AMPJP Canonical Stewards Forum
Forty one Trustees/Canonical Stewards from across the eleven member Ministerial PJPs of the AMPJP gathered for a full day of input and discussion in Manly, NSW, on Monday 26 August 2019.
AMPJP AGM and Forum Prayer 2019. The day began and concluded with prayer drawing on Scripture and Pope Francis recent post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation: Christus Vivit. We reflected on our vocation as missionary disciples in the context of canonical stewardship of Ministerial PJPs. We were aiding in keeping the image of the cross central to our prayer by a beautiful Aboriginal cross loaned to us from the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
Our first session, exploring Trustee formation, was led by Peter Steane. Peter invited us to see the newness of the Ministerial PJP structure compared to other Church structures. He also drew our attention to the fact that lay Trustees have a very different life experience from clergy and Religious. This being the case, he said we need to look at Ministerial PJP trustee formation from a different perspective and we should not be surprised if the content and delivery of this formation is different to that of clergy and Religious. As a way of helping us explore the lay Trustee perspective Peter asked us to discuss in small groups the question: “What primary gift would I bestow from my formation?”
Our second session on the applicability of the theology of communion to Ministerial PJPs was facilitated by Tessa Ho and Eva Skira. Tessa drew on her experience to answer the question: “When you started as a Trustee and to where you are now, how did you develop communion with your fellow Trustees and as a group of Trustees? “. Eva Skira used the image of different cheeses to explain the various approaches that she has seen councils of Trustees use to develop communion with the ministries they serve.
Mary Wright IBVM, a Canonist familiar with Ministerial PJPs, gave a presentation in our final session. Mary used the sections of Canon law that relate to Ministerial PJPs as a framework for exploring our relationships and boundaries with other Church Authorities. Many people said that this session helped them clarify their role and left them feeling more confident.
