Fr Denis W. Martin, Priests of 1928, Brisbane, 2003, pp 64-67:
Archibald Mills

Devotions to the Holy Spirit is a booklet with a bright red cover which, surprisingly, may still be found in the pamphlet rack of some little country churches where things don't change so fast. It was the work of Fr A J Mills, but not his only one.

Archibald Joseph Mills trod an interesting path to the Diocese of Brisbane, for he was an Anglican born at Portobello in Scotland in 1882. With his parents, he moved to London before the family decided to emigrate to Australia.

Young Archie received a good education at the Sydney Grammar School before obtaining his BA at the University of Sydney. Apparently there was some contact with the Wells Theological College, but 'he converted to Catholicism as the result of great intellectual searching and grace'. The outcome of this was ordination at St Patrick's College, Manly, for the Brisbane Diocese in December of 1924.

Red Hill and Nambour were temporary appointments. It was at the Cathedral and the inner city where Fr Mills established a personal mission both intellectual and practical. He became involved in Catholic Action, lecturing, writing and debating on the Catholic Faith. His first book was An Apology for the One True Church.

Then several editions of a magazine called Australia were published, each devoted to topics such as the Eucharistic Congress or the Conversion of Australia. Guest writers included Fr Martindale and Dr Rumble denouncing socialism, various theories of evolution etc. Most inspiring were the biographies of great converts to Catholicism.

Who paid for these publications? Not Fr Mills. He ignored all the bills and accounts that came addressed to him. The only other contact available was Archbishop Duhig, who had given the imprimatur, so he received all the demands for payment.

Nor was Archie ecumenical. A story is told that he had gone aboard ship one Sunday afternoon when he was approached by an Anglican minister who began to make polite conversation by saying that he had had a heavy morning of it with three Masses. Archie replied, 'three noughts are nothing!' and walked away.

But Fr Mills responded to the distress of the great financial depression of the 1930s in a most practical way. For the benefit of the hungry, he established a soup kitchen operated by volunteers from old St Stephen's. Soon after, for the benefit of the homeless, he established the St Vincent de Paul Hostel in Margaret St. No one was ever turned away, nor were any questions ever asked. He often spent the night there, whereas he had usually resided in a boarding house on Spring Hill. There was hardly a night when the Hostel was not filled to capacity. Even when times improved, the hostel unfortunately proved a necessity. Today, the good work is carried on at South Brisbane.

Fr Mills died on 13th July 1955. Before the funeral left for Nudgee, Archbishop Duhig's tribute included this summary. 'He worked amongst God's poor, and he was happy to be one of them. He had no parish, but the poor of Brisbane were his parishioners.'

The Courier Mail called him 'Brisbane's modern Vincent de Paul', and one of our scholars and writers, Martin Haley, was inspired to pen -

The ragged unemployed you clad and fed
The hungry, and gave unfortunates who roam
The streets - unworthy, worthy - an unquestioning home,
Not to the intellectuals: to the least
Of Christ's poor brethren was your care addressed.
They were your folk, your crusade - cross and crown! -
Your books unwritten, your bright eternal renown.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Martin.)