Video: Cardijn Lecture 2025 – Archbp Tim Costelloe

Archbishop Tim Costelloe SDB of Perth, presented the Cardijn Lecture for 2025 on Thursday 13 November.

The theme of his lecture was “Faith in Action/Life; Action in Faith/Life.”

Archbishop Tim Costelloe SDB

Born in Melbourne on 3 February 1954, Tim Costelloe was educated at St Peter’s Parish Primary School, East Bentleigh and at Salesian College, Chadstone.

After several positions working in industry, he began his studies in a teacher training course at Christ College in Melbourne, which he interrupted in 1977 to join the Salesians of Don Bosco. He made his first profession as a Salesian on 31 January 1978 and graduated from Christ College at the end of that year.

In 1985, he made his Final Profession as a Salesian and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Frank Little on 25 October 1986.

After three years as Religious Education Coordinator at Salesian College, Chadstone, Fr Costelloe was transferred to Rome where he completed a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in 1991. Upon returning to Melbourne, he began lecturing in Systematic Theology at Catholic Theological College in Melbourne and worked in the area of the formation of young Salesians.

In 1996, he was transferred to Perth where he was appointed parish priest of St Joachim’s Parish, Victoria Park, and lecturer in theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle. He completed his doctorate in theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity at this time.

In 1998, he attended the Synod for Oceania in Rome as the theological adviser of the then Archbishop of Perth, Barry Hickey.

Returning to Melbourne in mid-1999, he was appointed as Rector of the Salesian formation community in 2000 and resumed teaching at Catholic Theological College. He also served as parish priest of St John the Baptist Parish, Clifton Hill, in 2006 and as parish priest of the adjoining parish of St Joseph’s, Collingwood in January 2007.

He was a member of the Provincial Council of the Salesians from 2002 to 2007, Provincial Delegate for Formation in the Australian Province from 2003-2007, and was appointed as Regional Delegate for Formation for the East Asia-Oceania Salesian region in 2006.

Archbishop Costelloe was appointed auxiliary bishop of Melbourne on 30 April 2007, ordained a bishop on 15 June 2007 and made responsible for Melbourne’s Northern region. On 20 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as archbishop of Perth and he was solemnly installed on 21 March 2012.

Archbishop Costelloe is currently the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC). He served as president of the Synod of Bishops for the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (2023 – 2024) and as a member of the preparatory commission for that event.