User:Kevin Bates

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Kevin Bates was born in Geelong, Victoria and was ordained as a Marist priest in Melbourne in 1972. After working briefly in secondary education and parish ministry, he took a Masters Degree in Liturgy at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California in 1975. The Jesuit School of Theology is affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley Campus.He worked for a number of years in the Marist Fathers' Novitiate and lectured in Liturgy at the Catholic Theological Union at Hunters Hill in Sydney. In 1981 he helped develop the Marist Centre at Toongabbie in Sydney's west as a retreat and adult education centre. He was Director of the Marist Centre from 1983-1988.

From 1989-1993, he lived in Wollongong and travelled extensively around Australia and beyond, continuing to conduct retreats for primary and secondary school students, school staffs, various groups of teachers and parish-based groups.

Over the years, he has also conducted workshops and lectures in Leadership Skills and Conflict Management, Liturgy and Liturgical Music for a wide variety of groups. His ministry has included serving with the Uniting, Anglican and Baptist Churches ministering among youth, parish groups and Sunday congregations.From 1994-1999, he was Director of the Aquinas Academy , a Catholic Adult Education Centre in Sydney, run by the Marist Fathers.

In 2000 he took a Masters of Education degree at the Catholic University in Sydney. Since that time he has continued his ministry with schools and parishes all around Australia until the end of 2007.

In 1979 he began to record his music and has now published ten albums, , the best known being Whispers, 1985. His 1996 album, “Love is our Measure” contains a song commissioned by the Josephite Sisters as a children's song, which was used during Mary MacKillop's Beatification celebrations. He has also written numerous songs, commissioned by schools, conferences and parishes and in 2002 published “Love’s Sacred Frame”, a song-cycle based on the Enneagram. In 2004 his Beatitudes song-cycle, “Blessed” was published. In 2007 the third song-cycle exploring the metaphor of Sacrament (Windows to the Sacred) was released.

From 1996, Kevin lived at the Marist Fathers Community, Lane Cove.

As of February 1, 2008 Kevin begins a new mission as Parish Priest of Holy Name of Mary Parish, Hunters Hill in Sydney.