Rev. Monsignor Terence Curtin EV PP, former Master of Catholic Theological College and former President of Melbourne College of Divinity, has been appointed Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Region from 28 February 2012. He will officiate at the Confirmations in the Region as the Archbishop's delegate, will be a point of reference for the Region, and will attend the regular Curia meetings.
Father Curtin retains this appointment until the appointment of a new auxiliary bishop.
Fr Curtin was ordained a priest by Archbishop James Robert Knox in St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, on 28th August 1971 and worked as Assistant Priest in St Anthony's Parish, Noble Park (1971 – 1974) and St Mark's Parish, Fawkner (September 1974 – January 1975). He then moved to St Theresa's, Essendon, and was appointed Chaplain and Head of the Religious Education Department at Mercy Teachers' College, Ascot Vale, then part of State College of Victoria and the Institute of Catholic Education. He was awarded the Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Melbourne in 1981. At the end of 1982 he returned to Rome for further studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University and in 1986 was granted the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology with a thesis on Historical Criticism and the Theological Interpretation of Scripture.
In January 1987 he returned to reside at St Mary Magdalen's, Jordanville, and took up an appointment as Chaplain, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Religion and Philosophy Centre at the Institute of Catholic Education, Christ Campus, Oakleigh. In 1993 he was appointed Head of the School of Religion and Philosophy (Victoria), Australian Catholic University. In 1994 he was Co-ordinator of Campus Ministry across all campuses of Australian Catholic University. From 1996 to 2002 he was Head of the School of Theology (Victoria), Australian Catholic University. In 2001 he moved to live at St Joan of Arc's, Brighton, and in June 2002 he was elected Master of Catholic Theological College, East Melbourne, and held that position from 2003 to 2010.
From 2003 to 2005 he was President of the Forum of Australian Catholic Institutes of Theology (FACIT), and as a Critical Colleague was part of the Interdiocesan Religious Education Project for the Archdiocese of Hobart and the Dioceses of Ballarat, Sale and Sandhurst, charged with developing new religious education guidelines for these dioceses. From 2003 to 2010 he was an external member of the Academic Board of Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill. He has been a Magistral Chaplain to the Order of Malta since 2004. From 2006 he has chaired the Bishops' Grant Committee of Australian Catholic University. He is currently a member of the Academic Board of St Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Donvale, a Recognised Teaching Institution of MCD University of Divinity.
In January 2008 he was appointed Parish Priest of St Bridget's, Greythorn. From 2010 to 2011 he was President of the Melbourne College of Divinity, now MCD University of Divinity. In 2011 he took up the position of Head of the Systematic Theology Department at Catholic Theological College, East Melbourne. On 29th February 2012 he was appointed Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Region of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.