These days the area Fr Mick serves is about 20,000 square kilometres (larger than Fiji) with regular visits to Camooweal, Boulia, Julia Creek, McKinlay and Cloncurry to see and serve his flock.

“These are all places where we have churches and have mass on a regular basis,” he says.

Q&A time with Fr Mick (Michael Lowcock) was on a Saturday afternoon at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church during a quick lunch break from his overseeing church cleaning duties. His flock of Filipino faithful who clean the church and surrounds as volunteers also provides lunch.  I didn’t need a second invitation to partake and then it was down to business.

How strong is your faith in terms of science/faith conflict: I learnt very early in life that ‘‘Science’’ asks the question “how” and ‘‘Faith’’ asks the question “why”. In that sense there is no conflict as they ask two different questions. Part of growth happens because we think about the various options we have in life. I welcome that as it makes me think about whether I want to be more dedicated to what I am doing.

Where is the Church going?  Mount Isa is a good place to be based. In Mount Isa, the growth of the church can be directly seen at work and the Church can influence the community and the community issues influence the churches. 

Firstly, I see that faith is growing in people who are asking for spiritual direction and retreats to develop their own faith life. Where I work with schools, with our Catholic schools or the little state schools I visit there is plenty of interest and talk about faith. The general community and families I am in contact with are really practical and look for ways to be better people and to have a good family life.

Secondly, working with the poor is an area where the church is called – and always will be. It is a privilege to see the amount of work the churches and the agencies of the Church are able to offer the community in their various ways of dealing with people in their need.

On listening and lecturing:  A lot of life is about listening to others and you learn a lot about yourself if you listen to others. I think we all learn more from listening rather than from being lectured to – especially as adults. People need an ear and a listening heart to know that they are cared for.

Our recent Multicultural Festival here in Mount Isa reminds us of the cultures present here in Mount Isa. Mount Isa also offers great opportunities with education especially within our Catholic schools; for example, Cloncurry Catholic School is going to Year 9 now. There are numerous opportunities for working with indigenous people here too. I enjoy the great contrasts evident here in Mount Isa – like the contrast between lives in mining and pastoral, the wet and dry and the isolation and the closeness with friends. 

Low points: I am appalled at the abuse of children in the many forms I see it in and even more so in the Church when we say we are here to protect the vulnerable and children.

 I think the work that people do with the frail and ageing parishioners is difficult for me and yet so important in the life of those who have such wisdom and life experience to offer us.

 Isolation can be a factor which makes living here difficult when there are few priests to share with and being with many people who miss their immediate family as well.

 Having multiple tasks in a changing world can be hard to handle and juggling the many issues and people and time is always difficult to make sure that I am sort of on top of what happens.

Mentoring and active recruiting is going on for more priests. 

We have one student here in Mount Isa in his final year of study and currently I am in discussion with three young men about becoming priests for our diocese.

Regrets?  I suppose my regrets could be not having family and being away from my own father and sisters.

 My father is still in Bowen, alive and well at 98. I have a sister, Mary, who is a Sister of Mercy in Brisbane, another sister Janice who is nursing at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Brisbane, and a third sister Colleen who is married to Ted Weaver and lives in Nambour where their four children were raised. 

Is there a bad Fr Mick? I suppose that’s for people to answer.

US President Barack Obama has a book titled Audacity of Hope;  Fr Mick has the audacity to do.