VMCH CEO crowned non-profit Exec of the Year
November 18, 2025
Our Position – Redesigning private health insurance products for value and choice
November 20, 2025
A bishop who was raised on a farm in country NSW and later joined a monastic order, has been appointed to the Board of Catholic Health Australia.
Bishop Macbeth-Green, the Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes, also served as a Police Chaplain in New South Wales and Queensland from 2000 to 2014, providing spiritual support to law enforcement officers and their families.
Born in Forbes NSW, Bishop Columba’s journey to the priesthood and his extensive service within the Pauline Fathers where he became Provincial Vicar for Australia, highlight a deep commitment to his faith and community.
After spending two years with the Conventual Franciscans, he joined the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit (Pauline Fathers) in 1990. This semi-contemplative order, founded in 1215 in Hungary, is renowned for its custodianship of the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland and its adherence to the Rule of St. Augustine.
He studied for the Priesthood at Vianney College in Wagga Wagga, made his Solemn Profession in 1996, and was ordained a priest in 1997.
His appointment as Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes was announced by Pope Francis in 2014, marking a significant milestone in his religious vocation. He says his favourite Bible quote is “Fear Not – It is I”.
Bishop Macbeth-Green replaces Archbishop Julian Porteous as the representative from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Archbishop Porteous had served on the CHA Board since 2022.
At its plenary in May, the ACBC also announced a new Chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service, The Most Reverend Timothy J. Harris DD, who is the Bishop of Townsville.
Catholic Health Australia Chair Jenny Parker welcomed Bishop Macbeth-Green to the Board.
“On behalf of the Directors and our members, we warmly welcome Bishop Macbeth-Green to Catholic Health Australia and look forward to his support of our mission to care for the sick, the vulnerable and those living on the margins of society,” Jenny said.
“With 25 per cent of our members caring for people outside a capital city, I am sure Bishop Columba will be a strong voice for those living in rural, remote and regional Australia given his background as a Bishop from country NSW.
“We look forward to working closely with him.”
- Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green was born in Forbes NSW
