ITEM 1: INTRODUCTION
10.00am Morning Tea
10.30am Welcome and Opening Prayer
Present: Cardinal George Pell, Bishop
David Cremin, Bishop Anthony Pisher, O.P., Mgr Kerry
Bayada, Fr Brian Byron, Fr Jason Camilleri, Fr Joseph
Camilleri, Fr Tom Carroll, Fr George Connolly, Fr John
Crothers, Fr Paul Crowley, Fr Ray Parrell, Fr Josef
Kolodziej, Fr Martin Maunsell, Fr Paul Monkerud, Fr
Vladimir Novak, OPM, Mgr Brian Rayner, Mgr Vince Redden,
Fr Kevin Spillane.
Apologies: Bishop Julian Porteous,
Fr Peter Pitzgerald, Fr Paul Stenhouse.
ITEM 2: ACCEPTANCE OF THE MINUTES
Fr George Connolly provided a written statement
that "the minutes state that no report was received
from the Randwick-Botany deanery. In fact, although
I did not hand the secretary a written report, I did
give a brief verbal report to the Council of Priests.
It simply stated that the deanery had met on 17 August
and had discussed the Minutes of the Council of Priests."
At that deanery meeting, the following issues were discussed:
- The Lineamenta on the Eucharist;
- Galilee House;
- The short term appointments of Parish Priests over
70 years of age;
- Concern that Parish Priests rather than the Chancery
be responsible for checking that supply priests satisfy
Child Protection Legislation requirements;
- The work of the Life Office and Dr Brigit Vout;
- The requirement that Parishes compose inventories;
- Subject to including Fr Connolly's statement in
the minutes of this meeting, the acceptance of the
minutes of the meeting held on August 25 was moved
by Fr Joseph Camilleri, seconded by Fr Martin Maunsell
and approved by the Council.
ITEM 3: CARDINAL'S COMMENTS
"As you know, the Holy Father has designated
this twelve months "The Year of the Eucharist"
to conclude with a Synod next year in Rome in October.
I have arranged for every priest to receive a copy of
his apostolic letter "Mane Nobiscum Domine"
when printing is completed.
The Eucharist is at the centre of our Catholic life.
When celebrated with reverence and devotion, with adequate
preparation and prayerful participation by our people,
the Eucharist is par excellence the source of grace
and strength, as well as being the source for missionary
expansion, for resisting and reversing the slow decline
of mass-goers.
Archdiocesan agencies and the archdiocesan liturgy committee
are preparing a set of initiatives and offerings for
use in parishes and around the archdiocese. I urge you
to take up these opportunities in whatever way you feel
suitable for your parish.
The Holy Father particularly recommends us to do what
we can to enhance the celebration of Sunday Mass and
to increase Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass. Throughout
Australia and in Sydney, an increasing number of parishes
have a weekly period of silent adoration before the
Blessed Sacrament. With a bit of encouragement and explanation,
a goodly number of our parishioners will find these
times of silent prayer peace-giving and refreshing.
They also bring grace to the parish. Many parishes use
these times to encourage parishioners to pray for vocations
to the priesthood and to religious and lay leadership."
"Recently, I was attending a theological symposium
before the Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico,
and last week, I attended the international retreat
for priests in Malta arranged by the Congregation for
the Clergy. 1000 priests attended from all around the
world, including three from Sydney. It was well organised,
written translations of all the talks were available
as the talks were given, as well as simultaneous translations.
The spirit was excellent and I found the experience
encouraging and life-giving.
I urge you to consider attending some of these international
gatherings. They could well form part of a sabbatical
program, a period of renewal, especially for those priests
who are not inclined to formal study, or even longer
retreats. The Archdiocese is open to making a contribution
towards the expense of such an undertaking.
We have great strengths in Sydney, but other parts of
the Church also have great strengths and sometimes these
are different from ours. It doesn't hurt us to see and
experience how other priests and dioceses exploit their
opportunities."
Responses to the Archbishop's comments:
Mgr Brian Rayner noted that oversees opportunities for
clergy of the Archdiocese are published in the Ad Clerum.
ITEM 4: REPORTS FROM DEANERIES AND CONSTITUENCIES
1. Ashfield-Canterbury: a written report of the deanery
meeting held on September 29,2004 was tabled. It noted
the following:
Welcome new members and visitors:
- The Dean welcomed John Walsh (Campsie) and Carmen
Polifrone (Confirmation 2005 Committee member);
- He offered words of congratulations to Gerry Scott
(Ashfield) on his Golden Jubilee of ordination;
Confirmation 2005:
- Carmen Polifrone, chair of the Parish & Ethic
Community Liaison Sub Committee, spoke about the ongoing
arrangements for the celebration of Confirmation 2005;
- Carmen responded to questions for about fifteen
minutes;
- She left after an expression of appreciation from
the Dean;
Galilee House:
- Members sought clarification from the Council of
Priests about the status of Galilee House;
Sacraments of Initiation:
- Members requested again that the Council of Priests
address issues relating to the Sacraments of Initiation;
- The discrepancies in practice between dioceses
in the metropolitan area of Sydney were noted explicitly;
Parish Reconfiguration:
- Correspondence from Mgr Rayner to the Dean in relation
to concerns about parish reconfigurations in the deanery
was tabled for the information of members;
Year of the Eucharist:
- Members discussed some practical responses for
their parishes, e.g. discussion groups on the recent
papal teaching on the Eucharist;
- Members discussed issues related to the document:
"The Eucharist: Source & Summit of the Life
and Mission of the Church";
- Other issues flowed from this discussion, e.g. reinvigorating
reverence for the sacrament and identifying some practical
means of encouraging the sense of community within
parish Eucharistic celebrations;
Christmas mass timetables:
- Members organised the Christmas mass timetables
with reference to each other;
Charitable Works Fund:
- The meeting agreed that Sunday mass attendance would
offer a more realistic basis for parish assessment
than current census information;
2. Auburn-Bankstown: a written report of the deanery
meeting held on October 14, 2004, at Bankstown Parish
was tabled. It noted the following:
Confirmation 2005:
- Carmen Polifrone (Parish & Ethnic Liasion Committee)
was welcomed to the meeting;
- Carmen updated the meeting on the progress of Confirmation
2005:
- There would be about 5000 candidates;
- A website had been created;
- A number of information evenings will be held
across the Archdiocese in November for parish
representatives;
- There will be two sessions on May 21,2005:
12.30pm and 4.3Opm;
- Each session will celebrate the Sacrament of
Confirmation within the Eucharist;
- Issues of safety and parling are still to be
finalised;
Music Copyright:
- It was mentioned that the Liturgy Office was seeking
a General Copyright Licence for the Archdiocese;
- The meeting agreed that such a licence would be
beneficial to parishes in time and cost;
CWF Contributions:
- Fr Terence Millard, a member of the CWF Committee,
explained the new method of calculating CWF parish
quotas;
- He stated that the new method was fairer to parishes
and required a greater degree of accountability from
Church agencies;
CEO administering costs of parish schools:
- The meeting was informed of ongoing discussions
between the Chancery and the CEO regarding the CEO
assuming responsibility for the future maintenance
and repair costs of parish schools;
- The new arrangement s could begin in 2005 if agreements
were reached;
- Members raised some concerns, e.g. how the CEO
would be able to finance this proposal, and what effect
it would have on the School Levy and tax deductibility;
Clergy Forum:
- Members were reminded of the Clergy Forum to be
held on October 28;
Screening of Priests:
- New methods for screening priests from outside
the Archdiocese were discussed;
Child Protection Legislation Training Sessions:
- Members found these Sessions complex and heavy
going;
- One member said that similar sessions conducted
at the Bankstown Orientation Day were better;
Cancellation of Mr
Jesus Bello's ordination to the diaconate;
- Fr Terence Millard
informed the meeting that Jesus Bello, a deacon appointed
to the Greenacre parish (and a member of the Neo-Catechumenate
Way) had had his date for ordination cancelled;
- Mr Bello had been
sent to Spain for further missionary experience;
- Fr Millard said
that Mr Bello's sudden departure from the parish was
a traumatic experience for himself, Mr Bello and the
parishioners;
Catholic Adult Education Centre:
- Fr Flader, the Director of the Catholic Adult Education
Centre, outlined the work of the Centre;
- He stated that more than 200 students had attended
courses this year, including correspondence courses;
- These courses were geared to people involved in
RCIA and catechetics;
- Fr Flader said that the marriage courses run by
the Centre were well attended;
- He did not see the Centre competing with ACU or
the CIS, but catering to a different market;
- He said that the Bookstore was proving successful;
- He hoped that the Centre would be self-sufficient
and not draw on the CWF by 2005;
3. Concord: a written report of the deanery meeting
held on September 30, 2004 at the Seminary of the Good
Shepherd, was tabled. It noted the following:
Year of the Eucharist:
- The meeting discussed questions 19 and 20 in the
Lineamenta on the Eucharist;
- The responses were sent to Sr Carmel Pilcher, the
Archdiocesan Director of Liturgy;
Confirmation 2005:
- The meeting continued its discussion on the details
of Confirmation 2005;
4. City: a written report of the deanery meeting held
on October 22,2004 was tabled. It noted the following:
Galilee House:
- Discussion centred on whether Galilee House should
be run by a manager or spiritual director;
- The meeting felt it was very important for priests
to have a place to recuperate, especially those who
had no place to go on their days off;
- It was revealed that a priest of the Archdiocese
had offered his services to be in charge of the Centre;
Council of Priests elections:
- Clarification was sought on the policy regarding
the new elections to the Council of Priests;
- Could the same people be re-elected or not?
- This was not seen as a reflection on the current
City deanery representative;
Redfern Parish:
- Discussion arose
from the information in the last Council of Priests
minutes;
- The Archdiocese supplies
$292,000 to the Aboriginal ministry; -
the St Vincent's community has no access to Aboriginal
ministry monies
- The meeting queried
the removal of the $220 weekly allowance to the committee
which supplied community lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays;
- 45-55 people attended
these meals, including aboriginal and non-aboriginal
people; -
the typical attendance is around 100 people
- The $220 had been
given to the parish for over a year and was separate
to the $292000;
- The committee providing
the lunches was struggling without the $220 per week;
- None of the aboriginal
elders involved with the meal could recall stating
that they did not want the weekly allowance;
- Could the Chancery
contact Fr Peter Maher with the name of the elder
who stated that the money was not needed?
- It was noted that
the loss incurred by Redfern Parish in the Pastoral
Returns was the biggest in the Archdiocese, and almost
double the next loss-making parish;
-
the St Vincent's community channels its financial
support directly into areas more
appropriate than the Sunday mass collection or the
CWF
- The loss of $26000
by Redfern was almost half of the loss of the Remuneration
Fund;
- The meeting queried
why there were two priests at Redfern in the smallest
parish in the Archdiocese when other small parishes
had Parish Priests with non-parish commitments, e.g.
Rosebery (Marriage Tribunal) and Newtown (University
Chaplaincy).
Additional
comments by the Church Mouse
5. Eastern: a written report of the meeting held at
Waverley on Friday, August 18,2004 was tabled, It noted
the following:
Clergy Deployment and Parish Configuration:
- The meeting discussed the report;
- Members requested that parishioners be consulted
and well prepared for changes;
St Vincent de Paul Society:
- The Society expressed concern regarding procedures
for distributing food vouchers to the poor;
- Each parish seemed to have a different method of
distribution;
Fr Charles Rue:
- Fr Charles Rue from the Columban Fathers asked that
deanery members promote the Far East magazine in their
parishes;
- He asked if he could speak at parishes, not as a
financial appeal but to increase interest in the magazine:
- Each parish responded positively to the suggestion,
with the result that a speaker from the Columbans
would speak in each parish in the near future;
CWF Levies:
- The new levies were met with stunned disbelief,
especially Bondi Beach (increase from 21000 to 58000),
Bondi (13000 to 30000), Waverley (12000 29000),
Paddington (17000-30000) and Woollahra (31000-49000);
- The model seemed to lack much needed information;
- The issue would be the subject of continuing discussion.
6. Northern: a written report of the deanery meeting
on October 22,2004 at Lane Cove presbytery was tabled,
It noted the following:
Parish Finances:
- Mr Danny Casey and Mr Michael Moore from the Chancery
addressed the meeting on issues relating to parish
finances;
- The dialogue and their responses to the anxieties
of members were excellent;
Partnership of Beauty Point, Clifton Gardens, Mosman
and Neutral Bay:
- A meeting would be held at Mosman presbytery on
Friday evening, December 10, 2004 with Bishop Fisher
and Monsignor Rayner to discuss the partnering of
these parishes;
Dinner for Parish Priests and Principals:
- A dinner for Parish Priests and Principals of four
schools in the deanery would be held on Friday, December
3 in Lane Cove Presby1ery;
- The evening would provide an opportunity to discuss
matters of mutual concern.
7. Randwick-Botany:
No report, as the deanery had not met since the last
meeting on August 17.
8. Ryde-Eastwood: a written report from the meeting
on October 19,2004 at Marsfield Ryde was tabled. It
noted the following:
Year of the Eucharist:
- The meeting discussed items 17 and 18 in accordance
with the instructions from the Liturgy Office:
- Fr Brian Byron led the discussion and took notes
for a report to the Liturgy Office:
- Mgr Brian Rayner - Structure of the Chancery:
- Mgr Brian Rayner informed the meeting of the structure
of the chancery;
- He identified some of the different operations of
the chancery;
- He explained the nature of his role and its distinction
from the other areas of the chancery;
- There was considerable discussion about the difficulties
with the process of Acts of Extraordinary Administration,
especially the changing of the forms;
- It was suggested that these matters be held over
until Danny Casey arrived to address the meeting;
- Unfortunately, Danny was delayed and was not able
to attend;
- Brian encouraged priests to lodge a will with the
chancery;
- He expressed his support for priests, and encouraged
us to contact him if we had matters of concern or
needed a bit of time off along the way;
Catholic Adult Education Centre - Fr John Flader:
- Fr Flader attended the meeting in response to an
invitation from the Dean;
- Members expressed their concerns about some of the
material coming from the CAEC, particularly the 2004,Lenten
Program;
- Priests relayed comments from their parishioners
and expressed their own concerns that the program
did not centre on the Sunday gospels, did not speak
to the lived experience of people and emphasised sin
excessively;
- Members expressed concerns that the CAEC was duplicating
courses that were already established elsewhere, e.g.
at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, and that the
offerings of the Centre should serve the people of
Sydney first, rather than look to a wider audience;
- Fr Flader expressed his appreciation for the invitation
to attend the meeting and the feedback;
- He distributed a document outlining the activities
of the Centre;
- He said that the L.UU, Lenten Program would focus
on the gospels of year A and in the Year of the Eucharist,
would relate to the Eucharist;
- It would also return to the use of stories to speak
to-the experiences of people;
- Fr Flader explained that the CAEC courses tended
to address a lower level than the CIS, and were well
attended;
9. St George: a written report of the last deanery
meeting held on October 27, 2004 was tabled. It noted
the following:
Confirmation 2005:
- After some discussion, the priests felt that it
was not necessary for Carmen Polifrone to come to
a Deanery meeting with the promotional video;
- It was suggested that the video be sent only to
those parishes that requested it, rather than sending
it to all parishes;
- It was also felt that it would be better to have
confirmation without the Mass as it was in 2000, as
this would help bring out the link with the parish;
Hospital Privacy Regulations:
- The priests were concerned about the new privacy
regulations at St George Hospital that no longer allowed
members of the Pastoral Care Team to have access to
lists showing patients' religion;
- As this issue involved government legislation, it
was felt that the matter should be taken up with the
Minister for Health;
- At a local level, priests were encouraging parishioners
to take the initiative if they had to go to hospital,
and to ask for a priest or a pastoral carer, either
when they were admitted or while in the ward:
- The priests realised that this may not be effective
for those who had been away from the Church for some
time.
Orthodox Children receiving the Sacraments:
- The priests requested clarification on the issue
of a Catholic parent asking for a child who was baptized
Orthodox to be enrolled in a Catholic sacramental
programme;
- The following questions were raised:
- How does an Orthodox child become Catholic?
- Is an Orthodox child able to make Reconciliation
and Holy Communion and remain Orthodox?
- Is an Orthodox child who has made these sacraments
considered Catholic?
- Does it depend on whether or not the parents
want them to be Catholic?
- Does it depend on whether or not the Catholic
parent practices the Catholic faith?
- Does an Orthodox child require a formal reception
into the Catholic Church?
- Do the parents need to get permission from
their Orthodox priest for their child to become
Catholic?
- Is an Orthodox child who has received Catholic
sacraments and practices in the Catholic faith
able to marry a non- Catholic in the Catholic
Church
- The issue was raised because many families attend
sacramental programmes where one parent was Catholic
and one Orthodox, the child was baptised Orthodox,
and yet the Catholic parent wanted the child to be
brought up as a Catholic.
10. Sutherland: a written report of the deanery meeting
held on October 8, 2004 was tabled. It noted the following:
Priests and Pastoral Councils gathering:
- A suggestion was made that the Priests and Pastoral
Councils from parishes in the Deanery have a gathering
to discuss a chosen topic and have a chance to socialise;
- The idea of the gathering would be to broaden our
view of Church and share ideas:
- Pastoral initiatives could flow from the discussion;
- Issues for pastors in the area could be raised and
reflected upon;
- Some possible topics mentioned were the Eucharist
and Leadership (how do we lead today?);
- Expertise in particular areas could also be explored,
e.g. Sacramental Programmes;
- Further suggestions made were having an input facilitator
and including parish staff;
- All supported the idea and Michael McLean was to
put a proposal together;
Lenten Program 2005:
- It was agreed to have a Lenten Programme in the
deanery next year on similar lines to this year;
RCIA gathering:
- It was suggested that we have a gathering of all
involved in the RCIA in the Shire after Easter 2005;
Parish Financial Matters:
- Danny Casey, Michael Moore, Brian Rayner and John
Touzall were welcomed to the meeting;
- A presentation and discussion on parish financial
matters followed;
Confirmation 2005:
- Carmen Polifrone and Fr. Martin Monaghan gave a
brief overview of Confirmation 2005;
11. Western: a written report of the deanery meeting
held on October 27,2004 was tabled. It noted the following:
Cannes Hill Parish:
- Pat Hurley was on sick leave from the parish;
- There was no supply/administrator at present and
Noel Short was signing the cheques;
- The situation raised issues around the support of
priests who are sick, and the support of their parishes;
Council or Priests Minutes:
- Could an 'executive summary' of the Council of Priests
minutes be prepared?
- At present there was a lot of reading and a good
chance of overlooking the important points;
Confirmation 2005:
- Carmen Polifrone spoke to the meeting about Confirmation
2005;
- A number of concerns were raised:
- Why is Confirmation within mass?
- If its going to be mass, why not a morning
session?
- Why just two sessions?
- The problem of getting final numbers in by
February;
- Transportation problems: in 2000, we had to
share buses in the west, which wont be possible
this year as the sessions are too close together.
Parish Financial Issues:
- Danny Casey and Michael Moore addressed the meeting;
- the problems of funding secretarial and accounting
support were raised;
Catholic Adult Education Centre:
- John Flader spoke to the meeting.
12. Migrant Chaplains:
No report.
13. Priests on Lesser Duties:
No report.
Responses to the reports:
Deacon Elect Mr Jesus
Bello:
- The Archbishop outlined
the decision for Mr Bello's return to Spain;
- The decision related
to Mr Bello's ongoing discernment between ministry
as a diocesan priest and as part of the neo-catechumenal
way;
- Mr Bello had joined
a neo-catechumenate team in Spain;
- He had spoken at
all Sunday masses at Greenacre prior to his departure,
but such situations were always difficult.
Redfern Parish:
- The Cardinal stated
that he was satisfied with what the priests were trying
to do at Redfern parish;
- He said that it was
the most needy and difficult parish in the Archdiocese;
- He said that the allocation
of two priests of the neo-catechumenate indicated
the importance of the parish to the Archdiocese, and
the commitment of the neo-catecumenate to the poor;
- He identified some
of the difficulties that the priests had to deal with
in the parish:
- Mgr Rayner said that
he had visited the parish and made the following observations:
- The social problems
in Redfern were immense;
- The Soup Kitchen
that provided lunch two days a week was a matter
for the local parish and parish priest;
- The Kitchen was
situated in the church;
- Brian had representation
from a member of the aboriginal community to say
that the kitchen was demeaning for the people
there;
- There was conflict
among different groups within the aboriginal community;
- The church itself
was in urgent need of attention, and the presbytery
was a condemned building;
- Attempts to introduce
change in the community were often met with intimidation;
- The core congregation
comprised only a few local aboriginal people,
with most coming from outside the parish borders;
- He invited clergy
to contact the Parish Priest to arrange a visit
to Redfern Parish if they wished;
- Debate followed about
whether the strategies of the Archdiocese in relation
to Redfern Parish and the styles of priestly ministry
employed there were sensitive to the unique nature
and history of the parish;
Sacraments of Initiation and Orthodox children:
- The Cardinal informed the Council that Orthodox
children should not be enrolled in the sacraments
of initiation unless they were formally received into
the Catholic Church;
- In such cases, parishes needed to take the children
through a formal process of reception;
- In the case of primary children, both parents should
give written permission for the reception of their
child into the Catholic Church;
- The same procedure held for children from Eastern
Catholic Rites;
- The Council suggested that the Ecumenical Commission
be approached regarding this issue:
- The Cardinal agreed to approach the Commission;
Galilee House:
- Mgr Rayner asked that any priest who was interested
in managing Galilee House contact him:
- The Cardinal reiterated his wish that Galilee House
be operational;
- The Bishops were approaching some priests to see
if they were interested in this ministry:
- It was suggested that the precise purpose of Galilee
House needed to be clarified, because its role in
the past made it unclear whether it was a place for
priests to recreate. or a place where priests discerned
whether they wished to continue in their ministry;
Hospital Visitation:
- Mgr Rayner informed the Council that he was part
of a discussion with Mr Peter Wong, MLC and the Chaplaincy
Advisory Committee regarding the difficulties that
Privacy Legislation was creating for hospital chaplains;
- The Bishops would discuss the issue with the Committee
over the next few weeks;
Cannes Hill Parish:
- Mgr Rayner informed the Council that the strategy
for Cannes Hill depended on Fr Pat Hurley's prognosis;
- Frs Milani and Short were looking after the parish
at present;
- An administrator would be appointed if Fr Hurley's
prognosis was likely to make him absent from the parish
for a significant period.
ITEM 5: SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND PASTORAL PRIORITIES
COMMITTEE
Fr Paul Monkerud, in the absence of Bishop Julian
Porteous, Chair of the Committee, gave a verbal report;
The work of the Committee had focused entirely on
overseeing the organisation of the Clergy Forum tomorrow
(October 28), in consultation with the Committee for
the Continuing Education of Clergy;
He thanked Mgr Vince Redden, Frs Paul Crowley and
John Usher for their invaluable assistance to the Committee
in its organisation of the Forum;
He encouraged all clergy to attend the Forum;
ITEM 6: COMMITTEE FOR THE CONTINUING EDUCATION OF
CLERGY
Mgr Vince Redden, the Chair of the Committee, gave
a verbal report:
The Committee had focused on the organization of
the Clergy Forum, in collaboration with the Spiritual
Renewal and Pastoral Priorities Committee;
The Forum was planned for tomorrow, Thursday, October
28, 2004 at the Le Montage Conference Centre;
Over 130 clergy had indicated that they would be
present;
Noelene Veness had been commissioned to assist with
the organization and running of the Forum;
Mgr Redden gave a synopsis of the program for the
day;
He hoped that the Committee for the Continuing Education
of Clergy would meet as soon as possible after the Forum
to ensure that the momentum of the Forum was maintained;
This would avoid repeating the situation that occurred
after the Clergy Forum at Windsor in October, 2003, when
momentum was lost because the recommendations of the Forum
were not taken up soon enough;
ITEM 7: ITEMS CARRYING OVER OR ARISING FROM PREVIOUS
MINUTES
a) Council of Priests Statutes:
The Council of Priests Statutes had not been updated
since March 31, 1988;
Revision of the statues would clarify appointment
and reappointment procedures;
A sub-committee, comprising Mgr Rayner, Frs Monkerud
and Maunsell was appointed to study the existing statutes
and to present a proposal to the Council regarding new
statutes;
b) Clergy Long Service, Sabbatical and Annual Leave:
Mgr Rayner informed the Council that the report from
the sub-committee of the Council of Priests would be presented
to the next Bishops' Conference;
c) Board of Management Matters:
Mgr Kerry Bayada, Chair of the Board of Management,
informed the Council that the Annual General Meeting
went smoothly;
There were no significant items of concern;
d) University of Notre Dame Update:
The Cardinal made the following comments:
- There was as yet no signed agreement between the
Archdiocese and the University of Notre Dame;
- He was keen to sign in the "long term Catholicity"
of the project;
- Planning was continuing on the Broadway site;
- In relation to the Darlinghurst site, there was
a public meeting on site while he was overseas;
- The University was proposing to maintain the church
as a church;
- The matter was proceeding with a "little more
turbulence" than normal.
e) Tribute to Bishop Geoffrey Robinson:
Mgr Redden reported that Bishop Robinson suggested
that his tribute be combined with the one for Bishop
Cremin next year;
Bishop Cremin was happy with this proposal.
f) Confirmation 2005:
Bishop Fisher informed the Council that the organisation
for Confirmation 2005 was on track;
The parishes had been faxed with the details;
The number of candidates looked to be up by 20% on
Confirmation 2000;
The Cardinal had written to parishes confirming that
Confirmation 2005 would take place next year;
A contract was signed with the Superdome;
A video had been produced for information and marketing
purposes;
A web site had been established;
Information evenings would be conducted in parishes
throughout the Archdiocese in November; The Committees
were working well.
g) Priests on Lesser Duties:
The question related to how the Council of Priests
could better facilitate the representation of Priests
on Lesser Duties at Council meetings;
The Council referred the matter to the sub-committee
investigating the Statutes;
h) CIS Representation on the Council of Priests
The Cardinal informed the Council that the Bishops
Committee had decided not to invite CIS representation
on the Council;
The Cardinal pointed out that a number of members
of the CIS Senate sat on the Council of Priests.
i) Use of Parish Facilities in relation to Insurance
Cover:
Mgr Brian Rayner would approach Catholic Church Insurances
for clarification of the issues related to the use of
parish facilities by parish and non-parish groups, and
report back to the Council;
j) Computer Compatible Forms for Parish Statistics
Mgr Rayner would investigate the possibility of the
Chancery designing a form whereby parishes could more
easily fill out the Annual Parish Statistics;
k) Voluntary Survey of Priests' Qualifications, Pastoral
Experiences and Hopes:
A suggestion some time ago from Concord deanery was
tftat priests be able to answer a voluntary survey seeking
their qualifications, pastoral experiences and hopes;
Mgr Rayner would refer the suggestion to the Priests
Advisory Committee;
He added that in his experience, some priests were reticent
to provide any personal information to the Chancery.
ITEM 8: OTHER BUSINESS
a) The Chancery
One of the members of the Council requested an outline
of the organisation of the Chancery;
Mgr Rayner informed the Council that there were
three main sections:
- Archdiocesan Administration and Property (led by
Mr Danny Casey);
- Administration of Parish Life and Clergy (led by
Mgr Rayner);
- Cardinal's business;
He asked clergy not to mark mail to the Cardinal
as "personal" unless they wished the Cardinal
to open it;
In such cases, the delay in reply could be significant;
He also asked clergy not to send mail to the Cathedral
unless it was specifically for a member of the Cathedral
staff.
b) Ombudsman:
The Cardinal informed the Council that the report
presented by the Ombudsman yesterday was critical of
the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER);
The CCER was the nominated "lead agency"
for the Catholic Church in relations with the Ombudsman;
The relationship between the CCER and the Ombudsman
had deteriorated recently;
The Ombudsman has refused to work with the CCER as
the lead agency;
The situation was being addressed by the CCER and
the Bishops;
The Cardinal added that the issues of concern to
the Ombudsman related to the past.
c) Sacraments of Christian Initiation:
It was suggested that the issues relating to the initiation
of Orthodox children and the differences in procedures
and practices between parishes, and particularly between
dioceses in Sydney, highlighted the need for a comprehensive
Archdiocesan statement on the Sacraments of Initiation.
d) Cardinal's Book Launch:
The Cardinal informed the Council that his new book
would be launched tomorrow;
It contained excerpts from his writings.
The meeting closed at 12.30pm. Next Meeting: Wednesday.
December 1, 2004. |