Francis Roberts Rush
Francis Roberts Rush (1916–2001) was an Australian Catholic bishop. He served as Archbishop of Brisbane from 1973 to 1991 and had been Bishop of Rockhampton since 1960.
Rush was born in Townsville, Queensland, on 11 September 1916, to Thomas Rush and Mary (née Roberts). He was ordained a priest in Rome on 18 March 1939 and then served at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Townsville from 1939 to 1945.
In 1960 he became Bishop of Rockhampton, where he carried out many reforms from the Second Vatican Council. He was appointed Archbishop of Brisbane on 5 March 1973, succeeding Patrick Mary O'Donnell. Rush retired on 3 December 1991 and lived in Brisbane until his death on 21 July 2001.
His funeral was held at the Cathedral of St Stephen in Brisbane on 27 July 2001, presided by Archbishop John Bathersby. Nearly 1,000 people attended, with many more standing in the aisles to say farewell.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:33 (CET).