Province of Australia re-elects prior provincial
SYDNEY — The friars of the Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Australia have re-elected fr. Dominic Murphy, OP, as Prior Provincial, for a second four-year term. The re-election took place on January 6, 2026, and was confirmed by the Master of the Order of Preachers, fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III, OP.
Fr. Dominic was first elected Prior Provincial on May 17, 2022. With his re-election, the friars have expressed their continued confidence in his leadership and service to the Province.
Born in 1965 in Melbourne, fr. Dominic was raised in the parish of St. Clare’s, Box Hill North, and completed his secondary education at St. Leo’s Christian Brothers School in Box Hill South. Before entering religious life, he trained as a general nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital. In 1988, he moved into his grandfather’s former home on Dominic Street, next to St. Dominic’s Church, where he first encountered the Dominican friars. That friendship gradually developed into a vocation to the Order of Preachers.
Fr. Dominic entered the Dominican Order in 1993, making his first profession of vows that same year. After completing his theological studies at Yarra Theological Union, where he earned a Bachelor of Theology and a Master of Theological Studies, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1998.
Following ordination, fr. Dominic served as chaplain at Trinity Catholic College, Auburn (1998–2000). At the Provincial Chapter of 2000, he was appointed Vocations Promoter for the Province, a role he fulfilled for twelve years (2000–2012). He later served as chaplain at the University of Sydney (2005–2010) and was elected Prior of St. Dominic’s, Camberwell, in December 2010. During this period, he also worked as chaplain at the Australian Catholic University (2011–2014) and served with the National Evangelization Team (NET).
In 2017, fr. Dominic was appointed Parish Priest of St. James’, Forest Lodge, and St. Bede’s, Pyrmont, and in 2019 also assumed pastoral responsibility for St. Benedict’s, Broadway. During this time, he also served as Prior of St. James’ Priory, Glebe (2017–2019).
The Dominican Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary encompasses Australia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. The friars of the Province are engaged in a wide range of apostolates, including theological and academic work in seminaries and universities, chaplaincy in hospitals, schools, and universities, parish ministry, and missionary service.
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