People's Booklet - Installation of Most Rev. Patrick O'Regan - Book - Page 5
Most Rev Patrick Michael O’Regan dd
Ninth Archbishop of Adelaide
Patrick Michael O’Regan was born in Perthville
NSW, a small rural village 10km south of
Bathurst, on Wednesday 8th October 1958.
His parents, the late Colin Michael O’Regan
and the late Alice Daphne O’Regan (nee
Dulhunty) raised four children, Stephen,
Laurence, Patrick and Louise.
He was educated at St Joseph’s Primary,
Perthville by the Sisters of St Joseph, and at
St Stanislaus Secondary College, Bathurst,
by the Vincentian Order. He studied for
the priesthood at St Columba College,
Springwood, and St Patrick’s College, Manly,
before being ordained a priest for Bathurst
Diocese in 1983. He served as assistant priest at
Lithgow, Cowra, Orange and Bathurst before
undertaking higher studies in France in 199495.
Fr O’Regan returned to Orange as assistant
priest for three years, before being appointed
parish priest of Wellington where he served
until 2002 when he again undertook higher
studies in France, obtaining a Licentiate in
Liturgical and Sacramental Theology from
Institut Catholique de Paris.
He returned to the Diocese of Bathurst in 2003
and served six years as parish priest of Blayney,
before being appointed Diocesan Administrator
following the retirement of Bishop Patrick
Dougherty in November 2008.
When Bishop Michael McKenna was installed
in June 2009, Fr O’Regan become Diocesan
Chancellor and in 2010-14 was Dean of the
Cathedral and was appointed Vicar General in
2012.
Fr O’Regan was a member of the National
Liturgical Council and the diocesan
coordinator for the ongoing formation of
priests and permanent deacons.
He was appointed ninth Bishop of Sale by
Pope Francis on 4th December 2014, the 51st
anniversary of the declaration of Sacrosanctum
concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy.
On 19 March 2020, Pope Francis announced
that he had translated Bishop O’Regan to
the Archdiocese of Adelaide as its ninth
Archbishop.
Archbishop O’Regan’s interests are pastoral
liturgy and the theology of the Eucharist, and
his love of music and singing voice are wellknown. He has also been involved in adult
education formation, lecturing in religious
education at the Charles Sturt University’s
Bathurst and Dubbo campuses, and at the
Catholic Institute of Sydney.
most reverend
Patrick Michael O’Regan
Ninth Archbishop of Adelaide