It was only when Fr Chris Webb faced a long jail sentence that he began to discover true freedom. “I am a child of mercy”, he radiates as he shares his journey from darkness to new life.
Now assigned to the All Saints parish in Greenwood it is difficult to imagine a time when this perpetually grinning priest’s life was not full of joy. But there was a time.
Born in 1969 in Subiaco to ‘Ten Pound Poms,’ Fr Webb’s upbringing was completely alien to the Catholic identity that would one day transform his life.
“I was never baptised, I attended an Anglican school that promoted philosophy and I lived in an interesting blend of step-family”, he recalls.
“Although my mother had an Irish/Catholic upbringing herself, she drifted into the New Age scene and my understanding of spirituality was restricted to dancing and vegetarian beans”, he chuckles.
The seed for his spiritual transformation was planted after a horrific car accident when he watched from the passenger seat as his best friend bled to death after a lamp-post had crushed his head.
The tragedy had deep ramifications on his outlook on life and within a short time he had fallen in love, was setting his eyes toward marriage and was baptised in the Anglican Church.
However with a debt of $18,000 hanging over his head his attention was drawn to a book, “Creating Money”, and he believes he revoked the graces of his Baptism by channelling spirits promising him worldly riches.
Within a week Fr Chris had met a Korean businessman who introduced him to the world of commercial Real Estate and for the next six months, a Hollywood-type lifestyle.
“I was living the highlife of penthouses, parties, expensive restaurants, chauffeur driven limousines and even bodyguards”, he recalls.
Caught up in this self-indulgent existence Fr Chris chose to ignore the increasingly blurred lines of legal and illegal dealings and his extravagant lifestyle was turned on its head when he found Federal Police and the Major Fraud Squad on his doorstep.
It triggered a period of darkness and placed him at a spiritual crossroad.
With his relationship finished and newspapers referring to him as the ‘1.2 million dollar man’ in relation to his six charges for fraud, Fr Chris’ lawyer, Robert Mazza (now Justice of the Supreme Court in WA) informed him he would likely be serving 5-10 years jail if found guilty of any charges.
His Korean associate and a senior bank executive where later to receive seven and three year sentences respectively.
It was to be 18 months until the court case and Fr Chris had nowhere else to turn but on his knees.
In a moment of complete desolation he pleaded from the depths of his heart, “If you’re there God, I need your help”.
Soon after his desperate plea he attended a Retreat weekend at the North Perth monastery and whilst staring at a statue of Mary he experienced a moment of indescribable intimacy through a vision of Jesus and His Mother and tangibly felt freed from the presence of darkness that had ensnared him. He knew he had found his home.
Fr Chris’ mother returned to the Catholic church at this time and invited him to a Cenacle. His faith blossomed and he soon completed an RCIA course and began to associate with fellow believers.
When he attended a conference during 1994 he stood up when participants where asked if anyone felt called to the priesthood.
He knew he had the possibility of a jail sentence hanging over his head, but decided he would make himself available and leave the rest in God’s hands.
He began volunteering at an AIDS Hospice and when he ventured onto the streets of Perth to minister to homeless people with the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community he discovered a love for those whose lives had been traumatised.
“Having been broken myself I was able to recognise the pain in others”, he said.
Although many had been praying for him and he had himself been asking for the intercession of St Jude (“The patron of hopeless causes”, he smiles) he knew he faced a tough judge and his prospects of freedom were not good.
His slim chances dwindled further when he was found guilty on three counts.
Fr Chris said that the outcome was best summed up by Judge Robert Mazza years later in reply to the invitation to his first Mass, “I’ve never seen such an impressive case of salvation”, he wrote.
In delivering his sentencing the presiding judge had even questioned his own assessment. “I don’t know why I am not sending you to prison”, he said, “but instead I will apply a maximum community sentence”. He was also given a spent conviction so no record would be held.
With a heavy burden lifted, Fr Chris realised he could start life over – this time with his eyes focused on God. He completed his 240 hours community service at a YMCA centre – very close to where his friend had died years before.
Fr Chris then turned his attention to the priesthood, desiring to begin his vocation in Rome with the Family of Mary, but his probation officer had other ideas.
“He informed me that I wasn’t legally permitted to leave the state for two years”, he shared. “It was another obstacle I simply had to surrender to God”.
However with continuing prayer from friends and a recommendation from Archbishop Hickey, Fr Chris found himself in Rome two months after his Probation began.
“The whole ordeal was quite a shock for my Probation Officer”, he says with a laugh. “The Family of Mary had mission stations throughout Europe and it was the first time [my parole officer] had ever received probation letters from overseas – let alone Siberia or Kazakhstan”.
It was a five year period of spiritual and communal joy where Fr Chris “learnt how to re-live life”. However a heavy sadness was to follow when he discovered he would not be invited to continue his priestly formation. “It was like I had fallen in love and then had my heart broken”, he reflects.
Determined to fulfil a call he knew to be from God he returned to Perth and entered St Charles Seminary in 2001. His joy was short-lived, however, when it was discerned his future did not lie there.
“It made me question my vocation”, he said, “and I found myself on a Pallotine Mission at Tardun, where I spent six months as a house parent for Aboriginal children and teenagers”. He eventually made his way back to Perth and supported himself through house cleaning.
Unsure of where his life was heading Fr Chris initiated a project where he gathered unsold food from several cafes each day and delivered it to those living on the streets.
He established a rapport with many of the young which led to their catechesis and the baptism of some. He is still in contact with his godchildren today.
Still searching for long term direction and with the fire of priesthood not yet extinguished he approached Archbishop Hickey, who had always been supportive of his journey.
The Archbishop sent Fr Chris back to Rome, this time to pursue his vocation with more mature-aged candidates.
Having finally completed his training, he emerged from what he describes as “a 17 year darkness” and was ordained to the priesthood in Perth in August 2011.
Despite the difficulties and obstacles he had encountered on his journey, Fr Chris can now recognise the hand of God at work throughout the tough times.
“There were moments of supernatural guidance along the way”, he recalls, also listing a series of significant moments that had fallen on feast days or days devoted to Mary.
“However I came to understand that I couldn’t rely on supernatural encounters – faith is what we really need”. It is a faith that generates the joy, passion and love for Christ and others he radiates today.
Fr Chris attributes his transformation to prayer, especially Mass, which he acknowledges as prayer’s highest and most perfect form.
“We are able to unite in Jesus’ offering of Himself to His Father”, he says, leaning forward enthusiastically. “Selflessness may seem senseless but it is the imitation of Christ. It is what we are all called to do”.
He believes it is easy to complicate our relationship with God, but suggests the reality is quite the opposite.
“We simply need to see our relationship with God as a loving father sees his child” he says.
“He is just wanting us to spend time with him”. Which is why this affable priest makes sure he spends at least three hours a day in prayer.
“Complete surrender is the only way to true freedom”, he beams – and that’s coming from someone who knows.