It Has Always Been About the People

For Father Stephen Byrnes, priesthood was never about status or recognition. Whenever he needed reminding of that truth, he would quietly say to himself, with characteristic honesty, “It’s not about you. It’s about the people.”

Those words guided decades of ministry. And now, in retirement, they have come full circle. Because the people he served so faithfully are the very ones caring for him through The Priests Foundation.

Father Stephen’s path to Catholic priesthood was not a straightforward one. He began his ministry in another Christian tradition. When he felt called to become Catholic, he did not come alone. He brought his wife and young children with him, uncertain whether ordination in the Catholic Church would ever be possible.

Other priests were frank with him. It might not happen. Yet one simple, providential conversation changed everything. Archbishop Bathersby invited him to lunch and asked a direct question. Did he want to be a Catholic priest?

Father Stephen answered just as directly. Yes, he did. And so, the journey began. On 4 April 1997, Father Stephen was ordained a Catholic priest, having already given up much in trust and obedience.

Parish life was both rewarding and demanding, but it was during four years as a hospital chaplain that Father Stephen came to understand the deepest heart of his vocation. Standing beside hospital beds, anointing the sick and the dying, and hearing last confessions, he encountered faith in its rawest and most honest form. In those moments, he often found himself giving thanks simply for being a priest.

It was there that he met people whose lives left a lasting mark on him. A man who survived years as a prisoner of war without giving way to bitterness. A woman who lost her husband and children in a plane crash yet remained grounded in faith. A mother whose children were taken by floodwaters, and who somehow found the strength to keep going.

These were not stories of easy faith. They were stories of endurance, generosity, and quiet courage. They confirmed for Father Stephen what he had always believed. It is the people of God who nourish the souls of priests.

Now in retirement, Fr Stephen shares that it brings its own challenges for priests. There is a genuine sense of loss in laying aside an identity that has shaped every day of life. Ministry is not simply a job that ends. It is woven deeply into who a priest is.

For Father Stephen, The Priests Foundation has meant knowing there are people who care, who notice, and who remain present. That knowledge matters more than many people realise. Medical needs increase. Mobility can decline. Ordinary living becomes more complex. But alongside the practical support is something just as important. The quiet knowledge that the sacrifices made over a lifetime are remembered.

Father Stephen gave up everything twice in his life. First when he left his original Church, trusting that God was calling him forward without certainty of what lay ahead. And again when he devoted decades of his life to serving Catholic communities, often placing the needs of others before his own comfort.

Now, through The Priests Foundation, the care comes back to him. And to dozens of other retired priests who have spent their lives baptising, comforting, burying, teaching, and walking beside families through joy and sorrow.

Father Stephen still returns to the same simple truth. Priesthood has always been about the people. And today, through faithful support, the people are caring for him in return.

It is a quiet, faithful exchange. And it is one that ensures our priests age with dignity, gratitude, and the knowledge that they have not been forgotten.

If you feel called to support priests like Fr Stephen, you can make a tax-deductible donation to provide for their retirement.