pathways APRIL 09
One of Australia's leading voices on the state of religion in this country will be heard when the leaders of Australia's Catholic Religious gather in Sydney in June.
Professor Gary Bouma
(left) who has forged a distinguished career as an academic, author and speaker will be the keynote presenter when the leaders assemble under the theme
Australian Religious in a multi-faith society: Reality, gift and challenge for their annual national assembly. Other significant input will be given by Fr Patrick McInerney SSC.
Professor Bouma is emeritus head of the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria. He holds the UNESCO Chair in Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Relations - Asia Pacific and is Chair of the Standing Committee on Ethics in Research Involving Humans.
An Anglican priest, he has a long term involvement in religious dialogue, especially Christian-Muslim dialogue and has undertaken a leading role in the
Parliament of World Religions, as the Chair of the Board of Management for the Parliament which will be held in Melbourne, from December 3-9, 2009.
He is the author of numerous works on the interaction between religion and society in Western countries including Canada, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. His most recent book is
Australian Soul (Cambridge University Press).
Fr McInerney
(left) is a Columban missionary priest who now is a full-time staff member of the Columban Mission Institute's Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations in Strathfield (Sydney) and heads the Institute's activities focussed on Mission Studies. He is the coordinator of Missiology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and lectures in Islam and Inter religious Dialogue. He is completing his PhD thesis,
Modelling the Method: A Lonergan Approach to Christian Responsibility in Interreligious Relations, through the Australian Catholic University.
Fr McInerney is a member of the Australian Catholic Council for Ecumenism and Interreligious Relations (ACCEIR) and he is a board member of the Australian Catholic University's Asia-Pacific Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue (APCID).
The theme of the 2009 assembly follows on from the successful 2008 assembly deliberations on the reality, gift and challenge of Australia's multi-cultural church. The guest speaker at that Melbourne gathering was Professor of Intercultural Studies at RMIT University of Melbourne Des Cahill.
According to Catholic Religious Australia's president Clare Condon SGS, Australia's religious men and women should be messengers of the Risen Christ's peace and mercy.
"The message of peace that we wish to bring to our world is one based on listening, dialogue and the seeking of understanding of the differences that divide our world, whether those differences are based on religion, race, politics, economics, prejudice or intolerance," she said.
"At our annual Assembly in June, we will be invited to enter deeply into that listening, dialogue and the seeking of understanding with our sisters and brothers from the other Abrahamic Faiths - Judaism and Islam. It is only together that people of goodwill can seek to bring wholeness and healing into our troubled world," Sr Clare said.
The assembly will attempt to give leaders
an appreciation of the reality of multi-faith Australia and its future;
an understanding if the place of dialogue in a multi-faith relationship;
an appreciation of why they should dialogue;
an understanding of how they can dialogue and learn from successful models;
an appreciation of the life of Jews and Muslims in Australia;
an idea of what congregations are already doing in a multi-faith context and investigate what the future role of religious should be in the growth of a "harmonious and rich" multi-faith Australia;
an opportunity to develop resolutions in regard to their contribution to a multi-faith Australia.
The assembly which will draw more than 100 leaders from around Australia will be facilitated by Ms Patricia Bergen
(left) from Melbourne, who also facilitated last year's assembly. A busy program will include input, reflection, keynote and other visiting speakers - including representatives from other faith traditions - discussions, workshops, prayer and liturgy, CRA business and social activities.
Australian Religious in a multi-faith society: Reality, gift and challenge will be held at the Mercure Hotel (Sydney Airport), from Tuesday, June 23 - Friday, June 26.
Congregational Leaders are reminded that registrations close on April 24.
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