Father Brian Morrison
Encyclopedia
Father Brian Morrison was a Catholic
priest
who worked for 40 years in providing crisis care for people affected by upheaval caused by natural and man made disasters.
Father Brian was born (Brian John Morrison) and grew up in Malvern
, an inner Melbourne
suburb, and moved to Western Australia in 1972 to develop the Catholic Church's Crisis Care centre. The charity regularly distributes tonnes of food to needy West Australians, many of whom live on the streets, and organises an annual Christmas Appeal. He was also the racing chaplain in Perth
In 2006 Father Brian was awarded Western Australian Senior of the year for his humanitarian work. Father Brian has collected donations from the Western Australia
n community to support humanitarian efforts for Australian disasters like Cyclone Tracey, 2003 Canberra bushfires
and the 2009 Victorian Bushfires. In addition to his work with Western Australian communities, he travelled overseas extensively. He made thirty trips to places such as East Timor
, Bangladesh
, Chechnya
, Thailand
and Iraq
to help people in need, particularly children in some of the world’s most devastated areas. Internationally Father Brian has organised relief efforts for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
, for victims of the Bali bombings
and for children affected by Chernobyl disaster
. He travelled to the Ukraine
and the Chernobyl area four times over sixteen years to provide support and love to those who were shunned by many.
During his visits to help Chernobyl victims Father Brain suffered radiation poisoning, probably through consuming contaminated food, it is thought that this was cause of his terminal lymphocytic cancer and adenocarcinoma
. Father Brian died on 2 December 2009 at St John of God Hospital in Subiaco. A Pontifical Requiem Mass was held on Friday 11 December 2009 at St Mary's Cathedral, Perth
followed by a private burial.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who worked for 40 years in providing crisis care for people affected by upheaval caused by natural and man made disasters.
Father Brian was born (Brian John Morrison) and grew up in Malvern
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...
, an inner Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb, and moved to Western Australia in 1972 to develop the Catholic Church's Crisis Care centre. The charity regularly distributes tonnes of food to needy West Australians, many of whom live on the streets, and organises an annual Christmas Appeal. He was also the racing chaplain in Perth
In 2006 Father Brian was awarded Western Australian Senior of the year for his humanitarian work. Father Brian has collected donations from the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n community to support humanitarian efforts for Australian disasters like Cyclone Tracey, 2003 Canberra bushfires
2003 Canberra bushfires
The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s pasture, forests and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the renowned Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed...
and the 2009 Victorian Bushfires. In addition to his work with Western Australian communities, he travelled overseas extensively. He made thirty trips to places such as East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to help people in need, particularly children in some of the world’s most devastated areas. Internationally Father Brian has organised relief efforts for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, for victims of the Bali bombings
Bali bombings
Bali bombings can refer to either of two separate incidents on the Indonesian island of Bali:* The 2002 Bali bombings, occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali...
and for children affected by Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. He travelled to the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and the Chernobyl area four times over sixteen years to provide support and love to those who were shunned by many.
During his visits to help Chernobyl victims Father Brain suffered radiation poisoning, probably through consuming contaminated food, it is thought that this was cause of his terminal lymphocytic cancer and adenocarcinoma
Adenocarcinoma
Adenocarcinoma is a cancer of an epithelium that originates in glandular tissue. Epithelial tissue includes, but is not limited to, the surface layer of skin, glands and a variety of other tissue that lines the cavities and organs of the body. Epithelium can be derived embryologically from...
. Father Brian died on 2 December 2009 at St John of God Hospital in Subiaco. A Pontifical Requiem Mass was held on Friday 11 December 2009 at St Mary's Cathedral, Perth
St Mary's Cathedral, Perth
St Mary's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, and seat of its Archbishop, currently Barry James Hickey...
followed by a private burial.