National consultation for Catholic women
2pm-4pm
Saturday, 27 March 2021
An Online Event
Catholic women are invited to participate in a national consultation with two bishops later this month and to mark their diaries for a national gathering in September. The national consultation will take place online on Saturday, 27 March 2021. Women across Australia are invited to participate celebrating their contribution to and their vision for the mission of the Catholic Church in Australia.
The thoughts, voices and actions of women within the Catholic Church are absolutely central to our life and mission, and the national consultation invites women to share their experiences to the benefit of the whole Church.
This consultation is something new, and in an online form, seeks to remove participation obstacles like distance and access.
The Church in Australia has women acting in senior roles within all dioceses; this consultation provides another forum for broader national conversation.
The consultation is being organised by the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, whose mandate includes the place and role of lay women and men in the Church.
Archbishop Christopher Prowse (Canberra and Goulburn), the chair of that Bishops Commission, will join Bishop Michael Morrissey (Geraldton), the Bishop Delegate for Women, in the online consultation.
Clara Geoghegan, the executive secretary of the Bishops Commission is the coordinator of the consultation.
The consultation is an opportunity for women to speak within the consultation and, as invited by Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), to share their joy and their hope, their grief and their anxiety, for the Church in Australia.
Registration is available at the link below and closes at 4pm, Friday, 26 March 2021. This event is online via Zoom.
Registration
Catholic Women’s Gathering
While the discussions during the consultation are expected to help shape proposals and strategies over several years, they will also inform the development of the agenda for the Catholic Women’s Gathering in September.
The September Catholic Women’s Gathering will follow the format developed for the inaugural Catholic Men’s Gathering in 2020. Indeed, the idea for the Catholic Men’s Gathering resulted from the successful Catholic Women’s Colloquium, many years ago.
The Men’s Gathering became an online event because of coronavirus, creating opportunities for greater participation because registration and travel costs were eliminated or reduced.
The format of pre-recorded video presentations at hubs across the country, supplemented with local prayer and reflection, will be used for the Women’s Gathering. The Women’s Gathering will be held on Saturday, 11 September 2021, with more information to be available in the near future.