A recent workshop for members of Religious Institutes highlighted the importance of good governance and administration within the Church, saying it must be aligned with mission and carried out with collaboration and transparency.

Several Divine Word Missionaries took part in the ‘Introduction to Ecclesial Governance and Administration’ workshop, which was an initiative of Catholic Religious Australia.

Held at the Yarra Theological Union Study Centre in Melbourne, the workshop was led by Fr Stephen Hackett MSC, with a program prepared by distinguished leaders in governance, Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe AM and Mr Francis Moore KCSG.

Fr Stephen, who is the Provincial of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and formerly General-Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said that anyone serving in a ministerial leadership or pastoral management position in a religious institute or apostolic work has to exercise responsibility for governance and administration.

“Governance and administration are an important responsibility of all organisations,” he said.

“For Church organisations – such as religious institutes, dioceses, parishes, schools, chaplaincies, and health care services – governance and administration need to be aligned with mission, so that the service provided is not just for the sake of compliance with standards and regulations, but serves to foster and promote the apostolic works and mission of the Church.”

Fr Stephen said good governance and administration provide a stable and dependable foundation for mission, giving confidence that the Church, in whichever work, is responsible, accountable and transparent.

“Effective governance and administration provide structures and procedures which help ensure that decision-making is participative and that subsidiarity is exercised in processes of decision-taking,” he said.

“The Gospel impels the community of the Church, its ministers, and all who place their baptismal gifts at the service of the Church’s life and mission, to commit to conduct that is ethical, seeks to do justice, and serves the common good. Best practice governance and effective administration support such conduct by always working to reflect the teaching of Jesus and the values of the Gospel.”

Fr Yon Wiryono SVD, who has previously worked in parish ministry and is now the Vocations Director for the Australia Province, said the workshop provided a strong foundation for those in positions involving governance and administration in the Church and should be a prerequisite for anyone taking on positions of leadership.

“It was a very intense but very well organised workshop on governance and administration ministry,” he said.

“I wish I attended this workshop before going into parish ministry many years ago, because it is all about how to form effective leadership and how administration functions professionally in the parish or Church organisation setting.

“What I gained from it, is the awareness and knowledge of the importance of healthy leadership and governance supported by well organised administration in the Church organisation setting. The course has given me the template or the overall model of good governance and effective administration.

“I have also come to appreciate the work of the leadership and administration team in ministry; because it is not an easy task, and yet a very important ministry. So, leadership is a ministry in itself.”

The workshop included topics on the principles of governance and administration, safeguarding, employment relations and personnel management, civil law, risk assessment and mitigation, finance and controls, taxation and investment, meetings and reports, ecclesial leadership and canon law.

Fr Michael Hardie SVD, who has also worked in parish ministry and is currently the Safeguarding Officer for the Province, said the workshop was both intensive and comprehensive and noted the quality, depth and clarity of the presentation materials, and the professional expertise of the presenters, both lay and religious from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, who had given their time and talent for the purpose.

“My overall impression of the workshop was its professionalism and timeliness, as the Church engages with the modern world of responsibility, accountability, good governance and synodality,” he said.

“The synodal approach of Pope Francis and today's Church was emphasised throughout, with frequent references to the Synod Final Report. A notable statement was made by Mr Francis Moore, in the introduction to the workshop, that ‘No-one entrusted with the responsibility of governance can do it alone’.  Instead, Church and Religious Institute leaders must engage positively and willingly with professional lay persons, married and single, from all fields of civil life, in order to govern responsibly and more faithfully.”

Fr Boni Buahendri SVD, who is currently serving as Parish Priest of St Mark’s Parish in Inala, Brisbane, said that despite his many years in parish ministry, he too found the workshop valuable.

“It was excellent,” he said. “The topics covered were very good and were given by extremely qualified people who work in the Church and know the nature of governance and how it applies in the Church context. They spoke out of direct experience,” he said.

“I think this kind of workshop would be of value to all those in leadership team roles and people working in the parish. It brought home to me that good governance and administration helps us to work both professionally and pastorally.

“At the end of the day, our task is the salvation of souls, but we have to work at being accountable to society as well. Those two goals are strongly connected. We need accountability and transparency in carrying out our work.”

Meanwhile, Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, who is both Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs and Vicar-General of the Darwin Diocese, said he was very pleased that he chose to attend the workshop.

“In one sense it didn’t raise anything new that we are not already engaged in doing, but it showed us how to do it better, giving up-to-date information about the different areas of both Church and civil law that we need to be aware of and compliant with,” he said.

“One area I found of particular interest was the section on employment law and compliance, because we need to look after our employees. It is a basic role of the Church to look after one another and care for one another.

“The workshop emphasised that compliance is not just about ticking boxes but it’s important because we want to be aware of the role of the Church in both the Church and civil space.

“It also highlighted the need to work together in a synodal way with qualified lay people and to be able to delegate, while still being responsible, by empowering others to play their roles.

All of the Divine Word Missionaries who attended said a workshop based on this model would be valuable formation for seminarians or deacons, and ongoing formation for younger confreres, as well as for clergy who have recently arrived in Australia from other countries.

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: The course was prepared and led by Mr Francis Moore, Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe and Fr Stephen Hackett MSC.

MIDDLE LEFT: Among the Divine Word Missionaries in attendance were Fr Yon Wiryono SVD, Fr Michael Hardie SVD and Fr Prakash Menezes SVD (second row, left to right).

BOTTOM RIGHT: The workshop attracted participants from a wide range of religious congregations.