rector

VERY REV DR cameron forbes

Fr Cameron trained at Corpus Christi College and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2009. 

Following secondary school, Fr Cameron studied arts and law and worked for three years in governmental and legal fields before his seminary training. 

After priestly ordination, he served in the parish of Werribee, before completing a licentiate and doctorate in moral theology at the Alphonsianum Academy in Rome. He also holds a Masters in Liturgical Music from the Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome. 

Returning to Australia in 2016, Fr Cameron was appointed a formator and then Vice-Rector of Corpus Christi College. From 2020 until 2022, he was the parish priest of Mentone-Parkdale. He commenced as Rector of Corpus Christi College in 2023. 

Fr Cameron Forbes lectures in moral theology at Catholic Theological College. He is chaplain to the Melbourne Catholic Lawyers Association, the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and also the Victorian horse-racing fraternity.  

VICE RECTOR AND FORMATOR

Rev BRIAN NIChols

Fr Brian was ordained for the Archdiocese of Hobart in 1980 after doing his preparation for priestly ministry at Corpus Christi seminary, Clayton.

He took on the role of Vice Rector and formator in 2021. Prior to this for many years, he taught Liturgy and Sacramental Theology at Catholic Theological College, East Melbourne, and stayed at the seminary one night a week during each semester.

His life as a priest has been quite varied. His first appointment was to the parish of Glenorchy, Tasmania, before he was sent for three years to the Pontifical Institute for Liturgy in Rome for further study. His subsequent appointments were: three years as assistant priest in Bellerive, four years as Parish Priest at the Bridgewater parish, three years on the seminary staff in Brisbane, seventeen years as Administrator of St Mary’s Cathedral in Hobart and six years as parish priest of the Hobart parish of Sandy Bay.

Fr Brian considers it is a privilege to be asked to play some part in preparing candidates for ordained ministry in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and to contribute to paving a way for future models of seminary life designed to assist those in formation to meet the demands and challenges of proclaiming Christ and his Gospel to God’s people.

First-year Formator and director of pastoral formation

Rev daryl Montecillo

Fr Daryl studied at Corpus Christi College and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Melbourne by Archbishop Denis Hart in 2015. He began as First Year Formator in 2024 and Director of Pastoral Formation in 2025.

Born in the Philippines and moving to Australia as an infant, he is the eldest of three siblings. He trained and worked as a nurse before discerning a priestly vocation. Eucharistic Adoration and attending World Youth Day were key factors in his discernment.

Fr Daryl has served in a diverse range of pastoral experiences before his appointment to the seminary staff in 2024. He was Parish Priest of Corio-Lara in the Geelong Region from 2020-2024 and had previously served in suburban, rural, and regional parishes, full-time chaplain to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter McCallum Cancer Institute, as well as chaplain to Deakin University, Geelong, and a regional promoter on the Vocations Team, and before beginning in the Pastoral Formation role, was Spiritual Advisor to the State Council of the St Vincent de Paul Society. He is also currently a member of the Archbishop’s Council of Priests.

Fr Daryl enjoys all things cricket, watching the Bombers, getting along to a theatre show or a good movie and working on his newfound hobbies of learning to play the piano and tending his growing collection of indoor plants.

formator

MS MARIA O’DONNELL  

Maria was born in England, of Irish parents and moved to Australia at the age of five.  Maria grew up with three older brothers in Adelaide.  She was educated at St Johns Primary School by Dominicans, Marymount College by the Good Samaritans and by the Marist Brothers at Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park.  The Mercy sisters were a crucial part of her life in the Parish of St Mary’s at Morphett Vale.

Maria worked in a variety of settings – hospital, university and a legal firm before deciding to study.  She initially studied psychology and then changed to teaching.  After finishing her teacher training, her life took a different path and she worked for a number of years in Team Ministry in the Benalla Parish.  During this time, she continued studying for her Masters in Theological Studies.

Maria was married for 24 years and when her son, Brendan began VCE studies in Benalla, she decided to move back into the area of teaching.  She has taught VCE Religious Education, Psychology, Health and Human Development and Physical Education.

In 2018 she took up the position of Dean and Deputy Principal at St Mary’s College at the University of Melbourne before beginning her work here at Corpus Christi College on the Formation Team in 2021.

Maria’s enjoys sport, reading, hiking, gardening and sharing a meal with friends in her spare time.

DEAN OF STUDIES

Rev Dr Trevor Tibbertsma

Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Fr Trevor moved to Melbourne after high school. For two years he volunteered for Youth Mission Team Australia, and inspired by good priests, decided to enter the seminary, commencing at Corpus Christi College in 2010. In 2013 he was asked to continue his seminary formation in Rome where he was formed at the Pontifical North American College. Whilst there, Fr Trevor completed his Bachelor of Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

In 2017, Fr Trevor was ordained a priest by Archbishop Denis Hart, and upon his return from studies in Rome served as an assistant priest at St Monica’s, Moonee Ponds, St Oliver’s, Pascoe Vale, and at St Patrick’s Cathedral where he was also Master of Ceremonies. In 2021, Fr Trevor was then asked to pursue doctoral studies at Durham University in the United Kingdom. He completed his doctorate, focusing on the prophet Baruch, in early 2024, and during this year was Administrator of Sacred Heart Parish, Kew.

Alongside his role at Corpus Christi College, which he commenced in 2025, Fr Trevor is a lecturer in Biblical Studies and biblical languages at Catholic Theological College. In addition to his skills in biblical languages, he also has competencies in Italian and German. Fr Trevor is a member of both the International Society for the Study of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature and the Fellowship of Biblical Studies.

spiritual director

REV PROF EMER TERENCE KENNEDY CSsR

Born in Mansfield, Fr Terence became a professed member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1963 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. After ordination, he preached parish missions and retreats around Australia.

He was then sent to Rome for further studies in moral theology, completing both his licentiate and doctorate at the Alphonsianum Academy. After returning to Australia and spending a few further years preaching parish missions and retreats, Fr Terence was again posted to Rome in 1984 to teach at his alma mater, continuing as professor there until 2018. In addition, he served as Professor Invitatus at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1987-2009.

Fr Terence also assisted as an expert for the 1998 Synod for Oceania and is a prolific author. He has published widely in both English and Italian, writing ten books and over seventy academic articles. His publications cover a range of areas, including: the work of Michael Polanyi, Charles Taylor, St Alphonsus Liguori and St Thomas Aquinas, natural law, the role of Tradition in moral theology, and the relationship between science and religion. 

He commenced his role as Corpus Christi College’s Spiritual Director in August 2023.

public speaking coach

dr maureen saclot

Maureen completed both her Bachelor and Master of Arts in Communication Arts at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. She then took up a research scholarship at Okayama University in Japan where she focussed on Phonetics. Maureen went on to complete a Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (Higher Education) at Swinbourne University of Technology and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Linguistics at the University of Melbourne.

Maureen has had extensive experience in tertiary education, including working with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and in educational management roles. Currently, along with coaching the seminarians in public speaking, Maureen is the Registrar of Catholic Theological College.

Outside of her work, Maureen is an active parishioner of St Brigid’s Parish North Fitzroy where she is particularly involved in liturgical music. Moreover, Maureen is a lay member of the I Thirst Movement with the Missionaries of Charity.