AN OVERVIEW

BEING NEIGHBOURS IN THE PACIFIC

To Be Neighbours

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.

Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.

Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.

Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.

Let it burn away the fog so that we can see beyond labels, beyond accents, gender, or skin color.

Let the warmth and brightness of the Sun melt our selfishness.

So that we can share the joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbours.

And let the light of the Sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbours.

Let the Earth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.

And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

The 31st gathering of Catholic Religious Australia (formerly ACLRI) was held at Rydges Hotel in the heart of Perth.  It drew more than 120 guests and participants from around Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and West Papua.

Mr Ben Taylor, a respected elder of the Noongar people, welcomed the Assembly to country and took part in a blessing ritual to open the gathering.

We will have the opportunity during these days to explore what it means to be neighbours in the Pacific (I know we are now not in the Pacific but on the shores of the Indian Ocean, nonetheless we all have neighbours and seek to be neighbours).  As religious we have an extraordinary wealth of networks.  We have networks upon networks, including our links with communities in our neighbouring countries. While our politicians relate in particular ways to the Pacific countries, here we want to stress our relations as brothers and sisters.  Meeting in solidarity as we do, we can be helped to understand more fully our place in the Church and our role as religious within our societies and within an increasingly globalised world.

 

from the opening address by CRA President Mark Raper SJ

 

CRA's guests travelled immense distances, and some received their visas only at the last minute. They are:

Sr Keiti Ann Kanongata'a from Tonga

Sr Mariska Kua RSM from PNG  (pictured)

Fr Seluini 'Akau'ola SM from Tonga

Pater Neles Tebay from West Papua  (pictured)

Sr Marietta Garnier AD a Thursday Islander who lives in PNG

Sr Grace Domani, President Federation of Religious Papua New Guinea/Solomon Islands (FOR PNG/SI)

Fr John Aneo MSC, Vice President of FOR PNG/SI

Sr Cathie Mwagiordi FNDSC from PNG

Sr Mary Manuera FNDSC from Kiribati

Sr Denise Fox RSM from New Zealand

Archbishop Barry Hickey (Perth, pictured right welcoming the Assembly to Perth) and the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose de Paoli (Canberra) and representing the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, Bishop Luc Mathys (Armidale).

And who is my neighbour?

The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli, addressed the Assembly. 

Being neighbours in the Pacific is a theme which, perhaps, needed to be 'revisited' and at the level of Religious Superiors.

 

Australia, as a nation, without denying its strong ties with the 'West', is very much a part of the Pacific Region.

 

The Church in Australia fits into this as well. And that shared reality begs for better and constant attention; neighbourly, I would say.

 

Looking to the future, can you exclude the vast Asian Continent? A look at your varied population and a major source of the same gives food for thought.

 

Geographically you are all neighbours in this Pacific Region. People housed along the same street are also 'geographically' neighbours. But, are they 'neighbourly'?

 

Being 'neighbourly' entails being to some extent an 'active' and not a mere 'static' neighbour, with at least a minimum of human civility, of being 'present' through a human contact, to form an inter-relatedness which bespeaks of 'I am here', 'you are here', 'we are all here together, 'let us together show care for that togetherness'.

 

I have no reason to believe that you, in this Pacific Region, are not neighbourly neighbours. Any relationship, however, is not an automatic "given". It is something living which has to prove itself. Periodically, we do have to "draw back" and view and review our commitment to it ...

 

As Christians, nourished by our faith and nourishing our faith, the words of Our Lord should strike a responsive chord: 'love your neighbour'. And who is my neighbour? The response unfolds in the Good Samaritan story.

During the course of the assembly, other guests included:

Fr Danny Meagher from World Youth Day (Sydney)

Mr Jack de Groot and Mr Jamie Isbister from Caritas Australia (Sydney), with whom CRA is working together with ACU in the Catholic Alliance for International Development

Mr John Rowland from Albert Street Productions (Melbourne)

The Roles of Religious Leaders

Reflection on our experiences, on our environment and on the events of our world help us clarify also our own vocations and to understand our roles as religious and as leaders.  We each have a three fold role, in varying balances, of course.  We are spiritual leaders, discerning for our communities.  We are CEOs, governing our institutions.  We are people of the Church and of society, giving voice to the needs of our time.  These days enable us to meet in confidence among our peers, trusting one another with our experiences, and helping one another to find ways forward.

from the opening address by CRA President Mark Raper SJ

Other significant scriptures used during the Assembly were

Leviticus 9:15-18

Luke 9:10-17

Luke 15: 1-9

CRA Mission Network

2007 Mission Conferences, The young will see visions ...,  will be held in October in preparation for WYD08:  The overseas speakers will be Marie Mondo and Paul Petros (Papua New Guinea), Ludivico (East Timor) and Sherlyn Khong (Singapore).  Teams of two, with a facilitator will join a local Indigenous person and a Catholic Youth Ministry worker to share their experience of mission.  Conferences will be given by Team A in Darwin, Alice Springs and Brisbane and by Team B in Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba and Lismore, between October 1 and 15

Catholic Health Australia (CHA)

It is noteworthy however to record that over the period from 1993 until the present, the Catholic hospital sector has grown by close to 50 per cent.  There are now 75 hospitals, of which 55 are private and the remainder are public. The aged care sector has also grown by 19 per cent in residential care and commands up to 10 per cent of the community care market…

Major issues common to the agenda of all State education committees are the Catholic identity of Catholic schools; principle of autonomy of congregational schools; identification and formation of future leaders; achieving a national voice on common issues; governance issues and process.

Executive Director

Future Assemblies:  2008 Melbourne, first week in July (tbc);  2009 Sydney June 23-27; 2010 Hobart June 29-July 3

Institutes in Transition Task Force

 The Assembly accepted with gratitude that the task force had fulfilled its mandate.

Overseas Conferences

President

Professional Standards

State Conferences

Treasurer

The Perth Assembly was organised nationally by Mark Raper SJ, Christine Burke IBVM, Ray Hevern SAC, Veronica Lawson RSM and Luke Quinn CFC.  In Perth, the organising committee comprised (those named in italics are pictued ) Robert Stewart OFM, Kerry Willison RSM  (Liturgy Centre), Helen Medina (Liturgy Centre), Margaret Malone SGS, Basil Hickey CFC, Philomena Burrell  PBVM, Clare Sciesinski PBVM, Joan Smith RSM, Breda O'Reilly RSM and Fr Hevern.

Without legitimate diversity, the Church's unity risks collapsing into forced conformity. 

 from the opening address by CRA President Mark Raper SJ

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