By Eric Martin
Perth clergy have this week come together to compete in recreational games of tennis, 10-pin bowling, and golf.
The annual Clergy Rec Day, on Monday 29 April, was organised by clergy support committee, CleRec West, and was attended by more than 30 priests across the three sports.
The day concluded with a shared evening meal at St Mary’s Cathedral Parish Centre, which included an awards ceremony.
Technical sporting terms unique to the clergy were in abundance throughout the day, especially at the tennis, where former St Mary’s Cathedral Dean Monsignor Michael Keating was the appointed adjudicator.
Though a touch of rain threatened throughout the day, the light sprinkling at the tennis did little to dampen spirits and the golfers, committed to 18 rounds, displayed the usual fortitude of their kind and shrugged it off as part and parcel of the sport.
The ten pin bowlers were easily identified as the loudest and most animated group at AMF Zone Bowling, Morley, even on the last day of school holidays, with high-fives, clapping and cheering all round.
Several priests demonstrated that they were no stranger to the bowling alley – self admittedly rusty skills gradually loosened and by the second game, the number of strikes and spares in evidence was truly impressive.
The ten pin bowling was also an important opportunity for the Archdiocese’s newest members of the clergy – Frs Francis Tran and Paul Huynh, to get to know their brothers here in Perth.
The day culminated with a dinner held at the Cathedral Parish Centre, where 56 priests joined with Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB to celebrate the day’s sporting accomplishments.
The members of the CleRec West Organising Committee (Frs Dat Vuong, Bonaventure Echeta, Thi Lam, Jeronimo Castillo, Joseph Laundy and Paul Raj) in conjunction with Archbishop Costelloe and Bishop Donald Sproxton presented the day’s awards, with the most notable achievements being celebrated including:
- Best overall score in Tennis – Deacon Liam Ryan
- Best overall player in Tennis – Fr Francis Huy
- Highest score in 10-pin Bowling – Fr Thi Lam and Fr Konrad Gagatek
- Fairest and best in 10-pin Bowling – Fr Minh Thuy Nguyen
- Most consistent – Fr Jeronimo Castillo.
However, it was the golfers who claimed the highest accolade of the evening with Fr Benedict Lee, who was presented with the Clergy Golf Trophy by Archbishop Costelloe to great cheering and applause.
The award has been in competition since 1966 and is considered a significant honour to have one’s name added to its illustrious list of winners.
Former Thornlie Parish Priest Monsignor Tim Corcoran won “the longest drive” at just over 300 metres and Fr Mark Payton distinguished himself by placing the ball ‘nearest the pin’.
Fr Paul Raj presented the concluding speech of the evening, congratulating everyone on their participation in a wonderful day of fellowship and encouraged everyone present to make sure that they asked their peers, who weren’t able to attend, to come to next year’s event – which is sure to be even bigger and better.