Journey to ordination

DARRELL CROKER

A successful law career in Sydney was never enough for Newcastle-born Graham Fullick. The 56-year-old became the sixth priest to be ordained in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in the past 10 years when he was consecrated on the Feast of the Chair of St Peter, Apostle, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton, on 22 February. Despite 15 years in private legal practice culminating as a shareholder and partner in the well-established and regarded firm Madison Marcus, Fr Fullick came to realise people needed not so much a lawyer as a change of heart. And his heart burnt beyond the law. During his legal career in Sydney he was heavily involved in parish activities. “I could see the good work, but that was still not enough,” he said. “I wanted to go to the Sacred Heart of the good work: Jesus Christ. Immersed in regular Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confession, I finally gave into God and entered Sydney’s the Good Shepherd Seminary.” Back in Newcastle visiting his parents in 2014, life changed forever at Midnight Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Maitland-Newcastle’s Bishop Bill had formerly been Fr William Wright, parish priest at Liverpool where Fr Fullick had been a seminarian in a mission team. Bishop Bill “collared” him at that Midnight Mass and said he’d happily ordain him on the spot. Fifty years before, in November 1964, Graham Charles Fullick was born with his identical twin brother Craig Gregory at Royal Newcastle Hospital. A young curate from St Mary’s at The Hill, Fr Lex Levey, baptised the twins. “We grew up in Cessnock and were educated at St Patrick’s Primary School, where Sr M. Genevieve Henderson RSJ was principal, and I was school captain,” he said. “We continued our education at Marist Brothers’ in Maitland and completed Arts degrees at the University of Newcastle before moving to Sydney in 1986 where I began a Law degree.” After being collared at that Midnight Mass in 2014 and then a long pastoral placement at Nelson Bay, Fr Fullick was sent to the mature-age seminary Pontifical Beda College (St Bede’s) in Rome, following in the able footsteps of Fr John Lovell. Fifty-five years after Fr Fullick's baptism, Fr Levey presented him to Bishop Bill for Ordination while Sr Genevieve, his old principal, looked on and Fr John Lovell concelebrated. Graham Fullick’s Ordination Mass was on the same day as his mother’s birthday, 22 February. His first posting as an ordained priest will be to Raymond Terrace.