Vincent and Anne McGee. His early education spanned several Catholic schools in Ashbury, Campsie, and Lewisham, culminating at Lewisham High School. Feeling a call to missionary life, he entered the Columban seminary in Sassafras in 1959 and undertook six years of philosophy and theology at Turramurra. He was ordained on July 17, 1965, at St Mary’s Cathedral by Cardinal Norman Gilroy and celebrated his first Mass the next day at St Joseph’s Church, Rozelle.
Assigned to the Philippines shortly after ordination, Fr Paul arrived in 1966 and immersed himself in Tagalog at the Columban Central House in Manila. Over the next decade, he served in Zambales Province, including the parishes of Iba, Cabangan, and Olongapo City. Despite contracting hepatitis in 1974, he showed unwavering commitment and compassion in his ministry.
Following a brief assignment in Australia (1975–1978), where he assisted at the Far East office and built community with Filipino families, he returned to the Philippines for another 11 years. He ministered in Santa Cruz (Manila) and Botolan and Poonbato (Zambales Province) and provided pastoral support in communities often underserved and affected by poverty and natural disasters. In 1989, Fr Paul returned to Australia to contribute to Columban mission promotion and parish supply work in Queensland and South Australia. A notable chapter of his later ministry began in 1995 when he studied Mandarin and began working with the Chinese Catholic community in Sydney, first in Cabramatta and then at St Dominic’s, Flemington.
He was also a founding member of the Columban China Centre in Strathfield, which reflected his deepening engagement with Chinese spirituality and pastoral needs. From 1996 onwards, Fr Paul became a well-known chaplain to the Catholic Asian Students Society at Sydney University. He was a regular and compassionate presence at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre and often accompanied refugees to their protection visa hearings, embodying the Gospel values of mercy and justice.
We give thanks for Fr Paul McGee’s life of missionary zeal, kindness, and cultural bridge-building. His journey reflects the essence of Columban mission - crossing boundaries of language, nation, and circumstance to reveal God’s love and presence. May his story continue to inspire us all.
Listen to "Fr Paul McGee's Diamond Jubilee - Celebrating a faithful journey"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - July 2025
