What Are They Saying

Wonderful to see so many people here at the launch of The Catholic Guy Television Program. I am here to give my endorsement to The Catholic Guy television program but also to talk about why the Church is in this game at all…
I think this is a most productive initiative that Bruce and the great group of people around him have taken…
Tonight have a wonderful night, it has my endorsement and I am sure that through Bruce’s ministry the Good News will reach thousands perhaps millions hearts.
May God bless this work.

Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey
Archbishop of Perth

I am very grateful for the good work that Bruce Downes and The Catholic Guy Ministry have done in parishes in the Archdiocese of Sydney to deepen faith and a spirit of prayer among Catholics. Prayer remains the centre of our life as Catholics and each of us is called to grow in prayer and to come closer to Christ. Bruce Downes and his team have done great work in parishes in showing people how they can do this, and all sorts of good things follow for those involved and for parish communities.

George Cardinal Pell
Former Archbishop of Sydney
Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy
Vatican, Rome

Bruce has a charism, by which I mean a gift given by God through an individual and through the Church, but given to the world. It’s a gift given by God to build up the Church for the sake of mission – and this at a time when God is calling the Church to become more missionary. Bruce is a classic case of the new category which is sometimes called “a Catholic evangelical”. In the past, those two terms would have seemed mutually exclusive, but not anymore. We need to become more deeply Catholic and more boldly evangelical – and that’s the combination you find in the Catholic Guy Ministry.

Archbishop Mark Coleridge
Archbishop of Brisbane

The Launch of The Catholic Guy Ministry in the Wollongong Diocese.

I am here tonight to endorse Bruce Downes who is known as The Catholic Guy along with his wife Rosemary and his ministry team. They have conducted a number of parish mission events in our Diocese as well as all over Australia and they use various forms of media and other activities to evangelise.

As your Bishop I am officially authorising them to set up ….. so that they may reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the Church to all who have heart open to God.

Bishop Peter Ingham
Wollongong Diocese

Fr Andrew Keswick
Parish Priest

Their energy, effort and dedication to mission and evangelisation is cutting edge and contemporary, while at the same time deeply dedicated to the mind of mother Church.

Fr Mark Croker
Parish Priest

Over a period of five days, over 1200 parishioners listened as The Catholic Guy team challenged our view of faith and how we can incorporate prayer and Jesus into everyday.

Fr John Armstrong
Parish Priest

It is hard to imagine taking a whole parish on retreat both given the logistics, time and places which are available. However the Catholic Guy was able to bring this retreat experience to our parish.

Fr Paul Chandler
Parish Priest

The Catholic Guy Mission Event in our parish was an amazing, prayerful retreat for our people. I have to say, and say very strongly, that it far surpassed the hopes and expectations that I had; and all that because the structure and the content of the event allowed God’s grace to work.

Fr Michael McLean
Parish Priest

There is nothing that would come close to providing such a good Mission experience like this available in the country at the moment.

Fr Tom Cassidy
Parish Priest

I marveled at the ability of Bruce Downes to hold the attention of parishioners for an hour and a half each evening. I think it had a lot to do with his way of relating our Christian faith to the everyday lives of lay Catholics.

Fr Noel Brady
Parish Priest

What I found interesting is the way Bruce opens up scripture from his perspective as a husband and father. Parishioners are still talking about the inspiring talks and how they were touched individually by the mission/event.