Executive Officer’s report, January 2019
It is not just the heat and humidity that made my January a slow start to 2019. I made the most of my part-time employment with AMPJP and enjoyed spending time with family and friends who were on holidays.
When I was a work a considerable amount of time was consumed with producing the reports and papers needed for the AMPJP Council’s February 2019 meeting.
Over the month I also enjoyed meeting with: Ellen Geraghty (from ISMAPNG); Belinda Srour (BBI-TAITE); Greg Baynie (ACU); Peter Johnstone, Rosemarie Joyce and Rev Ian Waters (organisers of the Principles and Practice of Church Governance workshop in March 2019); Ross Castle (CCI); Leonie Keaney (GSE) and Kevin Buckley (EREA). I have written up the news worthy content of some of these meetings in separate posts.
On 31 January 2019, I facilitated the second of our regional AMPJP Plenary Council Discernment Sessions. This session in Melbourne had participants from six of our member organisations. As with the Perth session there was deep reflection with many new insights.
New events listed on the website:
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- 19-20 February 2019 CSSA National Conference
- 27-31 May 2019 Good Governance and Sustainable Development for the Common Good roundtable and immersion
- 27-31 May 2019 BBI-TAITE and AICD Governance Courses
- 14-16 July Koreo Conference
New website content:
The public news section of the AMPJP website now has the following posts:
- Honour for AMPJP Deputy Chair: Eva Skira (25 Jan 2019 – accessible to the public as well as General members and AMPJP Council members)
- ISMAPNG and the shared mission (25 Jan 2019 – accessible to the public as well as General members and AMPJP Council members)
- How Christians can unpack the baggage of colonialism this Australia Day (24 Jan 2019 – accessible to the public as well as General members and AMPJP Council members)
- BBI-TAITE and AICD Governance Courses (24 Jan 2019 – accessible to the public as well as General members and AMPJP Council members)
- Child Safeguarding Learning and Development Strategy Launched (22 Jan 2019 – accessible to the public as well as General members and AMPJP Council members)
- Ministry ponders practical, theological implications of lay sponsorship model (19 Jan 2019 – accessible to the public as well as General members and AMPJP Council members)
General Members can now access the following new material in posts in the news section of the AMPJP website:
- AMPJP Member Contact Details (updated) (22 Jan 2019 under Corporate Documents post – also accessible to AMPJP Council members)
- PDF version of Ministry ponders practical, theological implications of lay sponsorship model (17 Jan 2019 under Corporate Documents post – also accessible to AMPJP Council members)
AMPJP Council Members can now access the following new material in posts in the news section of the AMPJP website:
- Materials for AMPJP Council Meeting, 01 February 2019 (24 Jan 2019 accessible only to AMPJP Council members)
St Brigid. Reflection for February 2019
Kildare Ministries recently produced a prayer resource focused on St Brigid: Hospitality Brigid
From: https://www.coraevans.com/blog/article/14-important-february-saints-you-should-definitely-know 
A contemporary of St. Patrick (who likely baptized her mother Her story is fascinating, as she was born of a slave woman (who was a Christian) and the woman’s master. ), Brigid was named after a Celtic goddess.
She was incredibly beautiful, so much so that her father set up an arranged marriage for her and a bard. She refused, having vowed her virginity to Christ, so she prayed to be made physically unattractive (which was granted) until she made her permanent vows.
St. Brigid notably founded two monasteries, one in Kildare that was deliberately built above a shrine to the Celtic goddess of her namesake. In this way, she continued St. Patrick’s mission of giving Christian meaning to places/symbols that were seen as sacred in pagan times.
Her feast day is February 1.
Kildare Ministries website says:
Brigid of Kildare is a patroness of those who have a care for the earth, for justice and equality, for peace and reconciliation.
From the beginning, Brigid’s ministry was associated with deeds of hospitality and compassion, and down through the centuries St Brigid has become a wisdom figure to the Irish people. She is known and honoured as Mary of the Gael.
St Brigid and the poor from: http://brigidine.org.au/about-us/our-patroness/
One day when Brigid was on a long journey she stopped to rest by the wayside.
A rich woman heard about this and brought her a beautiful basket of choice apples.
No sooner had she received them than a group of very poor people came by and begged her for food.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Brigid gave them the choice apples.
The rich woman complained to Brigid, ‘I brought those apples for you, not for them.’
Brigid’s reply was: ‘What is mine is theirs.’
The Gospel of the Mass for St Brigid (Luke 6:32-38 NRSV):
‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners love those who love them.
If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.
If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much again.
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.
Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High;
for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged;
do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven;
give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap;
for the measure you give will be the measure you get back’
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are often self-centred; although Jesus invites us to follow Him in seeing others as God sees them and giving to them as God does.
The second part of the Gospel can be paraphased as saying: God is kind to the ungrateful. God is merciful. God does not judge. God does not condemn. God forgives. God gives with wastefully generosity. We know God loves in that way because Jesus loved in that way. Pause and soak up Gods love for you. Pause and enjoy that God’s love is destined to flow from you to others.
The story of St Brigid gives us an example of a person, like Jesus, whose union with God means that she sees others as Good see them and is driven to act in response to God’s love for them.
Raissa Maritain said: I love the saints because they are lovable; and the sinners because they are like me.
The Collect of the Mass for St Brigid:
Merciful God,
origin and reward of all charity,
you called Saint Brigid to teach the new commandment of love
through her life of hospitality and her care of the needy;
give to your people, by her intercession,
a generous spirit,
so that, with hearts made pure,
we may show your love to all.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Icon of St Brigid from: https://www.monasteryicons.com/product/st-brigid-icon-396/irish-gifts-and-decor
