Ken Barker is an Australian Roman Catholic priest. He is the moderator of the

Missionaries of God's Love The Missionaries of God's Love (MGL) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation that came into being in Canberra, Australia in 1986. It is partnered with a lay organisation which is now called The Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community. It was foun ...

religious congregation and founder of the Young Men of God Movement. He received his training to become a priest from St Columba's College, Springwood, NSW and

St Patrick's College, Manly St Patrick's Seminary, Manly is a heritage-listed former residence of the Archbishop of Sydney and Roman Catholic Church seminary at 151 Darley Road, Manly, Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, Australia. The property was also known as ...

. He finished a degree in theology, graduating with honours. He then returned to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and finished his science degree. The Missionaries of God's Love (MGL) came into being in 1986 with a base in a suburban house in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. 20 years later, the MGL has more than 40 members, 13 ordained priests, two deacons, 16 at its seminary in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

which is overseen by Fr Chris Ryan. In addition to Canberra and Melbourne, in 2019 the Missionaries of God's Love have missions in Darwin,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, the Philippines and Indonesia. He is the author of 5 books ''His Name is Mercy'', ''Becoming Fire'', ''Radical Way of Love'', ''Amazing Love'', and the best-selling ''Young Men Rise Up''. His sixth book is called ''Go Set the World on Fire.'' In 2018, after being re-elected as head of the order he told members of his congregation that this would be his last term.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Ken 21st-century Australian Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic missionaries in Australia Founders of Catholic religious communities Living people Catholic University of America alumni Australian Roman Catholic missionaries 20th-century Australian Roman Catholic priests 1948 births