The Southern Cross | February 2025

Profound witness to Jesus

David John Shinnick OAM
Born February 9 1930
Died November 11 2024

The eldest of six children born to Florence and Gerald, David Shinnick grew up in Kensington and was educated at St Joseph’s Memorial School at Norwood.

From the age of 12, David spent 10 years studying for the priesthood at St Francis Xavier Seminary in Adelaide and Corpus Christi College at Werribee in Victoria.

But his vocation was not to be a priest. God had other plans for him. In the words of a prominent Adelaide priest, he was perhaps the most significant lay person in the history of the Adelaide Archdiocese.

At both the local and diocesan level, David’s passion and commitment to the Church community was constantly manifested.

His life was grounded in the Scriptures with an extraordinary knowledge of the Church’s social teachings which nourished in him a love for the Church and a passion for justice.

Locally, within St Bernadette’s (now part of St Ann’s), from the early days of a young and struggling parish, both David and his wife Barbara (deceased), together with their beloved daughter Anne-Marie, were immersed in projects which developed and built all that it means to be a community.

There were many works and organisations in which David was involved, including the Catholic Social Studies Movement and the Newman Society in the early 1950s, but the one closest to his heart was Project Compassion. This work reflected the Vatican Council Decree on the laity: “mercy to the poor and the sick, and charitable works and works of mutual aid for the alleviation of all kinds of human needs, is held in special honour in the Church.”

Across Australia, everyone is familiar with the enormous work that Project Compassion and Caritas do for vulnerable people in our world. Few would be aware, however, that this expression of the Church pursuing its key purpose began here in Adelaide at St Bernadette’s. Through the vision of David and other like-minded people, a movement began that now impacts the lives of millions.

In similar fashion, there was a need to assist young families to find housing, a challenge which resonates today with a similar problem of securing the finance for a loan. David was a key person, working with Fr Tom Horgan, in establishing what was effectively a parish co-op, which enabled many to gain finance which would otherwise have been unavailable.

Within the Archdiocese, so many initiatives were either the product of David’s vision or they became real through the constancy of his efforts.  Working with three archbishops – Matthew Beovich, James Gleeson and Len Faulkner – David simultaneously pursued a twin goal of deepening the faith of all within the diocesan community
and creating structures and groupings which would materially assist people in their day-to-day struggles.

One of his many publications, ‘Journey into Justice’, displays his commitment to a more just society and illustrates the breadth and depth of the scholarship and reflection he brought to his pursuits. His involvement with Action for World Development and practical support for anti-uranium mining were similar examples of deep held convictions.

David was convinced that adult education was a key to the growth of each person and to the development of community. His collaboration in the growth of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the Catholic Adult Education Service were tangible illustrations of this conviction.

Perhaps the apogee of his efforts in bringing people together to deepen their understanding and appreciation of their faith, especially as it connected with issues of social justice, was his vision of creating a national celebration of the 100th anniversary of Leo XIII’s famous encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’.

With the support of Archbishop Faulkner and then, more broadly, the Australian bishops, David undertook the planning, financing and implementing of a national conference attended by hundreds of people at Cabra College in July 1991. With international and local speakers, the great success of the conference was largely due to David’s efforts.

His imagining of ‘what might be’ was demonstrated in his all-encompassing role as the diocese’s coordinator of pastoral planning. Working at every level, and with the tireless support of his co-worker Pauline Kenny, he committed himself to enabling and encouraging, to sharing a Gospel vision of possibilities.

With his example, other dioceses across Australia were energised and inspired to pursue more co-ordinated and dynamic pastoral planning. As a tribute to and permanent legacy of David’s work throughout Australia, there is now a national pastoral planners’ association and their annual pastoral planning award is named the David Shinnick Award.

Perhaps the most memorable manifestation of David’s drive in this area was the Diocesan Pastoral Renewal program of the 80s, where thousands were inspired to gather in parishes across the Archdiocese to discover new ways of being church and to enrich their own faith.   

David was appropriately recognised by Pope John Paul II with the award of Knight of Saint Sylvester in 1981.

His work extended to other Christian churches and his commitment to an ecumenical vision had many dimensions. His contribution to making the country a better place was symbolised in his being awarded the Order of Australia in 1996.

But what made David such a unique presence in our world is not encapsulated, however significantly, in his list of achievements. As a thread inextricably woven throughout all that he did was the wonderful humanity that made him so beloved by so many.

David was always kind, never judgemental; he was persevering but not blinkered; he was deferential but not subservient; assertive but always respecting alternative views; listening and building on the wisdom of others; never attempting to display his own importance but always using his role to seek the good of others; profound in his appreciation of the richness of all that the Church offers but sensitive to its many foibles; serious in his interactions with others but ever ready to see the humorous dimensions of life.

Working with others of different talents, cultures and faiths, David’s service to others was a profound witness to Jesus.

In her eulogy, Anne-Marie recalled happy childhood memories including attending protest marches, picnics on the back lawn known as ‘Shinnick Shindigs’, tending his veggie garden and apricot trees, and endless summer days at the beach. Later she travelled the world with David and “experienced places of awe”.

“My dad was a humble, empathetic, tenacious, spirited man of strong faith,” she said.

“He was passionate, and compassionate, about local, national and international aid.

“He showed how to grow a seed into a tree and a mount into a mountain by trusting yourself.

“Dad’s life lessons for us are simple: be humble; if you believe in something, make yourself be heard; step back and listen to others; believe in yourself; unconditional love.”

In his homily at his brother’s funeral Mass, Fr Maurice Shinnick, encouraged mourners to honour David by experiencing “a closeness to Jesus ourselves, a strengthening of faith, a love and respect for the poor, an experience of unity and an affirmation of the dignity of every person”.