Geoffrey King was born in Sydney in 1943, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1960. After novitiate and philosophy studies, he studied in the School of History at the University of Melbourne, graduating with first-class honours in 1968.

In 1969 and 1970 he taught at St Aloysius' College, Milsons Point, NSW. He returned to Melbourne, this time to Jesuit Theological College, in 1971 for theology studies, graduating BD from the Melbourne College of Divinity in 1974. He was ordained to the priesthood in December 1973.

In 1975 he entered the School of Canon Law at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC, obtaining the licentiate in 1977. He then returned to JTC and taught canon law for a semester. He completed his doctorate at CUA in 1979, his thesis being on the reception of law.

From 1979 to 1989 he taught canon law and medieval history in the United Faculty of Theology, and canon law at Yarra Theological Union.

He did a great deal of consultancy with religious congregations on the revision of their constitutions and was a consultant in the revision of the Code of Canon Law. He was Rector of the Jesuit community at JTC from 1982 to 1987, and in 1986 and 1987 was presenter of the programme Crossways on Melbourne radio.

In 1988 he spent a year of study leave based in Hong Kong, doing research on the canonical aspects of the Catholic Church in China. In 1989 he became Director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila, Philippines, a post that he continued to hold until 1996. During that time he was Moderator of the Executive Committee of the Catholic Biblical Federation from 1990 to 1996. He also taught in Japan, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

In 1995 he participated in the 34th General Congregation of the Jesuits as the elected representative of the Australian Province. During the Congregation he chaired the Law Revision Commission, thus playing a major part in the first formal revision of the Jesuit Constitutions ever undertaken. Subsequently he was invited to speak on the work of the Congregation in the provinces of Japan, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit and Australia, and in the regions of Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.

In 1997-98 he was Visiting Fellow in the Jesuit Institute at Boston College, working on issues of human rights and culture. He returned to Jesuit Theological College in 1998, this time as Principal, and also teaching in the fields of canon law, church history and moral theology. He has continued his Asian contacts, teaching each year in Indonesia and at the East Asian Pastoral Institute. He completed his term as JTC Principal at the end of 2004.

In 2003 the Australian Jesuit Provincial appointed him as his Delegate for Professional Standards, dealing with complaints of sexual and other abuse in the context of Jesuit ministries.

In addition, Fr King has regularly assisted in parishes on weekends. His main association has been with parishes in the archdiocese of Melbourne, Gisborne from 1980 to 1989, and Werribee from 1999 to the present, and with the parish of Our Lady of Aranzazu, San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines, from 1989 to 1996. In addition he has worked in parishes in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany, and Oxon Hill, Maryland, and Arcadia, California in the United States.

Beyond such pastoral and academic commitments, he maintains a more than passing interest in:

• horseracing,
• cricket,
• the Collingwood Football Club,
• beer, and
• chamber music.

He resides at the presbytery of St Ignatius' Church in Richmond, Victoria.