Dr Bob a priest for the ages
Obituaries
Monsignor Robert Rice: Born April 9 1932, died October 16 2025
Robert John Rice was born in Adelaide, the second child of Ignatius Rice and Annie de Britta Reid.
Ignatius was employed by the South Australian Railways so the family moved regularly and lived in railway houses: Jamestown, where Robert began school, Wolseley, Terowie and finally Keswick, where Ignatius was assistant station master at Mile End. He died in 1952.
In Adelaide, Robert (known by many as Bob) attended Rostrevor College where he was head prefect. In 1950 he began his studies for the priesthood at St Francis Xavier Seminary in Adelaide and completed them in Sydney at St Patrick’s College, Manly. He was ordained in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral on July 21 1956.
Following his appointments as assistant priest at Brighton and St Peters, Robert was appointed administrator of the parish of Glenelg (1966-74), parish priest of Mount Gambier and dean of the South East (1974-1985), parish priest of Edwardstown (1985-1994), parish priest of Croydon (1994-2003) and parish priest of St Mary’s (2003-2007).
He played a full part in the life of the Archdiocese, its organisations and committees, and served for
17 years on the Council of Consultors. In recognition of his service, in 2005 the Pope appointed Robert a Prelate of Honour, with the title of Monsignor.
At the celebration of the golden jubilee of his ordination in 2006 Archbishop Wilson described him as one of the most loved priests in the Archdiocese.
Robert had an inquiring mind. Seminary education in the 1950s was based upon lectures (some of them delivered in Latin) and rote-learning. Manly Seminary did not expose its students to modern scholarship. Later, Robert resumed study by doing a diploma course from Sydney in Catholic theology.
In 1981 the Archdiocese awarded him a Jordan-Kennedy scholarship which enabled him to study for two years in the United States at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He was exposed to modern Catholic scholarship in biblical studies, moral theology and church history – a turning point in his intellectual and spiritual life.
He proved himself to be a capable scholar and in 1983 graduated with a Master’s degree in Theology.
Robert returned to South Australia keen to embark on a doctoral degree. He enrolled at Flinders University, through the Adelaide College of Divinity, to write a thesis, as a part-time student, on the ecclesiology of the Catholic bishops of Adelaide. He also attended a course in Australian religious history at Flinders University. Dr David Hilliard, one of his teachers, became a lifelong friend.
The demands of parish life eventually forced him to withdraw from his PhD candidature. However, in his spare time he continued to research the subject. Between 1995 and 2011 he published 11 articles in The Australasian Catholic Record on the theology of each of Adelaide’s bishops and archbishops.
After his retirement from parish ministry in 2007 Robert was able to resume doctoral studies. He enrolled at Flinders University to undertake a thesis on James Gleeson, Archbishop of Adelaide from 1971 to 1985. He was supervised by Dr Josephine Laffin and Dr Hilliard.
At the age of 87 Robert was awarded the PhD in 2019. His thesis was a significant contribution to the history of the Catholic Church in Australia. Subsequently he wrote the entry on James Gleeson in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
As a young priest Robert was enthusiastic about the reforms initiated by Vatican Council II. While appreciating the strengths of the pre-conciliar church he was also aware of its weaknesses and did not look back on it with nostalgia.
He was a strong supporter of Pope Francis and his vision for the Catholic Church. In each of his parishes, in ecumenical bodies, Robert had friendly relations with the clergy of other denominations and they in turn valued his contribution to discussions and his personal warmth. From 1993 to 1997 he was deputy chair of the Diocesan Commission for Ecumenism.
In his latter years, living in Bellevue Heights, Robert undertook a supply ministry in the Archdiocese, almost every weekend celebrating Mass in suburban parishes during vacancies or when the priest was ill or on holiday.
He kept up serious reading. For international Catholic news and book reviews he valued his subscription to the English Catholic weekly The Tablet. To the end of his life when preparing his Sunday homilies – rarely more than 10 minutes in length – he researched the biblical text of the readings and consulted trusted commentaries to explain their meaning to his congregation.
Robert was a well-rounded priest, interested in the world outside the Church and with a remarkable ability to relate to people from very different backgrounds. He was a passionate supporter of the Crows. While assistant priest at St Peters his parish priest ordered him to join a golf club, to ensure that he got out of the parish during his day off and mix with other people. He joined the Grange Golf Club and (except for his years in Mount Gambier) was a member, playing weekly, until shortly before his death.
During his ministry Robert owed much to Jan Hulme who was his loyal housekeeper for 50 years.
Robert’s family was important to him. He was a very proud uncle and loved his sister Patricia’s family as his own. Christmas celebration with family was a priority, after celebrating Christmas morning Mass, whether it meant travelling to the family home of Patricia in Adelaide or flying to Sydney to his niece Anne’s family home or to the family home of his nephew Kevin.
He marked every family milestone – births, marriages, birthdays and graduations. He is much missed and well-remembered and celebrated by his family.
– David Hilliard and Anne Toohey-Michelis
