Anthony Fisher

Fisher was born the eldest of five children in Crows Nest, Sydney, to Gloria Maguregui, whose father was of Spanish Basque origin and whose mother was half Italian and half Romanian – she migrated with her family to Australia from Asia in the 1950s – and Colin Fisher, a pharmacist from Ashfield with Anglo-Irish roots.

Anthony Colin Fisher OP (born 10 March 1960) is an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church and a friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans).

He was baptised at St Therese's Church, Lakemba and attended the parish school in 1965 and 1966.

The Fisher family lived in Belmore, Canterbury and Wiley Park before moving to Longueville and Manly.

Fisher attended St Michael's Primary School in Lane Cove, Holy Cross College Ryde and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, where he was dux in 1977.

He studied at the University of Sydney for six years, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in history with first-class honours and a Bachelor of Laws.

He then practised law at the commercial law firm Clayton Utz where he drafted contracts for the redevelopment of the Queen Victoria Building.

He took leave from his job as a lawyer to go backpacking around Europe to discern his vocation.

Fisher entered the Order of Preachers in 1985 and studied for the priesthood in Melbourne, receiving an honours degree in theology from the Yarra Theological Union, a member institution of the Melbourne College of Divinity (now called the University of Divinity).

He worked for a time at Uniya, a centre for social research in Kings Cross, on immigration and refugee issues, and at Holy Name Parish in Wahroonga, Sydney.

He was ordained to the priesthood at Holy Name Church in Wahroonga by Eusebius Crawford OP, Bishop of Gizo, on 14 September 1991.

In 1994 he appeared on two British television programs, the bioethics series Brave New World and a special edition of the live discussion program After Dark.

He undertook doctoral studies in bioethics at the University of Oxford until 1995, matriculating from University College, while residing at Blackfriars Hall.

His Doctor of Philosophy degree was granted for a thesis on "Justice in the Allocation of Healthcare".

His academic work has included lecturing in Australia and overseas and publishing many books and articles on bioethics and morality.

From 1995 to 2000, Fisher was a lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

From 2000 to 2003 he was the foundation director of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, the Australian campus of a postgraduate pontifical institute with nine campuses around the world.

The principal work of the institute was in teaching and research on questions concerning respect for human life and the dignity of the person and support for marriage and family life.

In August 2003, Fisher debated euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke at the Great Hall of the University of Sydney.

Fisher was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Sydney and titular Bishop of Buruni by Pope John Paul II on 16 July 2003 and consecrated by Cardinal George Pell at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, on 3 September 2003.

He took "Speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) as his episcopal motto.

He was the parish priest of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Watsons Bay and Episcopal Vicar for Life and Health in the Archdiocese of Sydney, as well as serving on the Australian Bishops' Commission for Doctrine and Morals and as 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 an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia.

He has been a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life since 2004.

Fisher was the organiser of World Youth Day 2008 held in Sydney.

This was the largest youth gathering and largest religious event ever held in Australia.

It attracted 250,000 young people for a week-long festival and 400,000 people for the final Mass with Pope Benedict XVI, which was held at Randwick Racecourse.

He served as the third Bishop of Parramatta from 4 March 2010 to 12 November 2014, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Fisher was named the third Bishop of Parramatta by Pope Benedict XVI on 8 January 2010 and was installed on 4 March 2010 in St Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta.

As Bishop of Parramatta, Fisher oversaw the implementation of Faith in Our Future, the pastoral plan for the Diocese of Parramatta, which focussed on growing and sharing faith in the areas of families, youth, ethnicity, vocations and evangelisation.

Under his episcopate, Fisher continued as chair of the Catholic Education Commission of New South Wales and adjunct professor in theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia.

He was also a member of the company of the Australian Catholic University and served as a member of the Australian Bishops' Commission for Pastoral Life, as chair of the Anti-Euthanasia Task Force and as the Bishops' Delegate for Youth.

Fisher issued a number of pastoral letters to priests and the faithful of the diocese on the themes of confession ("Come back to Me with all your heart", Lent 2011), pastoral planning ("Faith in Our Future", Lent 2012), the child abuse crisis (with the other New South Wales bishops, "Sowing in Tears", Lent 2013), Personal Vocation ("Thy Kingdom Come", Christ the King 2013) and the Eucharist ("This Wonderful Sacrament", Corpus Christi 2014).

Following a significant increase in vocations to the priesthood in the Diocese of Parramatta, he directed the building of the new Seminary of the Holy Spirit at Harris Park.

Since 12 November 2014, he has been the ninth Catholic Archbishop of Sydney.

The Australian campus ceased operations in December 2018.

He is ex officio chancellor of the Catholic Institute of Sydney (having previously served as the deputy-chancellor) and adjunct professor of bioethics at the University of Notre Dame Australia.

Prior to his episcopal appointment, Fisher was the Master of Students (seminarians) and Socius (deputy) to the prior provincial of the Dominican order in Australia and New Zealand.

In the Melbourne archdiocese, he was Episcopal Vicar for Healthcare, spokesman for the archdiocese on matters of ethics, a visiting lecturer at the Catholic Theological College and secretary to the Senate of Priests.

His community engagements have included being Chaplain to the Parliament of Victoria, a member of the Infertility Treatment Authority of Victoria, chair or member of several hospital ethics committees, a conventual chaplain ad honorem to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and a chaplain to various other organisations.

He has also had various engagements in parish life and the pastoral care of dying and disabled people.