Our Leadership

Apostolic Administrator

Archbishop Christopher Prowse DD STD 

Archbishop Christoper was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Melbourne in August 1980 and assumed both pastoral and academic appointments over the next 20 years within the Archdiocese.  

In May 2003 he was ordained Bishop and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. In July 2009, he was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Sale, Victoria.  In November 2013, he was appointed Archbishop of Canberra & Goulburn where he currently serves. 

In May 2021, with the retirement of Bishop Davis, as Bishop of the Military Ordinariate, Archbishop Christopher was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Military Diocese of the Australian Military Services pending the appointment of a Bishop for the Military Diocese.  

Apostolic Administrator - Delegate

Monsignor Peter O'Keefe AM

Fr Peter was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Wagga Wagga in March 1972 and served in the Riverina until 1982.  In that year he was appointed as a chaplain in the Royal Australian Air Force where he served both as a full time and part time chaplain until 2017. He was appointed Director General Chaplain-Air Force in 2002.  He assumed the office of Vicar General of the Military Ordinariate in 2010.

Monsignor Peter is currently the Catholic Member of the Religious Advisory Committee to the Services (RACS). 

Along with Fr Richard Thompson, he serves as the Apostolic Administrator – Delegate in the Military Diocese in support of Archbishop Christopher Prowse as Bishop Administrator of the Diocese pending the appointment of a Military Bishop.   

Apostolic Administrator - Delegate

Fr Richard Thompson CSM

Fr Richard, ordained in 1985, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. He served as a full-time Chaplain in the RAN from 1988 until his return to his archdiocese in 2005.

He was appointed Vicar General of the Archdiocese in 2022 and also Apostolic Delegate, along with MSGR Peter O’Keefe, in supporting Archbishop Prowse in his role as Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate of Australia while awaiting the appointment of their new Bishop.

Diocesan Finance Council

Canon 492 of the code of Canon Law requires that, in every Diocese, a Finance Council be established by the Bishop. The Military Ordinariate of Australia has such a Finance Council. The Council meets regularly to discuss the financial aspects of the Military Ordinariate.

Current Members of the Finance Council

BRIG Alan Hodges AM (rtd) – Chair

Mr John Andrew – Diocesan Finance Officer

WGCDR Mary Anne Whiting

WGCDR Peter Wythes

LTCOL Steve Blair 

Mrs Maria Hicks

Mr Mitchell New