August 2018 Executive Officer’s report

I’m writing this from Melbourne where I am participating in the CHA conference that followed our AMPJP events. (hence the photo from Flinders Street station). While at the CHA conference I had a discussion about governance in Catholic organisations with Peter Pearce, a Board member with Mercy Partner’s Mater Hospital, Brisbane. Peter has kindly shared with us a paper he wrote on this topic a few years ago: Pearce paper – CatholicCorporateGovernance. Some aspects of the regulatory environment have changed since Peter first wrote it but the underlying argument is still valid.

Preparations for The AMPJP AGM and annual canonical stewards forum preparations consumed most of my time over August. It certainly helped having AMPJP Councillors: Peter, Paul, and Moira contributing their ideas to the program and information requirements. The administrative work of registrations, booking services and printing seemed to take ages and involve writing and checking off many lists.  I did enjoy the creative side of working with a graphic designer on developing the Association’s public annual report. I have written a separate post about the AGM and canonical stewards forum which includes photos of the AGM.

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You may have noticed the Sunday lectionary over a few weeks in August shared with us the bread of life discourse (6:22-59) from the Gospel of John. During this time I found the quote below from St. John Chrysostom (344-407):

Do you wish to honor the body of Christ?

Do not ignore him when he is naked.

Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk only then to neglect him outside where he suffers cold and nakedness.

He who said: “This is my body” is the same One who said: “You saw me hungry and you gave me no food,” and “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me”

… What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices, when he is dying of hunger?

Start by satisfying his hunger, and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.”

Coincidentally St John Chrysostom’s feast day is the 13th September.

New events:

• 6th September 2018 An Evening with John Allen Jr – Vatican Insider
• 7th September 2018, Pope Francis and His Critics
• 9th September 2018 Pope Francis’ efforts for reform, and implications for the Australian Church preparing for its Plenary Council.
• 29th October 2018 Exploring Pope Francis’ Integral Ecology 
• 22 July-01 August 2019 Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage

New website content:

The public news section of the AMPJP website now has the following posts:

• Royal Commission response is “… a plan of action.” (31 Aug 2018 – also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Season of Creation (28 Aug 2018 – also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Social Justice Sunday (28 Aug 2018 – also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• AMPJP AGM and Canonical Stewards Forum (27 Aug 2018 – also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Aboriginal acknowledgement plaques prove popular (23 Aug 2018 – also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Kildare Ministries conference (17 Aug 2018  – also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Updated Strategic Plan (19 Aug 2018 – with link to detailed version accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)

Members of AMPJP can access the following news items that I have posted in the Member area of our website:

• Member contact details (01 Aug 2018  –  accessible to only General members and AMPJP Council members)

Looking forward to significant dates in September 2018:

[1] http://www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-days/index.html

[2] http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/special-dates-and-events

[3] https://www.catholic.org.au/calendar#year=2018&month=1&day=1&view=month

[4] https://www.harmony.gov.au/events/calendar/