CATHOLIC MISSION’S
Work in Mission Formation and Education Jenny Collins‑White Mission Formation Manager
The Mission Formation team seeks to transform hearts and minds in the joy of the Gospel and to raise up leaders in mission, in keeping with the vision of the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU). We invite people to engage with God in the world through an immersive, experiential pedagogy of dialogue and encounter. In short, we engage the whole person.
Our Mission Formation programs and resources have local and global perspectives. They include: • International and Indigenous immersions for students and adults • Workshops and international guest speakers on mission for school students • World Mission Month resources for students, teachers and catechists • Advocacy in support of children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples • Professional development programs of contextual mission for leaders working in Catholic organisations and agencies across sectors of health, social services, education and in dioceses. This includes a biennial mission leadership conference.
Adult Formation and Professional Development Our strong partnership with Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDOW) continued throughout the year with the headlining program Educating with a Mission Lens, now in its sixth year. Steps towards similar partnerships with other dioceses continue to progress.
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Catholic Mission has an ongoing and critical facilitation role with the Plenary Council via Deputy National Director, Peter Gates and Sr Marion Gambin RSJ, a member of the Mission Formation team. This work represents a vital partnership with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Transitions to online platforms, due to the disruption of COVID-19, went smoothly for both the First Assembly of the Plenary Council held in October 2021 and the biennial conference of Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia, Mission: One Heart Many Voices, in September 2021. Participant evaluations rated both events as outstanding successes.
Interculturality Program Our Interculturality Program is designed to build cultural awareness and cross cultural skills for participants living and working in multi-cultural communities. It is delivered by Patrick Fox, a certified trainer on the Berlitz/TMC cultural orientations model. Using a hybrid mode of delivery, Patrick held a training in Toowoomba Diocese in April 2022. This concluded the training begun in October 2020 which had been interrupted due to COVID. This time they were able to carry out a second full day’s session on Cultural and Interpersonal Competency for Mission for pastoral associates, a mix of clergy, religious and lay leaders from across the diocese.
Learn more about our work with mission formation and education
Patrick also presented a keynote, titled Intercultural Clergy – Gift and Challenge for the Presbyterate, for the Archdiocese of Sydney Clergy Formation Day in March 2022. In August 2021, a one-day Cultural Orientations Model was presented to the interdiocesan Committee for Ongoing Formation of Broken Bay, Parramatta, Sydney and Wollongong Dioceses. In Broken Bay Diocese, a six-session program, Cross-cultural Competency for Mission, commenced in February 2022 with priests from Poland, India and Pakistan, as well as lay pastoral workers from the Pacific. Meanwhile, in the Archdiocese of Perth, long-planned formation courses, adapted to Zoom, commenced with two groups: pastoral associates and safeguarding officers. Each received six sessions designed to improve communications skills informed by a deeper cultural awareness, especially around pastorally sensitive issues. The pastoral associates are leading the diocesan-wide initiative Creating Welcoming Parish Communities and assisting parishes to be more culturally competent. The Safeguarding Officers received the training as part of their ongoing formation provided by the Archdiocesan Safeguarding Office.
Catholic Mission Annual Report 2021-22
