The seven participants in the Australian Young Catholic Women’s Fellowship will share their insights into women’s leadership during a public, online seminar in October.
The ‘Visions of Women Leading for Mission’ seminar will take place on October 9 from 7-9pm AEDT, with each participant delivering a 10-minute presentation about what matters to them as women leading for mission today and into the future. Themes will include mission in and for the world, leadership in different sectors and contexts, governance roles, and transitions in life and leadership.
Facilitated by the Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) Janine Luttick and Sandie Cornish, the seminar will also feature opportunities for members of the public to ask questions of the presenters.
Dr Luttick said the online seminar was an important part of the Women’s Leadership for Mission program, which is the academic part of the Fellowship.
“Women contribute significantly to the mission of the Church, including its intellectual and spiritual life,” she said.
“This seminar is just one opportunity to ensure their insights, experiences, and theological reflections are heard, respected, and taken seriously. It is another space in the Church that embodies the Church’s commitment to synodality and bridge-building.”
The seminar forms part of the final unit in the academic program, ‘Leading for Mission’. The unit assists participants to integrate their learning across the entire course, drawing on the course materials and dialogue among participants to express their personal vision of leadership for mission.
The aim of the unit is to help make visible women's experiences and thinking about leading for mission and to facilitate their contributions to creative and responsible dialogue within and beyond Church. The unit also enables participants to develop constructive networks and relationships for mission beyond the course.
Previous units completed as part of the program included ‘Mission: Transforming the World’, ‘Interpreting the Bible for Leadership and Mission’, and ‘Theology for the Future: Reimagining Leadership’.
The current group of Fellowship participants began their two-year journey of academic and missionary formation in February 2024. At the end of their course, they will be awarded a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies with a specialisation in Leadership for Mission.
To register to attend the free, online webinar, please contact Dr Janine Luttick via email: Janine.Luttick@acu.edu.au.
Image: Supplied
Words: Matthew Biddle