Archbishop Hart welcomes two new Auxiliary Bishops for Melbourne

The Archbishop of Melbourne, Most Rev Denis Hart, today welcomed the appointment by Pope Benedict XVI of two new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

 

The new Bishops-elect are Fr Timothy Costelloe SDB and Monsignor Peter Elliott, both of whom were born and raised in Melbourne.

 

Until now, Fr Costelloe, a Salesian priest, has been the Parish Priest of Clifton Hill (Archdiocese of Melbourne), Rector and Director of Formation at the Salesian House of Studies, Clifton Hill, and also Lecturer at the Catholic Theological College, Melbourne.

 

Msgr. Elliott has been Parish Priest of Malvern East, Episcopal Vicar for Religious Education (Archdiocese of Melbourne), and the Director of John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family, Melbourne.

 

Archbishop Hart welcomed the appointments, which were made public tonight.

 

“I welcome with much joy and gratitude the Holy Father’s provision in appointing these two bishops for the Archdiocese of Melbourne,” he said.

 

“I believe that these men will work wholeheartedly, with great faith and energy, to help build up the Church in Melbourne.”

 

Archbishop Hart said it was expected that the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-Elect Costelloe and Bishop-Elect Elliott would take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday, June 15 at 7.30pm.

 

 
CURRICULUM  VITAE

 

 

Peter John Elliott was born on 1st October 1943 in Melbourne, the elder son of Reverend Leslie Llewellyn Elliott and Irene Ann (June) Rooke.

 

After primary education in government schools, he attended Melbourne Grammar School (1956-1961) and subsequently gained a Master of Arts in History at the University of Melbourne and a Master of Arts in Theology at the University of Oxford, where he was received into the Catholic Church.  He returned to Melbourne in 1969 and studied for the priesthood at Corpus Christi College, Glen Waverley.

 

He was ordained a priest by Lawrence Cardinal Shehan, Archbishop of Baltimore and Papal Legate, on 19th February 1973 during the Fortieth International Eucharistic Congress.  He worked as Assistant Priest in Springvale, Lilydale and Mentone, where he was Secretary to Bishop John A. Kelly (1979-1984).  He also served briefly as Assistant Priest in East Hampton in 1987.

 

In 1984 he commenced studies at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family at the Lateran University in Rome and was granted the Degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1986 with a Thesis on the Sacramentality of Marriage.

 

In April 1987 he returned to Rome to be an Official of the Pontifical Council for the Family and was appointed a Chaplain of His Holiness in 1992.  During ten years of Vatican service he travelled extensively and was involved in international courses and conferences on the family and marriage in all continents, including the United Nations Conference on Population held in Cairo (1994), the United Nations Social Summit held in Copenhagen, and the United Nations Conference on Women held in Beijing (1995).

 

On 1st December 1997 he returned to Melbourne as Episcopal Vicar for Religious Education. 

 

He is the General Editor of the Archdiocesan Religious Education Texts, “To Know, Worship and Love”, as well as being the author of books and articles in the fields of Theology, Church History, Catechetics, Liturgy, Marriage and the Family, Apologetics and Demography.

 

In December 2001 he was appointed Parish Priest of East Malvern. 

 

In 2002 he was appointed a member of the International Commission for Catechetics of the Congregation for the Clergy.

 

In 2004 he was named Director of the Melbourne Session of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family and in 2005 he was appointed a Prelate of Honour and subsequently an Auditor at the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in October of that year.

 

On 30th April, 2007, Pope Benedict named him as Titular Bishop of Manaccenser and Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne.

 

 

 

Timothy Costelloe was born in Melbourne on 3rd February, 1954.

 

After primary education at St Peter’s School, East Bentleigh, and secondary education at Salesian College, Chadstone, he joined the Salesians in 1977.  After two years he spent time completing teacher training and made his Final Profession as a Salesian on 8th September, 1985.

 

The following year, after completing his theological studies at Salesian Theological College and Catholic Theological College, Clayton, he was ordained to the priesthood at St Peter’s Church, East Bentleigh, on 25th October, 1986, by Archbishop T. F. Little.

 

In 1987 he was Religious Education Co-ordinator at Salesian College, Chadstone.  At the beginning of 1990 he went to Rome to study for a Licence in Sacred Theology at the Salesian University, returning to Melbourne at the beginning of 1992 as Director of Retreats at Salesian College, Lysterfield, and lecturer at Catholic Theological College.  During this time he commenced doctoral studies, transferring to Oakleigh in 1994.  At the beginning of 1996 he was Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Parish, Victoria Park in the Archdiocese of Perth, continuing doctoral studies part-time.

 

In November, 1998, he accompanied Archbishop Barry Hickey, who was the general rapporteur at the Oceania Synod, as personal theologian.

 

In 1999 he completed his D.Theol. at the Melbourne College of Divinity, returning after a short time to the Salesian Theological College and Catholic Theological College.

 

At the beginning of 2000 he was Rector of the Salesian House of Studies at Oakleigh and subsequently at Clifton Hill, and since 2004 he has been Director of Formation and a member of the Salesian Provincial Council for the Australian Province.

 

Previously he had taught Systematic Theology at the University of Notre Dame in Western Australia and at Murdoch University.  Currently at Catholic Theological College he teaches Systematic Theology, Theology and Revelation, Ecclesiology and Ecumenism, Theology of the Human Person, History and Theology of Marian doctrine and devotion and the Sacrament of Orders: History and Theology.

 

While remaining Rector of the House of Formation he was appointed Parish Priest of Clifton Hill and Collingwood on 1st January 2007.

 

On 30th April, 2007, Pope Benedict named him as Titular Bishop of Cluain Iraird (Clonard) and Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne.