Former Australian Ambassador to the Holy See and inaugural chair of the Archdiocese of Sydney Anti-Slavery Taskforce John McCarthy KC is among the prominent Catholics recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday honours.
Named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the Catholic Church, the law, and sports administration, McCarthy’s decades of hard work have been acknowledged.
Some of McCarthy’s other positions in the church include being a member of the Australian board of Aid to the Church in Need since 1994 and serving on the board of St Margaret’s Hospital from 1997 to 1999.
He notably founded the St Peter’s Cricket Club in Vatican City and has received papal and other honours.
Despite his long list of accomplishments and accolades, McCarthy said his greatest achievement was his marriage to his late wife, Christine, and the family of six children they raised, including son Fr James McCarthy, St Aloysius Cronulla parish priest.
Although he retired from the taskforce in late 2024 McCarthy plans to continue the work he does with anti-slavery initiatives. He also intends to contribute in some way to the 54th International Eucharistic Congress when it comes to Australia, a cause his wife cared deeply about.
Christine founded the Society for Eucharistic Adoration in 1993, a lay association, and authored a collection of prayers and meditations for Eucharistic adoration titled I the Lord am with you always.
“Retirement is not what I have in mind,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“She was looking forward to working on the Eucharistic Congress that’s coming in 2028 and I hope to do something towards that.”
Also named a Member in the general Division (AM) was executive director of Catholic Education Western Australia Wayne Bull for his service to Catholic education, and to Indigenous education support.
Bull also served as the commissioner on the Catholic Education Commission Western Australia from 2012-2017 along with a long list of esteemed contributions to education and parish life.
Current chair of the Catholic Education Commission WA Eva Skira AM congratulated Bull and said his honour was indicative of how the community feels about his service.
“It is a reflection of the high esteem in which Wayne is held by his colleagues, education leaders, and the community,” she said.
“It is recognition of a decades-long career characterised by compassion, faithfulness, and dedication to enriching the lives of generations of young people.”
In a statement, Bull said he was “extremely humbled and honoured” to receive the award.
“I have been fortunate to have worked with so many extraordinary teachers, support staff, and leaders during my career,” he said.
“This honour really reflects the wonderful position that Catholic education holds within the community of Western Australia.”
Former schoolteacher, principal and congregational leader Sr Carmel Moore RSJ, former chair of the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations Anne Gorman, and long-time Master of Warrane College Professor Gerald Fogarty were among those who received an OAM.
Sr Moore, 90, who joined the Sisters of St Joseph in 1955, was honoured for her longstanding contribution to the church, particularly through the Living Waters Meditation Centre, which she founded in Newcastle in 1997.
Speaking to the Newcastle Herald, she said the centre was her “life’s main work.”
“I had a need within myself to find silence and inner peace, it was something I craved, even from when I was young,” she said.
Approximately 800 people have attended the meditation centre in the nearly 30 years since it was established, with up to 50 attending the retreat mornings.
“There are many people who come along because the world’s just too fast for them, their lifestyle is too heavy for them,” she said.
Fogarty, a radiation oncologist, received his honour for service to medical research.
Warrane College praised Fogarty in a statement on social media, saying the award was an “extremely well-earned accolade for services to oncology and skin cancer patients.”
“Professor Fogarty’s research and dedication is not just to his profession but primarily to achieve optimal health outcomes for patients,” the statement read.
“His tireless work and research has often been done on weekends and evenings while also contributing selflessly to Warrane College and our residents.”
Also receiving an OAM were Sr Mary Ryan RSJ and Fr Allan Winter, each for their dedicated service to the church.
Sr Ryan’s service began when she joined her congregation in 1969 and since then, she has served as a member of the Adelaide Archdiocesan Pastoral Council from 2022 to 2025 and has been director of the Mary MacKillop Precinct in Kensington in Adelaide since 2013.
Fr Winter was ordained in 1971 and has served as dean of the Northern Deanery for the Archdiocese of Adelaide since 2008, and parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Payneham since 1987. He has also provided the Adelaide Italian and equestrian communities with dedicated support.
Other recipients of awards include former Victoria Supreme Court Justice Mark Weinberg KC, who as the sole dissenter in Cardinal George Pell’s first appeal against his historical sexual assault convictions played a crucial role in the cardinal’s subsequent exoneration by the High Court of Australia. He was named a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).
Prominent Australian writer-director and St Joseph’s Hastings Regional School, Port Macquarie alumnus Baz Luhrmann and his wife, costume and production designer, Catherine Martin were both also made Companions of the Order of Australia.
11/06/25 – Updated with minor corrections.