Pints is free and encourages all adults, particularly those 18-35 years, to come along and listen to guest speakers, meet new people and discuss issues and ideas in an informal atmosphere. Arrive at 6.30pm and get some pub grub prior to the talk which kicks off at 7.30pm.
This month, May 2016, Pints hosts Fr Morgan Batt. Fr Morgan Batt is a priest of the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
Fr Batt was ordained a Catholic priest on 29 November 1991. His appointments have been to several Brisbane parishes with extra appointments to Bishop’s Committees for Youth and Education. Fr Batt was also Parish Priest of St John’s Richmond and Port Arthur, Tasmania, during the 1996 massacre which has been a life-changing time for him. Fr Morgan also served as chaplain to the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane for six years. He has studied in Spain, Belgium, Palestine and USA.
On 11 March 2002 Morgan Batt enlisted in the Army Reserve as Chaplain. His first posting was to the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, Brisbane. After three years, he was asked to enlist full-time. His postings have been to Darwin 1st Armoured Regiment, then to the 5th and 7th Royal Australian Regiment (RAR), and 2008 posted to the Warrant Officer and Non-Commissioned Officer Academy – Northern Territory Wing and later the 1st Aviation Regiment. He has served on two deployments: Australian Stabilisation Forces in Timor Leste in 2006, and Overwatch Battle Group 3 (West) Iraq and the Middle East in 2007. During his time in Iraq he worked closely with the USA troops and was awarded the US Army Commendation Medal for his services − the first Australian Army Chaplain to receive this medal. Currently Fr Batt is the Army Headquarters Staff Chaplain for the Queensland Region.
Fr Morgan is also a well-known outdoor adventurer. He is a noted international alpine mountaineer, having summited the North Face of Everest and climbed on thousands of mountains around the world. His aim in mountaineering is to summit the highest peak of every nation and major territory in the world. The list of mountains has seen Fr Morgan visit every continent in the world and to date he has summited 176 of his 268 countries and territories.
Fr Morgan Batt has also been entered as a magistral chaplain in the Sovereign Military Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. Today Fr Morgan’s ministry is as Vocations Director of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Director of Discernment Canali House, and Holy Spirit Seminary Director of Pastoral Studies.
As a priest for 25 years, an Army chaplain, and a mountaineer, there are some great stories to be told that will touch the human heart and soul – he will make you laugh and make you cry! In this Year of Mercy, Fr Morgan tells the tender-hearted story of his life with a purpose at Pints with a Purpose.