Bishop Anthony Fisher
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More than 2,000 people will gather in St Patrick's Cathedral precinct this evening for the installation of new bishop, Anthony Fisher OP.
The Mass, which commences at 7.30pm, will also be streamed live through the Catholic social networking site Xt3.
Bishop Fisher will be the principal celebrant, with concelebrants Cardinal George Pell, the Apostolic Nuncio His Excellency Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the diocese's Apostolic Administrator Bishop Kevin Manning, the bishops of Australia, and priests of the Dioceses of Parramatta, Broken Bay, Sydney and beyond, the Diocese said.
Bishop Fisher, who has served as auxiliary bishop of Sydney for seven years and was behing World Youth Day 2008, is Australia's youngest Catholic bishop and is one of the Church's colourful characters, according to a report in The Australian.
An avid reader, skilled cook and internationally respected academic, he took a path less travelled to the priesthood, studying and practising law, then joining the Dominicans at age 25, The Australian said.
He has since completed a PhD in bioethics at Oxford, lectured at the Australian Catholic University and was the inaugural director of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family in Melbourne.
Catholics comprise a third of the Parramatta diocese's population, making it the most Catholic area in Australia. Parramatta has 80 priests and 12 seminarians, who will all assist at tonight's mass in St Patrick's Cathedral.
"It's a good number but far fewer than Sydney's total. I'd like to see the numbers increase, give Cardinal Pell a little friendly rivalry," Bishop Fisher is cited saying.
FULL STORY AND LINKS
With girlfriends consigned to the past, bishop takes on top city role (The Australian)
Bishop Anthony Fisher and the Diocese of Parramatta (Xt3.com)