Author Archives: elizabethyoungrsm

To Nourish and Nurture

Rev. Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi, 21 April 2022 Rev. Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi tells me all about her ministries: loitering with intent around people, serving them, affirming them, advocating for them. And peppered throughout our conversation, she declares “and that is a part of the liturgy”.  To Tau’alofa, worship intersects with community work and living into justice. She feelsContinue reading “To Nourish and Nurture”

The Harrow Parish – Of Church, Change and Wood-Chopping

Sr Kathleen Moran RSM, 7 April 2022 In the Western farming belt of Victoria lie the towns of Harrow, Balmoral and Tarrayoukyan. Together, they made up the smallest parish in the Diocese of Ballarat. And it was the first parish in Victoria not to have a resident priest. In 1986, Bishop Mulkearns went to theContinue reading “The Harrow Parish – Of Church, Change and Wood-Chopping”

Preaching to the Converted

Sr Elizabeth Young RSM, 31 March 2022 I was 21 years old, a university student, and attending multiple different churches and spiritual groups at the time. Because of my work in the interfaith movement, I was invited to attend the World Conference of Religions for Peace in Kyoto, Japan. And when I returned – young,Continue reading “Preaching to the Converted”

Women Religious, Women Deacons: Questions and Answers

Here is a legitimate question. If women were to be restored to the ordained ministry as permanent deacons, then would, should or could one be both a deacon and a member of a female religious order? That might sound rather theoretical, and perhaps only applicable to a small number of women, but it is aContinue reading “Women Religious, Women Deacons: Questions and Answers”

Starting with the Scattered – Deacons in the Uniting Church

Rev. Sandy Boyce, 17 March 2022 What does the diaconate look like in other Christian denominations? I decided to learn a bit more about the experience of the Uniting Church in Australia, and spoke to Rev. Sandy Boyce, a deacon in Adelaide and the president of the Diakonia World Federation. This organisation is an ecumenicalContinue reading “Starting with the Scattered – Deacons in the Uniting Church”

The Heart and the Spine: Deacon Michael Tan

Deacon Michael Tan, 10 March 2022 Deacon Michael Tan brings so much to his diaconal ministry. He became a Catholic in his late teenage years, he married and had a professional career in medicine. Michael has been through a spiritual journey that led from Malaysia to Australia and from Chinese spiritualities to Catholicism. He callsContinue reading “The Heart and the Spine: Deacon Michael Tan”

Ministry in the Church – a career pathway?

Lisa Bright, 3 March 2022 Sometimes, when people hear of difficult professional experiences she has faced, friends ask Lisa Bright why she doesn’t leave the Church. But it is where she finds “life to the full”. It is where she journeys with and accompanies others to live life to the full. It is where sheContinue reading “Ministry in the Church – a career pathway?”

Living One’s Baptism to the Full

Dr Elissa Roper, 17 February 2022 Synodality – a new word and a new way of thinking. Although Pope Francis has only recently coined the term, Dr Elissa Roper is already an expert on the topic. Just last year she completed her PhD thesis on the theme, “Synodality and Authenticity: Towards a Contemporary Ecclesiology forContinue reading “Living One’s Baptism to the Full”

Newly Ordained Deacon of the Uniting Church in Australia

Rev Chelsea Size, 10 February 2022 In late November, 2021, Rev Chelsea Size was ordained a Deacon for the Uniting Church in Australia. She tells me that her lifelong call to ministry started a long time before her specific formation for ordination within this church. It all began in her childhood, in a quiet ruralContinue reading “Newly Ordained Deacon of the Uniting Church in Australia”