Local boy is back

After admitting to being forced to question his faith in God during a dark period in which breast cancer threatened his life, Father David Catterall has finally returned to the flock, as the recently appointed Parish Priest of Albion Park.

Growing up in Oak Flats, Father Catterall decided to become a Priest after completing a year of a psychology degree at the University of Wollongong.

His plans however, thrown into doubt only 10 days before he was officially to be ordained when he was told the pain in his chest was malignant breast cancer.

"At first it certainly made me ask the question why? Why, as I say to people is a legitimate question because we are human," he said. "I could not work out why would God allow someone who at age 27 had spent the last seven years studying to be a priest to have something they could die from. I just couldn't work that out.

"My response to it now was that God's response was "?why not?' Not that God is a particularly cruel God but I now realise that I can offer people something different because of my life experiences. I now feel it (cancer) has mad me stronger but also more aware of my weaknesses, making me more reliant on both my family and also my own faith."

After bringing forward his initially postponed ordination leaving himself only five days to prepare for the big day, Father Catterall was forced to endure several bouts of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, losing all his hair before receiving a mastectomy. However despite a small scare after returning from a World Youth Day trip to Germany he now remains in full remission.

After periods acting as an assistant to the Parish Priests in Nowra, Camden, Wollongong and Campbelltown, Father Catterall has been appointed as the Parish Priest of Albion Park, a rare appointment given the 33 - year old spent his formative years in the church he will now look over.

"Many of the major moments in my life have occurred within this church," he said. "I was baptised in there, I was an altar boy, I went to school next door, my sister got married in there and my grandparents were buried in there so I guess you can tell I have a pretty good connection with the place.

"It is pretty amazing for me given that my predecessors in this church are some of the main reasons that I became a priest and now I am here following in there footsteps, working within the same community."

Moving with the times, Father Catterall laments the fact that today's busy lifestyles are leaving less time for people to form a relationship with God.

Refuting claims that religion is dying Father Catterall has looked at several ways of making the church more modern and easily accessible to common people.

"In the past people have gone to the church now it is time to take the church to the people," he said.

"The parish now has a website, we are really looking to operate using a lot more technology which is certainly something the young people can relate with and like using," he said. "We have also made the Parish part of the local Chamber of Commerce. The reason behind that is when you think of a town like Albion Park and you take in St Paul's, St Joseph's and the church then this Parish employs quite a few of the people in this town. It makes sense to move with the times and join the Chamber, we're a large organisation."

Father Catterall will be officially ordained on June 29 at St Paul's Catholic Church starting at 7pm. Anyone is welcome to attend the event.