August 2018 Executive Officer’s report

31 August 2018 by

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:

 

New website content:

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

 

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

 

Looking forward to significant dates in September 2018:

UN dates[1] Australian Dates[2] Catholic Church Dates[3] Other Spiritual Dates [4]
01-Sept-2018 Creation Day (Season of Creation) Inauguration (Gurgadi) of Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh)
02-Sept-2018 22nd Sunday – Planet Earth Sunday (Season of Creation)
03-Sept-2018 St Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)
04-Sept-2018
05-Sept-2018 International Day of Charity Australian Catholic Communication Congress
06-Sept-2018 Australian Catholic Communication Congress
07-Sept-2018 Australian Catholic Communication Congress
08-Sept-2018 International Literacy Day Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
09-Sept-2018 23rd Sunday  – Child Protection Sunday 2018

Humanity Sunday (Season of Creation)

Rosh Hashanah/Jewish New Year – begins sunset on 9 September to sunset on 11 September
10-Sept-2018 World Suicide Prevention Day
11-Sept-2018

Nayrouz – Coptic New Year

Al Hijra/Muharram – Islamic New Year

12-Sept-2018 United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation The Most Holy Name of Mary
13-Sept-2018

St John Chrysostom, Bishop, Doctor

Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)
14-Sept-2018 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
15-Sept-2018 International Day of Democracy Our Lady of Sorrows
16-Sept-2018 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 24th Sunday – Sky Sunday (Season of Creation)
17-Sept-2018 Australian Citizenship Day St Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Doctor
18-Sept-2018 Yom Kippur – begins at sunset on 18 September and ends at sunset on 19 September (Jewish)
19-Sept-2018 St Januarius, Bishop, Martyr
20-Sept-2018 Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their companions, Martyrs Ashura – begins at sunset on 20 September and ends at sunset on 21 September (Islamic)
21-Sept-2018 International Day of Peace St Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist
22-Sept-2018
23-Sept-2018 International Day of Sign Languages 25th Sunday Mountain Sunday (Season of Creation) Succot (Tabernacles) – begins at sunset on 23 September and ends at sunset on 30 September (Jewish)
24-Sept-2018 Queen’s Birthday holiday (WA) Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival (East Asian)
25-Sept-2018
26-Sept-2018 International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Sts Cosmos and Damian, Martyrs
27-Sept-2018

World Tourism Day

World Maritime Day

St Vincent de Paul, Priest
28-Sept-2018 International Day for Universal Access to Information

World Rabies Day

AFL Grand Final holiday (Vic) St Wenceslaus, Martyr or St Lawrence Ruiz and his companions, Martyrs
29-Sept-2018 Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
30-Sept-2018 International Translation Day 26th Sunday – Social Justice Sunday

Blessing of animals Sunday (Season of Creation)

Shemini Atzeret – begins at sunset on 30 September and ends at sunset at 1 October (Jewish)

[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/