New Zealand and Australian Catholic networks have banded together and hosted a virtual seminar entitled “Alive in the Spirit”, which was aimed at seeking inspiration from the Holy Spirit as the two countries and the Church emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was able to gather more than 700 participants drawn from 34 dioceses in four countries.
One of the participants was Dunedin Bishop Michael Dooley, who congratulated the organisers on the success of the seminar.
“It has been a bold effort to provide encouragement and formation in difficult times through the use of modern technology. Like many people, I am taking the time to watch the keynote addresses and view the resources that are provided online. I have found the workshops very helpful as they address some important issues we face in our faith communities,” he said.
The seminar was held from July 8-10, and was organised by the Pastoral Ministry Network, Christian Initiation Australia Network, and the Mission Planners Network Oceania. It was hosted by Lisa Bright from the Parramatta diocese and deputy chair of the Australian Catholic Council for Lay Pastoral Ministry Richard McMahon.
It featured three keynote speakers: Plenary Council of Australia facilitator Lana Turvey-Collins, Fr Richard Lennan, a professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and the associate director for pastoral vitality for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Leisa Anslinger.
Dunedin diocese pastoral ministry coordinator Amy Armstrong, New Zealand’s representative on Mission Planners Network Oceania, said the conference highlighted the need for constant renewal in the Holy Spirit today.
“The input was really good. They (speakers) built on each other, which was really good. The content was relevant, not only to our Church in Oceania, but also [to] the Church in this century,” said Ms Armstrong.
She said the conference also allowed the participants to raise questions after each speaker gave their presentation.
The first speaker, Lana Turvey-Collins, spoke on the context of being Church today, and she looked at how people were placed at this time given the impact of the pandemic as well as the royal commission inquiries on abuse.
“As facilitator of the Plenary Council in Australia, she’s really in touch with where people are at. She talked about making spaces for the vulnerable (people) to share their stories,” Ms Armstrong said. “She talked about the messiness of our lives. Our context can be messy, and we have to be real about that. And God will meet us in that.”
Aliveness
Fr Lennan focused on the Holy Spirit and the profile of “aliveness”, what it means to be alive in the Spirit.
He said there is no one time when the Holy Spirit is more alive, since the Spirit is present all the time.
“He said the Spirit knows what is needed in every time and place. And we are constantly in need of renewal,” said Ms Armstrong.
She said Fr Lennan stated there is a need to unlearn, learn and relearn the Spirit, and go where the Spirit is leading us.
“He said the Church isn’t a museum, and we need to keep our faith alive,” she said.
Ms Armstrong said one of the things that struck her from Fr Lennan’s talk was when he spoke about the indicators of the Spirit being alive.
“One indicator is ‘questions come before answers and listening comes before talking’,” she said.
This point, Ms Armstrong said, tied up nicely with the next speaker’s presentation.
Leisa Anslinger, from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, looked at servant leadership, and said good leaders ask three questions: why do we do what we do, how we will do what we do, and what do we do?
“As an institution, sometimes we forget the ‘why’ of what we do, and she was really encouraging us to go back to the ‘why’,” Ms Armstrong said. She said the conference, with the more than 40 workshops, will be available for the participants to view online for six months. Those who wish to join the seminar can still register up to August 31, 2021.
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