St Paul's ChurchBurwood, Sydney

Rector

TC Dip Teach, Grad Dip RE, Grad Dip RE Stud, BEd, BTheol, CPE RPH, Post Grad Dip Arts(Rel Stud), MA(Rel Stud), PhD

Father James was born and raised in rural Western Australia. He obtained a degree in education from the WA College of Advanced Education and taught music at both primary and secondary school levels. In 1984 he began to study theology at Perth Theological Hall and later at Murdoch University. He was ordained in 1987. He holds a PhD from the University of Tasmania. Father James' interests outside ministry include reading, bush walking and music.

Fr James is married to Dr Helen Collins and Helen and James were married in St George's Cathedral, Perth over 30 years ago.

After ordination in 1987, James worked full-time in ministry, having parishes in Western Australia and, since 2001, in Tasmania. He has also had a university chaplaincy position. Prior to his induction as Rector of St Paul's on 9 February 2011, Fr James was Rector of the Parish of Moonah in Hobart where he had responsibility for two churches, St Mary's and St Anne's. In addition, Fr James was an Enabler in the parishes of New Norfolk, Break O'Day, Channel/Cygnet, Hamilton and Brighton. This role involved training parishioners to take responsibility for all aspects of parish life and to reach out to the local community with the Gospel message and with practical ministry.

The following verse atttributed to King Alfred has played an important part in my life:
To see Thee is the End and the Beginning
Thou carriest me and thou goest before
Thou art the Journey and the journey's End.

I believe that God is love, and that where there is love there is God. God has been present with me, sustaining me throughout my life as an ever present Presence. Sometimes God is revealed in quietness and peace, sometimes through hardship and disquiet; but most often through the love of those who care.

As God is the God of love, and life, and of being, we are called to participate in and share God's love, life, and being, so that others may love, live, and be who and what God intends them to be (that is, to grow into the fullness of life which God has for all). This call is to participate in and share God's love, life and being may, at tmes, involve a struggle to work for justice and peace, and involves as active engagement with our community/society.

This Kingdom of God way of living is beautifully expressed in the words of Micah Chapter 6 verse 8:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

It is wonderful to be part of a Parish which is seriously seeking to engage in this mission to, for, and with our community/society.

Reverend Michael Deasey OAM, CGS, Senior Assistant Priest and Parish Organist

BD, BEd(Mus), FRSCM, Hon FGCM, FTCL, LRAM, ARCO, ARCM, DipAngOrd,.
After a career in church music in England and Canada, and then as organist/director of music at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney for more than two decades, Michael graduated as a Bachelor of Divinity from the Melbourne College of Divinity and was ordained in 2005 for the diocese of Bathurst. Here he served for ten years as Precentor, Assistant Priest and Director of Music at All Saints Cathedral, Bathurst. In addition he was, and remains a Priest Companion of the Company of the Good Shepherd, which provides ministry to the more remote parts of the Central West of NSW.
Michael is married to Antonia who sings in the choir of St Paul’s and they have three adult children, Meghan, Jeremy and Amélie who currently reside on three different continents.
So far they have three grand-daughters, twins Willow and Olive, and Piper, who live in Chicago USA.

Honorary Priest

MTC ThL(2 Cl Hons) Dip

Fr Jim has served faithfully in many parishes, including both rural and urban settings, and as well as assisting at St Paul's Fr Jim often helps in other parishes as a locum.

Lay Minister

Dip PE (Hons), B.A., M.Litt., B.D., CPE RNSH., Grad. Cert World Religions
Rosemary King is a retired high school teacher. Having trained as a Physical Education teacher Rosemary soon added History and Geography to her teaching subjects. Then after graduating from Melbourne College of Divinity with a Bachelor of Divinity she went on to teach Religion and Studies of Religion in both Catholic and Independent Schools. Alongside Studies of Religion she developed a passion for Service Learning.

With the three years spent at St John's Theological college in Morpeth and her teaching experiences she retired in 2013 to embrace the position of Lay Minister in the parish.

Director of Music

DAVID RUSSELL B.Mus (Performance) M.Mus Studies (Conducting)

David Russell completed a Bachelor of Music Performance (Voice) at the University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was a recipient of the Horace Keats Memorial Scholarship for Singing. He subsequently completed a Master of Music Studies (Conducting), also at the Sydney Conservatorium, where he was the recipient of the Eugene Goosens Fellowship.

Through the Symphony Australia Conductor Development Program David has worked with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

He sang with the Choir of Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney, for 20 years and as Assistant Conductor conducted numerous works with choir, organ and orchestra. He featured as both a singer and conductor on several CDs and conducted the choir in the UK, USA, Germany, France and Italy.

David has conducted the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, the Song Company, the Sydney Children’s Choir & Gondwana Voices, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus (USA), and the Ochsenhausen Vocal Ensemble (Germany). In 2008 David was Chorusmaster for the World Youth Day Choir – a national choir created for the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in July of that year. As a soloist he has also appeared with the Sydney Consort and has sung with the professional Sydney-based ensembles, Cantillation and Pinchgut Opera.

He was awarded the Sydney Choral Symposium Foundation National Choral Conducting Scholarship which provided him with the opportunity to travel to the USA, UK and Europe for further conducting study.

David is currently the Artistic Director of CAPTIVATE, the performing arts program for Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta which provides opportunities in music, dance, drama and visual arts to students in the 84 Catholic systemic schools in western Sydney.

Organ Scholar

Sacristan

Brian Luhr OAM OGS was born, raised and educated in Sydney’s South West. He was baptised, confirmed (by Bp Donald Robinson) and married at St Mary’s Church of England, Guildford. He has 3 grown children and 6 grandchildren.

At Guildford he was a Church of England Boys’ Society (CEBS) leader, youth fellowship member, parish and church councillor and Sunday School Superintendent. In 1982 he joined the parish of Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney, as an altar server. He has held the positions of both people’s warden and parish councillor and became Master of Ceremonies and Sacristan. He was appointed Head Server in 2002 and in this position was responsible for the rostering and training of the altar servers, deacons and priests in the ceremonial and ritual aspects of the Church’s liturgy.Brian has a great love and knowledge of Church liturgy and history and has had the opportunity to visit and observe the worship in many churches and cathedrals around the world.He worked in the telecommunications industry and managed the Catholic, Anglican and Uniting Church portfolios for Telstra. He has business and customer service diplomas.

He has worked as a parish administrator with the Roman Catholic Church and, on occasion, assists in training student altar servers and MCs for the children’s liturgies.

Brian is a Professed Brother in the Anglican Order of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd (OGS) and lives by a monastic rule.

In 2016 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to the Anglican Church of Australia.