Were you able to attend National Conference, “Vine and Branches - Yearning to Belong”? It was a wonderful gathering of pastoral ministers from across Australia with an especially strong contribution from the pastoral associations from the Melbourne Archdiocese.
In a delightfully generous gesture, the keynote speakers have given permission for their presentations to be recorded and made available.
Maeve Louise Heaney: Beauty and Belonging: Making Space(s) for our Yearnings
Click here to view Maeve's keynote presentation
Hugh MacKay: How Should the Church Respond to a Society Like Ours at a Time Like This?
Click here to view Hugh's keynote presentation
Richard Gaillardetz’s address on Tuesday afternoon: Wrestling with the Faith in Times of Scandal: Why Belonging to the Church Still Matters
Click here to view Richard's first keynote presentation
Richard Gaillardetz’s second keynote: Pope Francis and the Church of Tomorrow
Click here to view Richard's second keynote presentation
Geraldine Doogue: Living Through the 'Holy Saturday' of our Australian Church Experience: what are the steps towards hope?
Click here to view Geraldine's keynote presentation
Archbishop Mark Coleridge: Plenary 2020 and the future of the Catholic Church in Australia
The conference experience was framed by the refrain “We are thankful, we are blessed, we are standing, come what may.” Sr Maeve developed this hymn during the conference using concepts and phrases from the participants. Over these grace filled days, the refrain reawakened the joy that we experience in ministry, opened our hearts to give thanks, opened our eyes to the presence of God in the everyday, opened our minds to hopeful perspectives and opened our innermost beings to the sustaining touch of our God. May this refrain continue to inspire you to be faithful stewards of God’s grace.