AMPJP Formation Committee meet in Nth Sydney

The AMPJP’s Canonical Stewards Formation Committee was established in 2021 and held its first face-to-face meeting on 16 March 2023. The Committee meets five times a year mainly via videoconference. The Committee’s budget allows for one face-to-face meeting each year but COVID outbreaks have previously prevented these gatherings. Committee members came from Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

Below is a photo of the AMPJP’s Canonical Stewards Formation Committee:

L to R: Dr Christiaan Jacobs-Vandegeer, Dr Peter Steane, Kerry Brettell, Jennifer Stratton (Chair), Dr Caroline Thompson, Lawrie Hallinan, Adjunct Prof. Susan Pascoe AM, Assoc. Prof. Peter Howard

The Committee decided that the topic for the State-based Wisdom Circles in May 2023 will be: The  Relationship of MPJP Canonical Stewards and their Boards.

The Committee agreed upon the following changes to the AMPJP’s 2023 Canonical Stewards Formation Plan:

• New webinars – possible topics: Modern Slavery, NCSS; Diversity in MPJP Governance; Synod on synodality, Year one MPJP Canonical Stewards (held in July 2023 to introduce them to key documents and for them to share their initial experience)
• Ask MPJP to suggest alterations/additions to the list of resources for new MPJP Canonical Stewards;
• 2023 paper to be on: The relationship between MPJP Canonical Stewards and Board Directors who they appoint (incl. identity/role/methods)
• 2023 Forum to include sessions on: theological anthropology – what is our vision of the human person, how do we think about organisational culture; and Learning from and walking with Indigenous Australians (maybe Frank Brennan SJ)
• add “Explore the possibility of an introductory canon law course for Leaders of Religious Institutes and Canonical Stewards of MPJPs”

The committee also finalised three abridged papers on MPJPs. These will be graphically designed and presented to the AMPJP Council for approval.

At their recent meeting, the Committee reviewed and developed amendments to their orginal Terms of Reference.