Sisters and brothers
may we all be mothers to our Lord Jesus Christ
by giving birth to him in the actions of our lives.
Paraphrased from St Francis of Assisi’s First Letter to the Faithful 1221 AD
Source: Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. Adult Faith Formation Newsletter, Advent 2017
Image: https://img1.etsystatic.com/209/0/6328457/il_340x270.1305628857_1e3i.jpg
Office closures
My last day of work for 2017 will be Friday 22nd December and I will return to the office on Tuesday 02 January 2018.
I will be in Victoria from 8th January until 18th January 2018. I will still be contactable by phone 0419 447 217 and email lawrie@ampjps.org.au during this time.
Updates to AMPJP website
New events:
- 06 Feb 2018 Church Authorities Training Day in Professional Standards
- 21-23 Feb 2018 Catholic Social Services Conference
Members of AMPJP can access the following new items that I have posted in the Member area of our website:
- AMPJP Executive Officer – December 2017 (22 Dec 2017 – General member area)
- PJP Trustee role seen as ministry (15 Dec 2017 – General member area)
- Gender equity in Australian PJPs and their sponsored ministries, December 2017 (6 Dec 2017 – General member area)
- AMPJP Executive Officer – November 2017 (6 Dec 2017 – General member area)
I have also posted the following in the public news section of the AMPJP website:
- Christmas and January office closures (20 Dec 2017) – News
- Dominican Education Australia relocate (20 Dec 2017) – News
- Royal Commission concludes (15 Dec 2017) – News
- Catholic-run hospital, is an antidote to business mentality (15 Dec 2017) – News
Meeting AMPJP members
On 12 Dec 2017, I met with David Penny and Edwina MacArthur from Calvary Ministries. David is one of the Trustees of Calvary Ministries, the PJP that supports Little Company of Mary Healthcare. Edwina has worked two days a week as the Executive Officer of Calvary ministries for the past two years. As with all my meetings with AMPJP member organisations I was keen to hear their views on my role and the direction of AMPJP. They both see educating the wider Church about the nature and mission of PJPs is vital. As a body representing PJPs they also see the AMPJP as being the voice of PJPs – establishing a place for PJPs with others providing the governance of the Church. There was also some interest in assisting with formation and (maybe regional) networking for all Trustees of PJPs.
On 12 Dec 2017, I met with David Maher, Managing Director and with others from Catholic Healthcare. They would like to see greater clarity in the AMPJP role – especially as it relates to Catholic Health Australia and other peak/industry bodies. I was very impressed with the Catholic Healthcare Annual Review document which is also available as a page on their website. The review is an excellent example of annual report that clearly and engagingly presents the achievements and character of the organisation. Catholic Healthcare have taken this a step further and produced five short and inspirational videos. As Molly Meldrum would say “do yourself a favour” and check them out:
- Innovative Mental Health Aged Care Unit, Newcastle
- Involving children’s play group with aged care, Brisbane
- Increased social support and amenities at Independent Living Units, Croydon, NSW
- Diversional therapy brings health and social benefits, Batehaven, NSW
- Walking with confidence program gives elderly man’s life at home
I also spoke with Caroline Thompson, Director of Formation at Mercy Partners about possible activities in 2018.
Increasing understanding of AMPJP members
I consulted with AMPJP member organisations regarding whether their:
- PJP has joined TJHC “one Church” approach;
- PJP’s Constitutions (corporate law) publicly available; and
- PJP’s Statutes (Canon law) publicly available.
I am finalising a few documents that I will be distributed in early February for discussion at the 21 Feb 2018 AMPJP Council meeting:
- gender equity in PJPs;
- draft Strategic Plan; and
- draft governance principles.
Developing partnerships within the Church
- I spoke with Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, about governance principles and he gave me the names of a number of canon lawyers who may be interested in offering their views.
- I spoke with Jennie Hickey, Executive Officer of Jesuit Education Australia to clarify the details of their new structure.
Other contacts I made in December were with:
- Introduction email with our auditors Pitcher Partners
Plans for January 2018
I will be in Melbourne 8th January until 18th January 2018 and meeting with some AMPJP members and other key agencies.
I will be assisting the AMPJP Council subcommittee that will meet to draft the Strategic Plan
