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Bishop Brian Heenan was born on 4 August 1937 and grew up in Ashgrove, Brisbane. He was
educated at the Marist College and fromthere attended the Pius XII Seminary in 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 a bishop on 23 July 1991 by Pope John
Paul II and on 25 September later that year he was ordained by Archbishop Francis Rush.
Bishop Heenan is currently a member of the Bishop's
Comission for Church Ministry and the Bishop's Commission for Relations with Aborigines and Torres
Strait Islanders.
One of Bishop Heenan's most obvious gifts is his pastoral nature. His care and concern for one and all is evident in his travels throughout our wide diocese. Faced with the dwindling number of priests, the emphasis of Bishop Heenan's epicopate, and one which will be his legacy, is to train and educate local communities and empower them into active ministry.
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 When Father Brian was ordained as Bishop, he chose the motto "Where there is
Love, there is God"
His Coat of Arms is divided vertically into two sections. As is the custom, the Arms of the Diocese and the Arms of
the Bishop are joined while he is Bishop of the Diocese. The arms of the Bishop appear on the right half of the shield
and those of the diocese on the left. These are surrounded by the Bishop's symbol of his office and his motto.
The arms of the Bishop are divided into three. The top third has a green shamrock on a gold background, symbolising
Ireland, the land of his ancestors
The bottom third depicts s golden wattle (Australia's floral emblem) on a green background. The middle third has a
boat travelling over the sea, and this is a symbolic of the physical journey from Ireland to Australia, as well as life's
journey towards God.
Behind the arms is placed a gold processional cross and surrounding the shield is a pontifical hat with six tassels in three
rows on each side - all in green. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of Bishop in accordance with
the Instruction of the Holy See.
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