Leadership
The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn is led by Archbishop Christopher Prowse, with the assistance of Vicar General, Fr Tony Percy, and the Episcopal Vicar for Education, Monsignor John Woods.
Archbishop Christopher Prowse
Archbishop Christopher Prowse was officially installed as the seventh Archbishop of the Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese on November 19, 2013.
For more information about Archbishop Christopher, visit Our Archbishop.
Vicar General Fr Tony Percy
Fr Tony Percy was appointed as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn in November 2014.
Ordained in 1990, Fr Tony has served the Archdiocese in a number of locations, including Young, Queanbeyan and Goulburn. In 2009 he was appointed Rector of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Homebush, NSW, where he remained for six years.
The Vicar General represents the Archbishop in overseeing the work of the various departments and Church offices within the Archdiocesan Curia. The role also involves providing an executive capacity to the Archbishop for the carrying out of his extensive range of responsibilities.
As guided by Canon Law, the priest appointed to the Office is to be known for his sound doctrine, integrity, prudence and practical experience (Canon 478 s.1).
A further canon provides that the Vicar General possesses, by virtue of his Office, the same executive power as the Bishop throughout the whole diocese as belongs by law to the Bishop. This means that the Vicar General can perform all administrative acts as the Bishop, with the exception of those administrative acts which the Bishop has reserved to himself, or which by law requires a special mandate of the Bishop (Canon 479 s.1).
Episcopal Vicar for Education Monsignor John Woods
Monsignor John Woods has served the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn in a variety of roles since his ordination on September 9, 1978 at St Christopher’s Cathedral.
After serving as the Archdiocesan Vocations Director for two years, Monsignor John was appointed as Vicar General of the Archdiocese in 2006. He continued in this role until 2012, when he was elected Administrator of the Archdiocese. Monsignor John remained Administrator for 19 months prior to the installation of Archbishop Christopher Prowse.
The Episcopal Vicar for Education directly represents, exercises the judgment of, and assists the Archbishop in education matters, particularly those regarding the 56 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.