Parish Staff - Maroochydore Catholic Parish

Meet our Staff

Parish Clergy

Fr Peter Brannelly

Parish Priest

Peter Brannelly was raised on the Southside of Brisbane, the first born son of Kevin & Betty Brannelly, older brother of Jo-Anne, Louise and John. He was educated at the parish schools of St Joseph’s, Kangaroo Point, St Elizabeth’s, Ekibin and St Bernard’s Upper Mt Gravatt before going on to complete his primary and then secondary education at Clairvaux College.

After completing his senior year, Peter worked briefly in the bank before entering Pius XII Provincial Seminary at Banyo in 1981 to commence his studies for the priesthood. On 10 February 1989, Peter was ordained a priest by Archbishop Francis Rush at St Bernard’s Church, Upper Mt Gravatt. Fr Peter’s first appointment was as Assistant Priest to St Edward the Confessor Parish at Daisy Hill, followed by Our Lady of Lourdes at Sunnybank. On completion of his term at Sunnybank, Fr Peter was appointed Administrator of St Francis Xavier Parish at Goodna in 1994 and Administrator of St William’s Parish at Grovely in 1995.

With Archbishop Bathersby’s support and blessing, Fr Peter volunteered to work in the mission Diocese of St John-Basseterre (Antigua) in the West Indies in 1995. For the next 11 years, he was pastor of the islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda and the people of the British Virgin Islands. During this time the new church of St William’s in the capital of Road Town was built.

On his return to the Brisbane Archdiocese in 2006, Fr Brannelly served briefly at Burleigh Heads before being appointed as the foundation Parish Priest of the Jubilee Parish with the responsibility of completing the process of amalgamating the historic city fringe parishes of Ashgrove, Bardon, Herston, Newmarket, Red Hill and Rosalie. After 11 years at Jubilee, Archbishop Coleridge appointed Fr Brannelly as Dean of the Cathedral of St Stephen in July 2017. Two years later, Fr Peter was appointed as the Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Rosary Caloundra, where he served for four years and celebrated the Parish's Golden Jubilee. In 2022, Fr Peter took up his new appointment as the Parish Priest of Stella Maris Catholic Parish.

Fr Gerard Lai

Associate Pastor

Gerard Lai grew up in Logan, south of Brisbane and comes from a Malaysian-Chinese background. Faith, family, food and hospitality were all important parts of his upbringing. His family attended St Paul's Woodridge and St Edwards Daisy Hill and Gerard completely secondary school at Clairvaux MacKillop College. In his younger years, Gerard dreamed of playing for the Socceroos. He also considered becoming a police officer, a teacher, and even a scientist.

After graduating high school, Gerard completed two years of missionary work on a National Evangelisation Team before pursuing studies in Science, Majoring in Biology at QUT. With hopes to help save the planet by researching renewable energies and biofortification. During the final two years of his degree, Gerard felt a nudge from God to discern the priesthood and joined the seminary after completing his degree in 2017.

Prior to his ordination to the priesthood, Gerard spent his time as a Deacon ministering at Cleveland Parish. His first appointment as Assistant Priest was at Caloundra Parish 2023 where he served for three years before taking up his new appointment as Associate Pastor for Maroochydore Parish in June 2026.

Outside of ministry, Fr Gerard loves being outdoors. If he's not in a church, office or school, he can found near the water with a fishing rod in hand. He also enjoys, surfing, hiking, running and overall, staying active. He enjoys a challenge and is always looking for new ways to push himself physically and mentally. He is also a science enthusiast and has always been fascinated by how the world works and how creation reveals the wisdom and creativity of God.

His favourite scripture is the Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field (Matt 13:44).

If you see Fr Gerard around at one of our four churches, make sure to say hello, he would love to meet you. Extra brownie points of you can share some good secret fishing locations.

Bp Brian Henan

Bishop Emeritus

During his twenty-two years as Bishop of Rockhampton, Bishop Heenan strove to bring alive his motto “Where there is love there is God”. He was the ninth Bishop of the Diocese and the longest serving, his Episcopate covering the years 1991-2013. His Episcopate in Rockhampton Diocese was a time of great change. He continued in the tradition of Bishop Rush and Bishop Wallace before him, and was quick to implement the decisions of the Second Vatican Council in his own Diocese, in particular, to ensure that the voices of all members of the Diocesan family were heard in Diocesan affairs. During this period, due to the diminishing numbers of priests, parishes were put into clusters so that pastoral administration could be carried out more efficiently. A Diocesan Assembly in 2009 was one of many during Bishop Brian’s Episcopate, and saw the development and implementation of a Pastoral Plan for the years 2009-2014. In 2009 he commenced the restoration of St Joseph’s Cathedral to restore it to its original glory and provide a strong foundation for years to come.

Bishop Brian Heenan was born on 4 August 1937 and grew up in Ashgrove, Brisbane. He was educated at the Marist College and from there attended Pius XII Seminary at Banyo.

Bishop Heenan was ordained into the priesthood on 29 June 1962, and served in many parishes, and was the Director of Continuing Education of Clergy in the Archdiocese of Brisbane. He was appointed Bishop of Rockhampton on 23 July 1991 by Pope John Paul II and later that year on 25 September he was ordained by Archbishop Francis Rush.

One of Bishop Heenan’s most obvious gifts is his pastoral nature. His care and concern for one and all was evident in his travels throughout our wide Diocese. The emphasis of Bishop Heenan’s Episcopate, and one which will be his legacy, was to train and educate local communities and empower them into active ministry.

Bishop Brian retired on 1 October 2013. Bp Brian celebrates Mass in our community on Sundays at St Mary's Buderim and St Catherine of Siena Sippy Downs. He also has played a big role in many of our Confirmation ceremonies.

Fr Michael Khoury

Maronite Chaplain

Michael Khoury was born and raised in South Africa, where his Lebanese family heritage and Maronite Catholic roots shaped his early faith life. Baptised in the Maronite Church, he grew up attending Maronite liturgies regularly, while also becoming deeply involved in his local Latin Rite parish. There, he joined the youth group, attended weekday Mass, and nurtured a growing love for the Church.

After finishing high school, Michael began discerning a vocation to the priesthood. However, God’s plan soon unfolded differently—he met his future wife and together they embraced the vocation of marriage. Over the years, they raised five children and remained active members of both their Maronite parish and their children’s Latin Rite school community. Michael generously shared his gifts by teaching catechism, leading the parish choir and participating in various ministries.

In 2013, following a renewed period of discernment and study, Michael was ordained a deacon in South Africa. That same year, he and his family moved to Australia, where they became part of the Stella Maris Parish while also remaining connected to the Maronite community. Michael now serves primarily at St Maroun’s Church in Greenslopes, Brisbane. After receiving bi‑ritual faculties, he has also faithfully assisted in the Stella Maris Parish for several years. Many of our young parishioners were baptised by him and he continues to support our priests at Masses and liturgies.

Last year, the Maronite Bishop in Sydney invited Michael to undertake further study and formation with the goal of ordination to the priesthood. In the Maronite Rite, married men may be ordained priests, though they cannot marry once ordained. With humility and trust, Michael accepted this call and begun his formation.

Fr Michael was ordained a priest in the Maronite rite on May 9, 2026 at St Maroun's Maronite Church Greenslopes. Our parish had its first Maronite Mass celebrated by Fr Michael at St Mary's Buderim on June 11, 2026.