Archbishop of Sydney
Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP Anthony Fisher is Archbishop of Sydney, a Dominican friar, and a moral theologian. While a university student, he had his feet washed on Holy Thursday night by Cardinal Freeman and recalls thinking: “This is as close as I’ll ever get to the Archbishop of Sydney.” God had other plans! He was ordained priest at Holy Name Wahroonga, on 14 September 1991, by Bishop Eusebius Crawford OP. On 16 July 2003 Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, and he was ordained bishop by Cardinal George Pell on 3 September. On 8 January 2010 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Parramatta. On 18 September 2014 Pope Francis appointed him Archbishop of Sydney and he was installed at St Mary’s Cathedral on 12 November 2014. As Bishop of Parramatta he oversaw the consultations, publication and implementation of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan, Faith in Our Future, aimed at growing and sharing faith, and focussed upon families, youth, ethnicity, vocations and evangelisation. At his Installation Mass as Archbishop of Sydney, Archbishop Anthony outlined his vision: “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 centres of the new evangelisation, our laity theologically literate and spiritually well-formed, our outreach to the needy effective and growing, and God glorified above all.” As Archbishop he has overseen consultations for the renewal and reconfiguration of the parishes of Sydney known as Parish 2020, and the development and implementation of a new Mission Plan, Go Make Disciples. As Archbishop of Sydney he established the Sumner House for vocational discernment, and has regularly visited the two seminaries in the Archdiocese.