In Memory of Fr Michael Tate AO

The generation and extinguishing of conditions within the secular all have profound meaning.

On 5 June 2026, Fr Michael Tate passed away peacefully in Hobart at the age of eighty. Upon receiving this news, what arose in my heart was not only grief, but also a deep sense of gratitude — gratitude that in the course of this life, we were blessed with such a spiritual friend, who accompanied us for a time with his sincerity and light.

Fr Tate’s life was itself a living testament of spiritual practice. He distinguished himself in the fields of law and politics, serving for fifteen years as a Federal Senator and holding the positions of Attorney-General and Ambassador to the Holy See. He was also awarded the Order of Australia (AO). Yet worldly honours could not detain a heart that yearned to return to its true source. In his fifties, he resolutely set aside everything and was ordained to the priesthood in 2000. Thereafter, he devoted himself to the pastoral care of the faithful and established the “Camino of St James” pilgrimage in the Huon Valley. From statesman to priest, this was not merely a change in career, but the homecoming of a soul.

My connection with Fr Tate began within the interfaith community of Tasmania. On 16 January 2005, the Indian Ocean tsunami claimed countless precious lives. In the midst of pain and shock, our fellow human beings far away cried out for Heaven’s mercy. On that solemn occasion, the World Headquarters of the Holy Tantra Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism, together with various religious groups in Tasmania, jointly organised an interfaith memorial service. Fr Tate attended as the representative of the Catholic Church, while I was present in the spirit of Buddhist compassion. On that day, sacred chants and hymns intermingled, Buddha’s light and the Holy Spirit shone together. Practitioners of different faiths were united in shared compassion. That encounter remains forever etched in my memory — though we called upon different names, we were pointing toward the same source of love.

In the years that followed, we met several times at multicultural and interfaith gatherings in Tasmania. This February, at the Rotary Club of Sandy Bay’s “World Peace and Understanding Dinner,” Fr Tate spoke eloquently on the theme “The Politics of Peace,” his words revealing a practitioner’s profound compassion for the world. It was not the speech of a politician, but the response of a shepherd to human suffering. Little did we know it would be our final meeting.

Buddhism speaks of “compassion”; Catholicism speaks of “charity.” Buddhism refers to “all sentient beings in the Dharma realm”; Catholicism refers to “the children of God.” Though the terms differ, the compassionate aspiration is one and the same. Through his entire life, Fr Tate demonstrated that authentic spiritual practice must flow into service and care for others. This resonates deeply with the bodhisattva vow of my own tradition: “to seek the Buddha Way above and transform sentient beings below.”

Between life and death there is but a single thought. May the love and peace that Fr Tate upheld be transformed into eternal light, continuing to shine upon every heart he ever touched.

Namo Amitabha Buddha

Respectfully

Bhagavan Zhi-Ji Vimalakirti