Paul Stenhouse (12 September 1935 – 13 November 2019) was an Australian Roman Catholic priest of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan), journalist, and educator. He is most prominently known for his long‑term editorship of The Catholic Weekly, the newspaper of the Sydney Archdiocese, a position he held from 1975 until his retirement in 2018.
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Stenhouse entered the Franciscan novitiate in 1954 and was ordained a priest in 1961. Early in his ministry he served in parish and school settings, including a tenure as teacher and later principal at St John’s Regional College, Campbelltown. In the mid‑1970s he was appointed editor of The Catholic Weekly, where he oversaw the paper’s expansion in circulation and coverage, emphasizing both religious reporting and broader social issues. Under his leadership the newspaper received several accolades from the Catholic Press Association of Australia.
Beyond journalism, Stenhouse authored and contributed to a number of Catholic publications and was involved in ecumenical and inter‑faith dialogues within the Australian community. In recognition of his service to the Church and to journalism, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours.
Stenhouse retired from the editorship in 2018 and passed away in 2019. His legacy is noted for strengthening Catholic media in Australia and fostering engagement between the Church and the wider public.
