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”
Category Archives: Stories
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”
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”
Listening Circles
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”
Come As You Are
Rev Liesel Walter, 20 January 2022 Rev Liesel Walters is a Deacon of the Anglican Church, and recently I had the privilege to meet up and hear her story. Across the denominations, and across the table of a cafe in rural New South Wales, we discovered so much to share and thank God for together. HerContinue reading “Come As You Are”
Journeys of Healing – Sr Mary Trainor RSM
Sr Mary Trainor RSM, 13 January 2022 When Sr Mary Trainor rsm discovered the work of this blogsite, she said that it “warmed the cockles of my heart!” She can certainly identify with ministry on the margins and was eager to share her experience alongside people with mental illness and intellectual disability. After many yearsContinue reading “Journeys of Healing – Sr Mary Trainor RSM”
Liturgy on the Margins 