The cricket is almost over, the Australian Open has exhausted both players and watchers, and the sounds of summer on our TVs and radios are becoming more muted as offices and schools reopen.
Some areas of drought have turned to floods, while others continue to watch helplessly as plants and grasses wither in the heat. Another year begins, heading straight into Lenten calls for metanoia, to allow ourselves and our lives to be turned around by God's grace, moving in strange and unchartered ways.
What will this mean for each one of us, and for our congregations, as 2008 unfolds?
In Australia, we begin a new year with a new Government. Will it be a 'turning point'? How can we, as citizens, support any moves towards a more just society, and oppose any slippage into accommodating with an easier way which sidelines the most vulnerable? Our voice can make a difference in the offices of ministers, and a letter of congratulation or one that points to an injustice we fear is happening is a contribution many can make.
On behalf of Catholic Religious Australia, I have written to the new Apostolic Nuncio, welcoming him to our country. The rich diversity of Catholicism and the wider religious culture in Australia will be another unique experience, and let us pray for him as he begins this new stage of his journey.
This year invites us to be alongside world youth as they take a central focus in our Church: how do we help them reflect on the meaning in their daily lives, connect with the deep story of our faith, and become energised as part of the community of disciples called to serve the most vulnerable?
As CRA we are facing a new moment. The office in Annandale (Sydney) is entering a 'transition phase'. We have lost the services of Sr Kristin Johnson rsj and Mrs Margaret Walker who have both given great executive support over the past years. We thank them and wish them well in their new roles. We are most grateful to Brother Laurie Needham cfc, well known to many, who has offered to step in and keep the office going for the next few months.
Today, few religious congregations are able to offer a key member to take on the various duties associated with supporting this large network across Australia. Employing someone on full wages would make quite serious demands on us as an organisation. All these factors put new questions into the mix. The Executive Committee will look at these in the coming meeting in February. Of course, all this would happen while Fr Mark Raper sj is in Rome for the Jesuit General Congregation! We await his news on how this General Congregation unfolds under the new leadership of Fr Adolfo Nicholas sj.
In the coming months the leaders of the Religious Congregations of both New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will have their annual meetings and we wish them well.
As you know the theme for our leaders' conference in early July is "The Australian Multicultural Church - the reality, the gift and the challenge". How does this difference - clearly visible in many churches and in our own congregations - call us to turn around, to change, to listen in new ways? This gathering will be an opportunity to listen to the experience of those who have come into our Australian culture and of those who have welcomed them. Do keep the dates in your diaries.
Christine Burke ibvm
Acting President
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