What are we doing when we design and deliver formation programs for those involved in institutional ministries?  Increasingly, those involved in Church ministries are intuitively inclined to the raison detre of their workplace but have little ecclesial connection beyond the institution in which they work. This Masterclass will propose ecclesial foundations for formation and consider the factors which ensure engagement and effectiveness of formation activities. This Masterclass will involve input from the presenter as well as time for dialogue with the presenter and other participants.

This session will be an open invitation for all participants to engage with Mrs Evelyn Parkin, conference keynote presenter, Elder and teacher. Bring your questions and thoughts along, listen deeply to others, share your own perspective and let your voice be heard.

With the intent of giving insights and inspiration on ways one might live and lead mission better. The insights from rural/country/farming perspectives may be blessings for those that are city/urban based as well as being encouraging and nurturing for those rural/country/farming communities. It’s a voice not often heard and one which we have much to learn from and be inspired by.

Love of neighbour is central to our Christian calling, for each person and for each part of the Church.  Parishes are in a unique position to serve their own members and to serve the community in which they are located.

All parishes are engaged in service, but we are all called to do more. To grow in this mission, we need to plan in light of our particular circumstances and of the community of which we are part, and to identify what is needed to make this work feasible and sustainable.

This workshop will be an opportunity to learn from the experience of other participants in growth and renewal of this central aspect of parish mission.

Hospitality is both an ancient virtue and a prophetic practice as it crosses boundaries, welcomes all and involves taking risks. It is also conversational as it requires listening and learning. It practises attentiveness and encourages spaciousness. It implies relationship, receiving, community and change. Our God embodies hospitality in the Trinity. Hospitality is at the heart of God’s reign and is essential for the practice and meaning of the gospel. Generous hospitality can lead to reconciliation and genuine embrace of the other. In the Ancient Near East the offering and receiving of hospitality was holy ground.

In this workshop we will consider the role of hospitality in our own lives and the lives of our communities as we engage in mission.

Fr Patrick and Sheikh Wesam will present on Christian-Muslim relations from their respective faith points of view. They will engage with each other in conversation, modelling interfaith dialogue. They will invite the participants to join in their conversation by asking questions about what they have seen and heard.

This workshop will present a case study relating to issues in accountability and governance and explore the principles that should determine a process for accountability. It will outline different forms of governance and how they relate to the sustainability of mission especially emphasising the importance of collaborative participation and engagement of stakeholders.

The See Judge Act method is a tool created by Joseph Cardijn that we use in YCS in everything that we do. The See Judge Act (review of life) provides formation and raises youth engagement in their realities. This workshop will show the effectiveness of each section of a review of life by having a fun and mock issue to be reviewed on then removing groups of participants for each section. All three groups must present their action to the whole group and how they reached that action. The group that completed each section will have the most effective action.

In thinking about people with disability, many faith communities and agencies ask the question, “What can we do for them?”

This workshop will assist participants to appreciate that different questions are required. Let’s change focus and ask:

• How is this community liberating for all members?

• How does everyone contribute?

• How do we build relationships in this community?

• How can we learn about the experience of people with disability?

This masterclass will explore and depth Mission and Scripture. Archbishop Mark Coleridge, scripture scholar, theologian and teacher will engage participants in an active process of learning considering the Biblical foundations of mission, guiding participants to deep reflection and insight of God’s mission as revealed in the Scriptures.

This masterclass will be explore effective practices that lead to whole organisational change for mission. How to engage and nurture staff to be mission centred and share and elicit Catholic identity as an organisation even when many staff are not religious at all. Ricki Jeffery will lead participants through her own case study considering advanced concepts, ideas, strategies and how they apply to practical situations of formation of people for mission that impact on the mission and identity of the whole organisation.

This session will be an open invitation for all participants to engage with Bishop Vincent, the conference breakfast keynote presenter. Join in the opportunity to share further the thoughts and themes of Bishop Vincent’s address. Bring along your questions and thoughts, listen deeply to others, share your own perspective and let your voice be heard.

Explore key issues and challenges of those in need in our community today and the practical, pragmatic, gospel driven responses that are possible for individuals, communities, parishes and institutions to make.

This session will draw from the expertise, knowledge and experience of Jacqui Remond, National Director of Earthcare Australia. Participants will be engaged in the various strategies and stories of communities who are modelling ecological sustainable initiatives and are leading responders to the call of ecological conversion.

In 2013, Pope Francis shared his conviction that “the main element in (a Catholic) school is learning to be magnanimous … This means having a big heart, having a greatness of soul…. open to God and to others”.

Growing teachers and leaders who embody an understanding of mission with a wide horizon and a deep mystery with which they have fallen in love, is the task of our times. This kind of formation is critical for the future of Catholic education in retaining its heart as something much more than an alternative education provider in the post-modern landscape.

This workshop will explore what this means. It will draw on poetry, story, image and music as well as participants’ own experience.

“Only the beauty of God can attract. God's way is through enticement, allure. Mission is born precisely from this divine allure, by this amazement born of encounter."

(Pope Francis, WYD Address to Bishops, 2013)

This workshop will reflect on this mystical appreciation of mission and Pope Francis’ call to go out and do what Jesus did on the road to Emmaus; meet people where they are and as they are and warm their hearts as the presence of Christ who accompanies them on their journey.  Workshop participants will be engaged in the integration of music and ritual that nourishes and warms the heart, gives voice to longings of the soul and fires the passion for mission.

School immersions, parish twinning, charity donations - we are an increasingly interconnected world where partnerships between Australians and their mission partners overseas are increasingly tactile. This workshop will examine how our mission partnerships with communities overseas can be truly transformative. You will hear from Mary MacKillop International’s disability education partners in PNG about power dynamics, what they see the role is of Australian based organisations and how Australian’s can add value.

This workshop will provide an opportunity to explore New Pathways in living the charism of a Religious Congregation. A brief outline of the vision and the process of immersion and discernment of God’s call will be outlined for each Pathway. These Pathways have emerged in response to people seeking ways to live the Charism more fully in their lives and to be in communion with the Sisters for mission.

There will be an opportunity for questions and group sharing of how these Pathways unfold in an individual’s life and the enrichment that they offer to the Religious Congregation.

We live in challenging times – Trump has been elected President after a campaign based on racism, misogyny and truth distortion, the UK has turned its back on its neighbours, and across Europe a wave of hyper-nationalist politicians threatens to splinter the EU. Here at home the re-emergence of the One Nation political party points to a shift in Australia that echoes the international movement in the Western world that seeks to put up walls, rather than build bridges.

While speaking up for compassion, social justice and human rights is becoming more difficult in a “post-truth” world of “alternative facts”, we cannot afford to be silent. In the words of Martin Luther King Jnr: “Now let us re-dedicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world.”

Using several case studies, this interactive workshop will discuss the role we can play to advocate for human rights and social and environmental justice in today’s challenging world.

On November 29 1986, (now) Saint John Paul II uttered the words that have resonated across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia for the last 30 years – “You are part of Australia and Australia is part of you. And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others.”

We have spent the last thirty years trying to bring this message to life. In this workshops we share why it is important to our people and how the Church in Australia will flourish with the gifts we can bring.

We are constantly ‘going out to the other’ on mission, which means we’re often encountering differences. This training assumes the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of mission, but answers some questions as to the ‘how’ of mission. By using a cultural model with descriptive non-judgemental language, it is possible to discover one’s own cultural preferences, and compare them to those of another person, a team or even an ethnic group. Having Identified cultural gaps, we can learn concrete practical and immediately applicable skills to bridge those gaps, improve communication and cooperation, and leverage the rich potential of diversity in people.

In this workshop Christine and Noelene will share some contemporary scenarios of human trafficking in Australia. They will describe their current ACRATH work, the successes they have had in advocating for change, and encourage workshop participants to explore ways they can take action locally and globally.

This practical workshop will show delegates the latest digital media platforms that can be adopted as communications channels for your organisation. Digital media is a powerful and effective means of sharing your stories and mission work with a large audience. This workshop will demonstrate how to get started.

A vital element of the “Great Commission” of Jesus in Matthew 28, is the command to make disciples. Pope Francis speaks extensively on this and challenges us to be forming missionary disciples in all our Parishes and Church organisations.

This workshop will look at Missionary Discipleship:

• What a missionary disciple looks like

• Phases of the conversion process and how to recognise and foster growth

• How our own conversion journey impacts our ministry/mission

We will see that an engaged and growing discipleship in our communities and organisations leads to an enlivened mission and sense of purpose. During the workshop there will be time to evaluate our own Parish/Organisation and identify possible areas for growth.

This workshop recovers a vibrant Gospel perspective of Mary and will prophetically challenge the participants to adopt her radical values and to act for the poor, for equality, for justice and for peace. The role of women in and for mission will be highlighted. Come and meet Mary in a non-patriarchal way and discover how “She is truly, subversively, our sister” (Johnson, 2003). Take away a renewed and dangerous passion for the transforming vision of the reign of God expressed in the Magnificat.

One parish’s story of amalgamation: Journey through the pre – during – and post amalgamation, reflecting the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Living, then dying to what was and rising to a new beginning and the opportunities that await.

Embracing what is: Our experience of church is more often a reality which is far from our dreams. But church can also be a visionary place where we experience God’s presence and see great potential.

Daring and dreaming big!: Taking risks in choosing the “missionary option” allowing us wholly and fully to be everything that the church can be – to dream as big as God is!

Disciples Forming Disciples!: As parish we desire to be a community of disciples; that is students who learn from the Teacher – Christ – the face of Mercy revealed.

Today there is a revolution in our understanding of mission. It has been brought on by the marginalisation of the church and the rise of secular and plural society; by immigration, multiculturalism and the increasing importance the churches in Latin America, Africa and Asia; and finally by the new mission theology of Pope Francis. Francis is calling us all to be “missionary disciples” with the “smell of the sheep” able to converse with people and “warm their hearts”. To do this effectively we will need to give up our “crusader minds” and our “teacher complexes” and learn to be on mission “with” people rather than “to” them. It is no longer a case of us having a spiritual message to which all must listen. We too must hear a Gospel word from our contemporaries and especially from the poor and marginalised and from peoples of other cultures and beliefs. Fr Tim Norton and Fr Noel Connolly will engage participants in an active process of learning, considering meaningful insights of this new context for Mission.

Government doesn’t work like it used to, and the Church has declining public authority. Yet the Church’s mission still calls its leaders to advance Catholic social teaching in the town square. Martin Laverty was the Church’s lead advocate for health during his time at Catholic Health Australia. Martin will lead a Masterclass that considers how decisions of government today are made, the main policy drivers on matters relevant to the Church, and three case studies of how advocacy successfully achieved government outcomes. Masterclass participants will be guided in preparing an advocacy plan in support of an issue of their choice.

What does it mean to be a woman engaging in mission? Do women offer something different and distinctive in mission? Through conversation, stories, poetry and art, we will consider whether women offer anything distinctive to our engagement in mission.

Participants are asked to bring their own stories, examples, artefacts (eg art, poetry, music) that could add to the conversation and stimulate us all as we think about this together.

People who have been participants in restorative meetings often describe the experience as powerful and transformative: they discover new potential within themselves and others as they share the emotions associated with wrongdoing and its effect on themselves and others. Restorative meetings can make practical the experience of the resurrection: what God’s forgiveness working in us does to transform human suffering in the aftermath of violence. This seminar draws on story, case studies and the mimetic theory of René Girard to address: how restorative meetings can transform and transfigure the patterns of human relating and what it is about human culture that makes it difficult to hear and respond adequately to victims.

Inspired by the words of JP II “And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others”. This workshops will explore how the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Perth works with community to bring the Seven Messages/Message Sticks (Reconciliation, Healing, Growing in Gospel Faith, Living God’s Mercy and Justice, Inculturation of Gospel and Culture and Our Community, Our Story and Leadership and Gifts) of ACM to life. These messages are not just for Diocesan ministry but all Catholics want to joyfully receive the contributions of Aboriginal people.

To provide a space for conference participants to engage and consider their ongoing response in the light of the overarching focus of the conference to “live the joy of the gospel and lead mission”.

This workshop will explore the key principles of contemporary Formation Programs for an increasingly spiritually diverse workforce engaged in Catholic Health Care. Addressing the Formation needs of Staff at every level of the organisation is a moral imperative if we are to authentically integrate our Mission into the care that is delivered to our clients. An overview of the challenges encountered and of the ways these principles have been embedded into the development and implementation of programs will be provided. An outline of the content of the total Formation Program will be available.

This workshop will explore the gift of our environmental consciousness and how to grow a green heart to develop an ecological integrity in our lives. There will be tips and tools on growing a green heart personally, within our organisations and our communities. The workshop is participatory in nature with opportunity to share the small wins on how we have moved our communities to a sustainable future. It is about the head, heart and hands working to love God’s creation, but this workshop will focus more on the heart and how our spiritual life can have green fires to enrich our lives.

This workshop will show creative ways in which organisations are making the most of social and digital media to promote their Christian mission. Gelina and Laura will show you how to effectively evangelise online and how to create change through online campaigns with #Activism. Communication tools will be discussed, and recommended equipment shown, to help you create professional looking content on a budget. This session will showcase examples of Christian groups/organisations effectively using social and digital media for the purpose of evangelisation and how you can too!

This session will be an open invitation for all participants to engage with Suzanne Greenwood about ethical dilemmas and moral based decision making that is centred on the Gospel. It is a conversation where ethical and moral leadership will be tested by the reality of practice, business and performance. Bring along your questions and thoughts, listen deeply to others, share your own perspective and let your voice be heard.

The seminar will address the core of the Catholic baptismal vocation: the call that each of us has to be renewed Christ. From there we learn to live and proclaim our faith.

Taking the Parable of the Talents as a starting point, the seminar will commence by reflecting on the implications of having received the mandate to ‘do something’ from the Master, as well as the significance of ‘doing nothing’. A discussion will be entered into concerning ‘doing something’ in the contemporary environment. The seminar concludes by reflecting on the account of Jesus and Peter walking on the water, and its implications for mission and evangelisation today.

One in five Australians identify as Catholic. One in four students attend a Catholic school. About half the country’s population support the mandatory, offshore detention of people seeking asylum. What can we read from this information and more importantly, what can we do about it to change the cruel treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia?

Harnessing the passion and energy of communities all around the country to take action, petition, meet their MPs, host events and have conversations, presents us an opportunity to effect change in a significant way. The Catholic community extends the full breadth of the country and is motivated by values of compassion and justice. With strategic endeavours, such as CAPSA, we can realise the power of the Catholic community to engage hearts and minds and agitate for policy change for our brothers and sisters seeking asylum in Australia.

It is widely acknowledged that we live in a time of tremendous change. Technology changes the jobs we do, the way we interact with each other and even our lifestyles.  Not only do we experience significant change at an individual level, but as members of organisations, we are also constantly exposed to change.

One of the major casualties of poorly managed change is trust. Our success is critically linked to our ability to respond to change, to manage change and to build up trust. The purpose of this workshop is to provide an overview of the models of change and spend some time considering practical steps to implement successful change that preserves trust.

This workshop will present the journey of Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong as they re-imagined the shared understanding and lived experience of the Mission imperative inherent in Catholic Education. It will consider the place of this imperative within the current strategic direction of the Diocesan Education community and will seek to explore the following questions:

• What does it mean to be a part of a vibrant Catholic community that enables continual growth in faith and learning for every student?
• How do all those who work in Catholic Systemic schools live their vocational mission to enable this growth to flourish/ as an expression of our Catholic Identity and being the face of Christ to the world?

Participants will explore the processes undertaken by the diocese to “increase the capacity of staff to authentically and dynamically embrace the call to mission as a core expression of our Catholic identity”.

This workshop may help those who are exploring their understanding of mission as an expression of Catholic Identity in the work of Catholic schools.

This workshop will be interactive, exploring how we can read our sacred story anew in light of a new attentiveness to the cry of the Earth. The focus text will be the Gospel of Matthew.

The Young Lasallians team will provide a framework through which to better understand and enter into relationship with Young people who are all walking a journey.

A practical demonstration of the engaging and relevant style of prayer the team employ.

An exercise that will show each participant the current landscape/world through the eyes of the young people with which we serve.

A period for discussion and Q&A with the team.