Category Archives: Lay ministers

Sue Martin, 25 August 2022 In a reflection she gave for International Women’s Day 2021,1 our blog subject describes herself as “Sue Martin – Jesuit”. Sue has found her calling and identity as a Jesuit woman living on Darug land, as well as a “daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, friend, colleague, peer, chair,Continue reading “Finding God in All Things“

Erica Bernard, 21 July 2022 Erica Bernard is at home in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, where she has ancestral roots as a Yawuru (Broome) and Kidja (Halls Creek) woman. She has been working in Catholic Education for over 20 years, and is currently the Community Liaison Officer for the Catholic Education Office ofContinue reading “Nourishing My People”

Anne Muirhead, 7 July 2022 Today, Anne Muirhead shares her story in her own words.1 At the end of my first year of teaching, my Principal, Deirdre Rofe ibvm, asked me to consider taking on the role of Liturgy Co-ordinator for our P-12 girls’ school. I asked for 24 hours to think about it andContinue reading “The Nexus between Liturgy, Pastoral Care and Social Justice”

Anne Hansen, 30 June 2022 Anne Hansen looks around her church as people are gathered together for liturgy. She thinks of all the different stories among the assembly: the broken-hearted, the alienated, the rejected. And for the few minutes that they are together as the Body of Christ, something happens that is “very graced andContinue reading “To Lead, To Teach, To Include”

Fiona Dyball, 16 June 2022 For Fiona Dyball, making music means doing our part, then opening ourselves up to the mystery. “It moves in you and there is a kind of sacred joy that comes from partnering with the Spirit.” In this, she finds that many musicians are “innately spiritual”.  Fiona’s connections between faith, music,Continue reading “Giving Voice in the Body of Christ”

Danielle Lynch, 19 May 2022 For Danielle Lynch, the idea of her ‘ministry journey’ is very much an unintended, or accidental one. Yet hearing how it has unfolded so far, it seems that she has been set on a course that fits her interests, skills, and desire to connect with others. She grew up inContinue reading “God in Sound and Silence”

Mary Anne Gordon, 28 April 2022 “It was meant to be.” That is Mary Anne Gordon’s firm conviction about her current role as a remote rural pastoral worker. “I believe I got this job because the Holy Spirit wanted me to.” And it all started way out west in the back o’ Bourke… Literally. MaryContinue reading “Working in God’s Zone”

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?”

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”

Listening and Speaking Differently – A Space for All Voices Liz and Vic O’Callaghan, 3 February 2022 Liz and Vic O’Callaghan come with a background in education in schools, pre-service teacher education, system advisement, school leadership and consultancy. Together they have collaborated in the design and implementation of Restorative Practices in Australia. These combined skillsContinue reading “Listening Circles”