Antony Sumich
Encyclopedia
Antony Sumich, F.S.S.P. (born 1964 in Auckland
, New Zealand
) is a former international Rugby Union
and Cricket
player for Croatia
, skiing
instructor and Rugby coach
, and is now a Catholic priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.
and he completed his training as a civil engineer
in Auckland in the 1980s. In 1989 he relocated to Europe, intending to live in Croatia, but because of the war
there, he went to Austria
and worked there for eight winters as a ski instructer, and elsewhere in Europe while coaching rugby. After the war, he became the coach of the Croatian national rugby team
. He also played Cricket for Croatia, being a member of the Croatian National Cricket team in 2001.
, which he "sat down on a beach and read" over one summer. "It all made sense". He started going to frequent Confession
and "finding a sense of shame which probably hadn't existed before". At age 34, Sumich set aside a year, praying intensely, including the 15 prayers of St Bridget of Sweden
and the Rosary
. At this time, he was the coach of the Croatian rugby team. "We would be playing at the Hong Kong Sevens
and my rosary [beads] would be in my pocket and I would finger it". Sumich liked to challenge his players. "I would say to them, 'strong moral life, strong character on the rugby field; weak moral life, and you are the first one to chuck the towel in when the going gets tough' ". Returning to New Zealand, Sumich found local liturgies very different from what he had become used to in Croatia. But, in Auckland, he was introduced to the "awe-inspiring" Tridentine Mass
celebrated by Father Denzil Meuli
at Titirangi
. Sumich "felt God's call and sought an order using this rite". He was accepted by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and went to their formation house, the International Seminary of St. Peter in Wigratzbad
-Opfenbach
, Bavaria
, but he did most of his studies in Denton
, Nebraska
at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
where he was ordained deacon
in March 2008.
, Auckland, by Bishop John Basil Meeking
, Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch
according to the "traditional Latin rite". He offered his first Mass on Advent
Sunday (30 December 2008); he was the first New Zealander to be ordained for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. After his priestly ordination he was stationed in Orlu
, Nigeria
where he also served following his ordination as a deacon.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) is a former international Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
player for Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
instructor and Rugby coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, and is now a Catholic priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.
Background and sport
Sumich was educated at St Peter's College, AucklandSt Peter's College, Auckland
St Peter's College is a Catholic college for year 7 to 13 boys . The school, located in Auckland, is one of the largest Catholic schools in New Zealand and is an integrated school under an integration agreement entered into by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and the Government of New Zealand in...
and he completed his training as a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
in Auckland in the 1980s. In 1989 he relocated to Europe, intending to live in Croatia, but because of the war
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
there, he went to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and worked there for eight winters as a ski instructer, and elsewhere in Europe while coaching rugby. After the war, he became the coach of the Croatian national rugby team
Croatia national rugby union team
The Croatia national rugby union team are the national rugby union team of Croatia. They are governed by the Croatian Rugby Union. Croatia have been playing internationals rugby since 1992, they have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.- Internationals :...
. He also played Cricket for Croatia, being a member of the Croatian National Cricket team in 2001.
Developing his faith
When the war had finished and Sumich returned to Croatia he found a "flourishing faith". "They had broken free from communism and the church was free". "Everyone had rosaries in their pockets." Sumich found himself "practising as a Catholic for the first time in my life, as distinct from just going to Sunday Mass". He wanted to know more about the Faith, because I'd just forgotten everything". His mother sent him a Catechism of the Catholic ChurchCatechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 — "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" — with his apostolic...
, which he "sat down on a beach and read" over one summer. "It all made sense". He started going to frequent Confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
and "finding a sense of shame which probably hadn't existed before". At age 34, Sumich set aside a year, praying intensely, including the 15 prayers of St Bridget of Sweden
Bridget of Sweden
Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...
and the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
. At this time, he was the coach of the Croatian rugby team. "We would be playing at the Hong Kong Sevens
Hong Kong Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens—a variant of rugby union....
and my rosary [beads] would be in my pocket and I would finger it". Sumich liked to challenge his players. "I would say to them, 'strong moral life, strong character on the rugby field; weak moral life, and you are the first one to chuck the towel in when the going gets tough' ". Returning to New Zealand, Sumich found local liturgies very different from what he had become used to in Croatia. But, in Auckland, he was introduced to the "awe-inspiring" Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
celebrated by Father Denzil Meuli
Denzil Meuli
Denzil Meuli is a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Auckland and a leading traditionalist Catholic in New Zealand.-Biography:...
at Titirangi
Titirangi
Titirangi is a suburb in the Waitakere Ward of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres to the southwest of the Auckland city centre, at the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges...
. Sumich "felt God's call and sought an order using this rite". He was accepted by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and went to their formation house, the International Seminary of St. Peter in Wigratzbad
Wigratzbad
Wigratzbad is a hamlet in the Lindau district of Bavaria, Germany. The village is 1 mile north of the town of Opfenbach, and south of Hergatz. It is situated on the ancient frontier of Bavaria and Swabia, a short distance from Germany's borders with Austria and Switzerland.-Marian apparitions:The...
-Opfenbach
Opfenbach
Opfenbach is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:Opfenbach is located in the Allgäu region, more precisely in the Westallgäu, about 15 km from Lindau. One of the districts of Opfenbach is Wigratzbad...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, but he did most of his studies in Denton
Denton, Nebraska
Denton is a village in Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 189 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Denton is located at ....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary is the second seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a Society of Apostolic Life in the Catholic Church....
where he was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in March 2008.
Priesthood
Sumich was ordained a priest on 29 November 2008, at St Michael's Church, RemueraRemuera
Remuera is a residential suburban area within Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located four kilometres to the southeast of the city centre...
, Auckland, by Bishop John Basil Meeking
John Basil Meeking
John Basil Meeking is the Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch, New Zealand and was the 7th Bishop of that see ....
, Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
according to the "traditional Latin rite". He offered his first Mass on Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
Sunday (30 December 2008); he was the first New Zealander to be ordained for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. After his priestly ordination he was stationed in Orlu
Orlu
Orlu is the third largest city in Southeast Nigeria's Imo State with an estimated population of 220,000. It has a long history and has played a critical role as the headquarters for humanitarian relief agencies during the Nigerian civil war....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
where he also served following his ordination as a deacon.