pathways, September 2009
Beyond fear
Luke via cyberspace
Acting justly in the workplace
Religious given Voice
Media awards
Beyond fear
Religious in Brisbane were treated to a day with Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP while he was in the city to help the Archdiocese of Brisbane celebrate its 150th anniversary.
More than 300 men and women gathered to hear the prolific writer and former world head of the Dominican Order speak about the meaning of religious life today, with a focus on keeping hope.
In just a snippet from the day, he said:
We should call each other to courage and freedom, to do things that we would not have dared to do.
One of the most important rules of leadership is to call your brothers and sisters beyond fear, when they feel paralyzed and stuck.
One day I was walking with some of the brethren in Scotland. We came to a cliff where the path disappeared. You had to place your feet in a slit and work your way along. It was all rather frightening, suspended above the waves of the sea and the rocks. When we got to the end, we realized that one brother, Gareth, was not there. We had not realized that he suffered from vertigo. So one of us had to go to find him, paralysed with fear. We had to say 'Gareth, put your hand here. You can move over a meter. Now stretch the other foot.' Until finally he made his way to safety.
All of this journey we call each other, and that is the voice of God, calling each of us to freedom and courage, not knowing what is around the corner. It is risky. We have to learn to trust the voice that calls. And you will need people to give you courage too.
Pictured are some of the 300 Religious who enjoyed the day.
In the main photograph are (from left), the Arcdiocese of Brisbane's Vicar for Religious Sr Patricia Scully, guest speaker Fr Timothy Radcliffe, Sr Paula Asiasiau, Auxiliary Bishop Brian Finnigan, Sr Lucy Kert and CRAqld president Br Peter Harney.
Luke via cyberspace
Following the huge success of the Australian Catholic Church's first e-conference to mark the end of the Year of Paul, the Broken Bay Institute and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference through its Commission for Mission and Faith Formation will hold another e-conference, this time with a focus on Luke.
St Luke: Come to the table will be presented by Archbishop Mark Coleridge (Canberra-Goulburn) and Dr Elizabeth Dowling RSM on Wednesday, November 4. Luke has been chosen as, from the first Sunday in Advent, the Church enters liturgical cycle C in which the writings of Luke feature. A facilitators day will be held in Sydney on September 24.
The first e-conference in June attracted an estimated 30,000 participants in 16 countries.
further information: Virginia Ryan, adult faith and pastoral formation coordinator, Broken Bay, 02 9847 0556 or
vryan@bbi.catholic.edu.au
Acting justly in the workplace
Religious congregations and schools are key stakeholders in a new booklet that has been developed by the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER) to guide employers in applying Catholic social teaching principles in their workplaces.
A Just Workplace was drafted by the Parish, Diocesan and Religious Institutes Employment Relations Committee (PDRIERC) and was developed through consultation with a broad range of groups, including the NSW/ACT Bishops, diocesan employers and religious congregations.
Aiming to provide a fresh look at Catholic social teaching in the context of contemporary employment settings, it is a blend of practical guidance at workplace level with the established social principles of the Church.
In launching the document, Bishop Kevin Manning (Parramatta) asked Catholic employers to make the document a meaningful reality in Catholic workplaces while the CLRINSW president Sr Barbara Bolster RSM referred to the history of Catholic social teaching and noted the document's particular focus on the "blind spots" that can develop in workplaces to stifle these principles of fairness and justice.
A range of Catholic employers, from systemic education, independent schools, social welfare organisations, diocesan agencies, congregational works and parishes attended the August launch in Sydney.
Limited copies of A Just Workplace are available free of charge by contacting Teresa at CCER telephone (02) 9390 5255.
acting justly: CLRINSW president Sr Barbara Bolster RSM, Parramatta's Bishop Kevin Manning, CCER executive director Anthony Farley and CCER chair Anne Gorman.
Religious given Voice
The works of Australian composers - among them, religious composers - and a youth focus are features of the new As one Voice - The Next Generation, which was released recently by Willow Publishing.
The new offering which is suitable for liturgical, catechetical and personal prayer, celebrates and supports the musical gifts of more than 25 Australian composers, with more than 70 per cent of the content written by them.
"The songs draw on (a) deep tradition and provide musicians with a wide selection of material, much of which has never been published before. There's something for everyone," said publisher, Monica O'Brien.
"The new edition, which took over two years to develop, offers a wide variety of musical styles including contemporary Christian music, popular, soft rock and ballads. This music touches the heart, and stirs the spirit through melodies that sing, rhythm that engages, and text that invites, prayer, participation and action," she said.
Helpful indexes such as song title, first line, composer, liturgical, seasonal, thematic and scripture references facilitates appropriate song selections.
The new As One Voice - The Next Generation comes in a several formats including powerpoint digital files and an Australian highlights CD of 14 songs by Australian composers.
It is available from Christian bookshops or via the publisher, c/- IDS, telephone 03 52411478 or email orders@idsoceania.com
Media awards
Religious publications have featured in the annual awards of both the Australasian Catholic Press Association (ACPA) and the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA). Both conferences were held in Sydney early in September.
Champagnat, an international Marist journal of education and charism took out the top
ACPA award for magazines - the Bishop Phillip Kennedy Memorial Prize.
"This competently edited and presentable magazine from the Marist family deserves high praise and recognition," said the judge for this section, Dr Michael Costigan.
The Bishop Phillip Kennedy Memorial Prize for excellence in newspapers went to Catholic Voice of Canberra-Goulburn.
Champagnat also took out best mission coverage, a new award sponsored by Catholic Mission. Other winners included Madonna (Jesuit Communications) for best column (Easter Person written by Fr Edmund Campion) and Eureka Street (Jesuit Communications) for best website.
Several other publications including Contact, Marist Messenger and Australian Catholics were highly commended. Religious also featured as writers or subject material for several of the award winners.
In the
ARPA awards, the Presidential award, the Gutenberg, went to the
Catholic Weekly, largely for its "moving, outstanding" coverage of World Youth Day.
Eureka Street and
The Far East were among the minor award winners.
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