Bishop of Lismore
Bishop Gregory Paul Homeming was born in Sydney on 30th May 1958. He completed primary education in Shepparton, Victoria, and high school at St Aloysius College, Milsons Point in Sydney. He took the degrees of Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws at Sydney University, was admitted as a solicitor in 1981 and worked as a lawyer in Sydney at Messrs Allen, Allen & Hemsley from 1981 to 1985. At the end of 1985 the Bishop joined the Discalced Carmelite Order, making his first profession on 1 February 1987. He completed his priestly studies at the Yarra Theological Union, Melbourne taking the degrees of Bachelor of Theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity and Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. The Bishop was ordained priest on 20 July 1991 and has held, within his Order, the positions of Major Superior (in which role he frequently visited the Carmelite nuns at Goonellabah within the Diocese), Novice Master, Prior (at Varroville and St Ives) and Director of Retreats, a ministry of particular interest to him. Until his appointment as Bishop of Lismore, he was the Regional Vicar (Major Superior) of the Discalced Carmelites in Australia. The Discalced Carmelite Order is a reform of the ancient Carmelite order (c. 1185) founded by St Teresa of Avila in 1562 with the help of St John of the Cross in 1568. Members of the Order try to live a contemplative life of profound friendship with Jesus Christ, which colours and informs their apostolic activity. What they learn in prayer they pass on to others. Recent saints include St Thérèse of Lisieux, St Edith Stein and St Raphael Kalinowsky.