Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Costello, Emmet

Teacher, chaplain, pastor; born Lantoka, Fiji, 21 May 1924; died Sydney, 15 October 2013; aged 89.

During his life on the North Shore of Sydney, it would be hard to find any priest who was more widely known and talked about than Emmet Costello. He had an engaging personality, and, more than many other things in his life, energetically sought connection with people, be they from his days at St Aloysius’ College (1956, 1957-68, 1980-87), Riverview (1969-75, 1988-92), or Our Lady of the Way parishes (1976-79, 1993-2006). He fascinated people with his stories, especially those of perceived incompetency of some hierarchs, politicians or superiors. People remembered his stories and shared them, sometimes with much enjoyment because they were so honest and, at times, outrageous. He was witty and entertaining. In moments of exasperation, he would comment that ‘pigmies’ surrounded him! His Masses were appreciated for brevity, clarity and a short homily, which was usually Christocentric. The Old Testament reading was usually omitted, because, he said, it was not relevant to the lives of the people! His Sunday homily was posted on his web site, which had been launched in 1998, while summaries of the homily were left at the back of the Church to be taken home and pondered.

Costello was essentially a contemporary priest, regularly quoting theologians of Vatican II such as Rahner, de Lubac, Schillebeeckx, Congar, and Suenens. Like these theologians, and the Jesuit Cardinal Martini, Costello wanted the Church to be updated and relevant, to be in touch with the times. The Council document The Church in the Modern World spoke much to his own spirit and desires for the Church.

To enhance his spoken word, Costello, during his parochial years, wrote two books, one, Saints: Popular and Relevant, which was launched by his friend Tom Hughes QC, and the second, Christ my Brother: Personal Encounter with the Living Christ, launched by the Chief Justice of NSW at the time, Murray Gleeson, in 1995. Costello energetically promoted these books, wanting all students at the Jesuit schools in Australia to have a copy.

Costello was born into a well know pastoral family in Queensland. His great, great-grandfather owned millions of acres of cattle country in the 1860s, but a severe drought later bankrupted him. The family started again around Canberra, where his grandfather had twelve children. The eldest boy went to Fiji, followed by his father, Daniel, who received the franchise on milk and meat. Then, with the initial help of Matt Cody, they became involved in the Emperor gold mine, followed by plantations and a tourist island, in partnership with the former Queensland premier, and federal treasurer, Edward Theodore. Costello grew up in a beautiful home on twenty acres at the waterfront. The land later became a Catholic complex, the old house a convent, and a seminary for 140 students from the Pacific was built on the site, as well as a teachers’ training college providing teachers for 60 schools in the Pacific. The Costello family remained generous in supporting these institutions.

Due to ill health, Costello was sent to school, first in Auckland, New Zealand, in order to avoid Fiji’s oppressive heat, and then to St Patrick’s College, the Jesuit school in East Melbourne. He boarded with relatives during this time.

In 1942 he joined the Jesuits, later recounting that he found the very strict regime of the noviciate oppressive and restricting. During philosophy studies at Loyola, Watsonia, he showed his entrepreneurial skills on various occasions, striving to make the place more humane. He was permitted to build up an impressive classical music collection, and convinced the prefect of studies, Patrick McEvoy, of the need to purchase new typewriters for the scholastics. He told the story that he and McEvoy went to buy them, and he introduced McEvoy to the dealer with whom he was negotiating as ‘his friend’, a presumption on the part of a scholastic towards a respected professor was not appreciated!

Costello was sent to regency at St Louis School, Perth, 1946, 1950-51, where he was a teacher, prefect and administered junior boys debating. Costello found these years challenging; he was not in good health, and having been refused permission to see his father during his last illness, suffered the loss of his father in 1951. He had already lost his younger brother John, who had died at a young age, and again, Costello had been denied permission to attend his funeral as he was in the novitiate at the time. During theology at Canisius College, Pymble, 1952-55, Costello found the rules of common religious life frustrating, restraining his natural exuberance and outward going personality, but he managed to sustain social contacts with family friends, and relatives of fellow Jesuits.

He was a breath of fresh air at St Aloysius’ College in 1956, the first young Jesuit priest that the current boys had experienced. He related well to them and was very friendly, endeavouring to meet them at their own level. He taught religion and Latin and directed various religious sodalities. He was never a good teacher, but his classes were always lively and places of learning on a wide variety of topics. Coaching sport was not his forte, nor was he interested in that aspect of education.

Tertianship followed in 1957 at Sevenhill under Henry Johnston. This was yet another period in his life that he found suffocated his abundant apostolic energy, and he later claimed that he played a part in finally stopping future tertianships at Sevenhill after a Visitor came to the province in 1961. Subsequent tertians were sent overseas until 1972, when the Australian tertianship resumed again.

Returning to St Aloysius’ College following tertianship, Costello became fully engaged in teaching and pastoral pursuits. He taught mainly religion and French, and was assistant chaplain to the boys. Bishop Muldoon, the administrator of the parish of Mosman, was grateful for Costello’s Mass supply on Sundays. It was said that, knowing that Costello was saying a particular Mass, people flocked to his celebration. As if this was not sufficient work, he went to St John’s University College to counsel its medical students (1967-68). Following up of Old Boys was a constant for him. Every afternoon immediately after class he would ring someone and arrange to meet up with him socially. In this way he made endless contacts that grow over the years.

Costello kept up these pastoral activities during his time at Riverview, where he was also a most benevolent and generous minister, 1972-75.

Unencumbered by rigid schedules in schools, pastoral life in the parishes of North Sydney and Lavender Bay gave him more time to be pastorally active. He socialized with his friends, many of whom were prominent, such as Sir Peter Abeles, Sir Warwick and Lady Mary Fairfax, Tom Hughes QC and his extended family, Dr. Mervyn Cross, George Nicholas and artist Judy Cassab, who painted splendid portraits of Costello and his mother. Various financial barons were also on his visiting list. These friends became generous benefactors to Costello’s charitable interests, not the least the Fijian missions. Costello was faithful to St Ignatius’ advice to associate with those who were more influential in society, so that those dependent on them might also benefit.

He was also a very shrewd businessman, and was, on occasions, seen at real estate auctions caring for the interests of his mother and family. When his presence was noted, potential buyers needed to be on their metal. He was hard to outbid when interested. He also had an eye for exquisite antiques and Persian rugs, regularly buying and selling for his mother’s comfortable apartment at Milson’s Point. His care for his mother in her old age was exemplary, always on call to drive her to appointments and social gatherings in the family car.

From his early days at St Aloysius College, Costello made contact with the Apostolic Delegate, later the Papal Nuncio. The first was Archbishop Carboni, who became a lifetime friend. Even when the Archbishop was moved to Peru, contact was kept, and advice given. Subsequent papal representatives appeared to be grateful for the counsel they received from him. On one occasion, the Nuncio was interrupted during an interview with another Jesuit, having told his secretary that he was not to be disturbed. But when the secretary did interrupt, mentioning that it was Fr. Costello on the phone, the Nuncio asked to be excused while he took the phone call. Such was his influence.

One highlight in Costello’s life was when Paul VI received him, and his mother, Kathleen, during his visit to Sydney. Costello subsequently used to speak most affectionately of this pope as being a very spiritual man. While not a great fan of the more authoritarian ways of Saint John Paul II, Costello rejoiced in the election of Francis, the first Jesuit bishop of Rome.

The apostolate of the pen was also important to Costello, writing letters to political or ecclesial leaders, congratulating them on some good they had achieved, or simply wishing them well in their new appointment. One more outstanding friendship was with Tony Abbott, the recently elected Prime Minister of Australia at the time of Costello’s death. They had been friends since Abbott had been a student at Riverview. Abbott, who preached the eulogy at Costello’s funeral, claimed that Costello had been a second father figure in his life. Very frail at the time of that Australian election, it seemed that Costello fought to stay alive until his friend became Prime Minister. Abbott had been a constant visitor during his last illness. In his eulogy, Abbot spoke about Costello as a critic of the institutional church, the Jesuits and certain politicians. He had always expected better performances from these people, wanting the best service from them. Relevance and being in-touch with the real needs of people were very important for Costello. Abbott was grateful for his spiritual influence, especially for his insistence on the importance of the Mass and for his Christocentric theology. Quoting Frank Brennan’s homily, Abbott spoke of Costello as being part of a generation of Jesuits who had dedicated themselves to ‘teaching schoolboys to be generous and not to count the cost…’ He mentioned further Brennan’s recollection of being with Costello at the 150th anniversary celebration of the North Sydney parish at St Mary’s Cathedral, saying that Costello had conducted himself ‘like a vice-regent with a walking stick and his affectionate wave to parishioners in every second pew…’ In the sacristy afterwards, Costello had given Brennan ‘an extensive pastoral debriefing on those in attendance’.

In his funeral homily, Frank Brennan spoke of Costello as ‘a son of Ignatius, a man of the Church, and a counselor to many. He loved the Jesuits, the Church and the Australian polity, while always lamenting the state of each as only a true devotee and committed member could’. Brennan highlighted Costello’s friendship and pastoral solicitude for his many contacts, to whom he tirelessly spoke about Christ as both human and divine. He ‘nurtured our friendship and tended us spiritually’. His sermons to his students on feast days were always awaited with expectation as to what he might say. Once on the feast of St Aloysius’ Gonzaga, Costello told the boys ‘that the goings on of the sixteenth century Gonzaga family would have made the party antics of the contemporary Aloysians look like afternoon tea in the convent parlour with Mother Superior’. He never failed to surprise or delight.

Costello rejoiced in the number of hits on his website, which not only tabled his weekly sermons, but gave links to his five priorities for the modern Catholic. They were: the human element in the Church, doubts and trials of faith, the centrality of Christ, optimism and joy in our lives, try to bring faith to others.

His former provincial, Mark Raper, on the occasion of Costello’s retirement from North Sydney praised him for his ‘many years of generous service of God’s people. You have always been prompt to respond to pastoral needs, to visit the sick in hospital and to take them communion…. You are constantly concerned to bring young people back to the faith, and you promote vocations with great energy and zeal. You continue to read and to be aware of discussions on important matters in the Church’. He also praised Costello for his assistance to the poor ‘through projects begun by your family in Fiji’.

Finally, Costello’s Jesuit communities experienced him as a livery contributor to community life by his friendly, humane personality, and his constant reflections on Church and State, both past and present. His lively and witty company could never be forgotten.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)