Nathan Webb (priest)
Nathan P. Webb | |
|---|---|
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Diocese of Toowoomba |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 June 2022 by Robert McGuckin |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Nathan Patrick Webb |
| Born | 17 November 1997 Toowoomba, Queensland |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Alma mater | Holy Spirit Seminary, Brisbane |
Nathan Patrick Webb (born 17 November 1997) is a Roman Catholic priest currently serving in the Diocese of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He gained national media attention in 2022 upon his ordination at the age of 24, making him Australia's youngest Catholic priest.[1]
Early life and family
Webb was born in Toowoomba, a city in Queensland, Australia. He is the fourth of twelve children, born to Paul Webb, a hydrographer, and Fiona Webb (née Cusack).[2] His family had recently relocated to Toowoomba from Ayr, in North Queensland.[3] He is of Irish and English descent.[4] He was baptized at Sacred Heart Parish, Wilsonton and was home-schooled.[3] Webb's older sister Nancy Webb (Sr Rose Patrick O'Connor), a former journalist with ABC news, entered the Sisters of Life in 2018, and his younger brother Isaac Webb is a member of the Capuchin Franciscans.[5][6][7][8]
Ordination and priesthood
Webb entered the Holy Spirit Seminary in Brisbane at age 18. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate on 13 November 2021. His ordination was a significant local event, as he was the first deacon ordained at the St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba in over 20 years, since 1998.[9] Webb was ordained to the presbyterate on 25 June 2022, at the age of 24, by Bishop Robert McGuckin.[6] He celebrated his Thanksgiving Mass at his home parish of Sacred Heart the following day.[10]
Under the Code of Canon Law, the standard minimum age for ordination to the priesthood is 25; however, a dispensation was granted by Bishop Robert McGuckin to allow Webb to be ordained a year earlier, making him the youngest Catholic priest in Australia at the time.[1] He was appointed Parish Priest of Stanthorpe, a town in southern Queensland, effective 1 September 2025, after previously serving as the Parish Administrator.[11] He has served as the Vocations Director for the Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba since 2025.[12][13] In late 2025, he travelled to Rome and concelebrated the canonisation Mass for Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati at St Peter's Square with Pope Leo XIV.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sanders, Presented byBelinda (14 August 2022). "Why become a catholic priest at 24?". ABC listen. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Harmonious household". The Catholic Leader. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lhunt, By (23 February 2012). "Brigid makes an even dozen". The Courier-Mail.
- ↑ "Toowoomba's Nathan Webb looking forward to a life of ministry as a priest". The Catholic Leader. 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ↑ "Meet the young journalist embracing a life of chastity, poverty and obedience". ABC News. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "A priest, a nun and a friar – all from the same family". rvasia.org. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ Rodrigues, Marilyn (23 August 2023). "Former journalist says religious life is all she'd hoped". The Catholic Weekly. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "From journalist in Toowoomba to nun in New York – the journey of Nancy Webb".
- ↑ "Men of God ready to preach and serve in Queensland". The Catholic Leader. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ Sacred Heart Catholic Parish Toowoomba (28 June 2022). Fr Nathan's Thanksgiving Mass. Retrieved 24 March 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Toowoomba priest concelebrates canonisation Mass of Sts Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis". The Catholic Leader. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Ministries | Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba". Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba |. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Toowoomba priest says young people are searching for truth of God as diocese makes ground in youth renewal". The Catholic Leader. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
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