Executive Officer – March 2018

Overview

The month of March has been a month of consolidation for me. I spent some time preparing for our end of financial year audit. I followed-up issues from the February AMPJP Council meeting. I also drafted some organisational policies for the AMPJP Council to consider.

I was pleased to make contact with Sr Maria Casey rsj, President of the Canon Law Society of Australia & New Zealand. Maria and I are trying to arrange a meeting to discuss issues common to both our organisations and how we can assist each other.

Greg Baynie from BBI-TAITE has begun working with me on the content for a webinar on Ministerial PJPs. This webinar will be one of the components of the Foundations of Church Governance series.

I am now also in contact with Jeremy Stuparich, Public Policy Director with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC). Jeremy has agreed to share his public policy papers with me so that I can then pass these on to our members. I can see the time will arrive when AMPJP will need to join ACBC and Catholic Religious Australia in making a whole of Church statement on an important matter of public policy. No I don’t have in mind a particular “important matter of public policy”. Rather I am saying that as the three main bodies of canonical stewards when we speak as one our voice can be seen as more comprehensive and inclusive.

New events:

• 27 April 2018 ACNC, Webinar – tips for charity management and meeting obligations
• 26-27 July 2018 BBI-TAITE, Leading Ecclesial Communities: Foundations, Challenges & Possibilities, Wagga Wagga
• 30-31 July 2018 BBI-TAITE, Leading Ecclesial Communities: Foundations, Challenges & Possibilities, Brisbane
• 02-03 August 2018 BBI-TAITE, Leading Ecclesial Communities: Foundations, Challenges & Possibilities, Sydney

New website content:

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

• AMPJP Corporate Documents (12 March 2018 – AMPJP Council)
• Mercy Partners newsletter (12 March 2018 – General members also accessible to AMPJP Council members)
• Update to Trustees /Directors of Member PJPs (09 March 2018 – General members also accessible to AMPJP Council members)
• AMPJP Council meeting minutes (07 March 2018 – AMPJP Council)

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

• Protecting the vulnerable must be ‘centre of the Church’s mission’ (26 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Ministerial PJPs in the news (26 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry Awards (26 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Celebrating Pope Francis’ Five Years (19 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Formation in spiritual discernment (07 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Celebrating International Women’s Day (05 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• St John of God celebrates (03 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)
• Gender Equity in Australian PJPs and their Sponsored Ministries (03 March 2018 also accessible to General members and AMPJP Council members)

Significant dates April 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