10/08/2026
FR EUGENE STOCKTON
(30 November 1934 - 5 August 2026)
CIS pays tribute to Fr Eugene Stockton, who died on 5 August 2026. His role in the flourishing of CIS from the early days of the faculty deserves to be noted. After the ecclesiastical faculty was established in 1954, he was among its first graduates. After the authority to grant the Doctorate in Sacred Theology (STD) was granted to CIS by the Holy See, Fr Eugene Stockton was the first to graduate STD. His thesis was on the Holy Spirit in the writings of St John. The theme of the Holy Spirit was not only the focus of his biblical scholarship but also shaped his life more broadly. Over two decades, he taught Sacred Scripture and Biblical languages, first at the campus at St Columba’s College Springwood from 1962 to 1964 and then at St Patrick’s College Manly from 1968 to 1984.
Biblical Studies led him into archaeology, and he went on to earn a doctorate in Archaeology and Semitic Studies from the University of Sydney. He had previously gained the Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (LSS) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and a Diploma from the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem. There were regular trips to the Holy Land for archaeological work. This led to a series of publications on the typology of Middle Eastern prehistory and culture.
His archaeological work was not confined to the Middle East; he also did important work in the Blue Mountains of NSW, tapping into the ancient culture of the first peoples of this land. This led to publications on the chronology and character of cultural change in Australia. Like most things Eugene did, this was never simply an academic exercise. In 1968 he was appointed the first chaplain to the Aboriginal community in Sydney.
In 1967 CIS had established the Mater Dei Institute for religious women and men, which gave them the opportunity to undertake a year of theological studies. Not long after its beginning, Fr Eugene Stockton became its director. During these years he was also chaplain at the University of Sydney. It was during this time that his engagement with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal began.
In his retirement years, he lived as a hermit in Lawson in the Blue Mountains. He continued to write across the areas that had shaped his life. Among the works from this period were The Aboriginal Gift: Spirituality for a Nation and Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage. Other publications tapped into the mystical, such as Wonder: A Way to God and The Wisdom of Age: Reflection on growing old in the Blue Mountains. In 2023, his story was told in Eugene Stockton: Blue Mountains Hermit, eds William W. Emilsen and Peter J. Smith.
May he rest in peace.
