Dear Friends,
"Even when we are warmly welcomed - as I was, and happily integrated in Australia - as I am, we still think constantly of our own country. We live in two countries. After many years I still feel homesick. On my last visit home, I could not look down as the plane lifted off. My heart was too heavy."
Bishop Joe Grec made this brief but poignant intervention at the recent annual conversation between leaders of religious congregations and the Australian bishops on the topic Our Multi-cultural Church - grace and challenge.
The morning's lively exchange showed that we had hit on a topic both familiar and of concern to many. It was a great warm up for our CRA National Assembly* on the theme Our Australian Multicultural Church: reality, gift and challenge, scheduled for a 2 pm start on June 30 until July 3, at Newman College in Melbourne.
About 400 Catholic religious and priests have received visas to work in Australia during the last three years.
Students are in another category.
This figure will only grow.
Since one third of Australian residents are either born overseas or are children of parents of another country of origin, we are a very multicultural society.
The Catholic Church, both in its members and in its workforce, reflects this great cultural variety and richness. But for the Church to draw benefit from such diversity, good understanding of the phenomenon and appropriate, comprehensive planning are essential.
Mission is integral to the identity of religious congregations. Thus many of us have either served abroad or are in constant communication with communities on mission beyond Australia's frontiers.
The globalisation of travel and communications makes it possible to live in several worlds at once. We can readily understand that the Australian Church is now called to an intercultural mission here at home.
Many religious communities are well prepared for this precise service and need today.
Some communities of religious even now are arriving to serve in Australia. Naturally their first steps are fraught with difficulties.
We rely on religious communities in each diocese and State group to identify these new arrivals, to welcome them and to be sure that they are invited to our National Assembly.
The Assembly will help them and all of us. We will find the way to welcome them even if they themselves have no resources for the travel or stay costs.
At our meeting of religious leaders and bishops, lively presentations by Noel Connolly SSC, Bishop Michael Malone, Frank Devoy and Anne Derwin RSJ, facilitated by Anne Lane PBVM, helped us to understand better how people continue to live within their own cultural frameworks, and that culture shapes values.
Diverse cultural values are reflected in attitudes to poverty, religion, prayer and worship, authority, interpersonal relations - especially between men and women, humour, family, confidentiality, language, community, hygiene. This hardly begins to name a complete list.
While diversity is a gift it also brings challenges. Local liturgical practices, local leadership, the participation by lay people, may be some of the elements of our Church life put at risk by the arrival of Church workers formed in other settings.
The themes we take up in our Assembly will be engaging and deal with the realities of our mission today.
If you have not yet signed on, please do so (details on this website). Remember, we will also have elections for some key positions on the CRA Council too, so please consider whom you might nominate for these roles.
There will be a lunch time session at 12.30 at Queen's College for leaders who are attending their first assembly. Please identify yourself when you are enrolling. During the assembly there will be a "buddy system" for leaders who are new to CRA.
I do look forward to meeting leaders, new and experienced, at Queen's and Newman on June 30.
Every blessing and good wish,
Mark Raper SJ, President
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*The CRA National Assembly is open to leaders of religious congregations.
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