From left, Archdiocese of Perth Chief Operations Officer Dr Terry Wilson with Bishop Les Tomlinson, 2015 Australian Catholic Bishops’ Delegate for Employment Relations, and Tony Farley, Member of ACCER. Photo: Supplied.
Archdiocese of Perth Chief Operations Officer Dr Terry Wilson is one of several key speakers at the upcoming National Pastoral Leaders and Planners Conference.
The Conference, titled Vine and Branches: Yearning to Belong, will be held in Melbourne from 4 to 7 September 2017 and will be attended by pastoral planners and pastoral leaders, clergy and pastoral associates from across the country.
Dr Wilson, who is also Vicar for Social Outreach, will be presenting on The Catholic Church as an employer in Australia and will discuss the Catholic Church as one of Australia’s largest employers, its approach to the employment process and talk about the rich history of Catholic social teaching.
The four-day event will also see a range of workshops presented by high-profile directors and pastoral teachers from across Australia and will focus on topics such as Evangelising Complex Parishes and Parishes in transition.
The Conference aims to provide participants with the opportunity to listen to considered reflections on the changing face of belief and unbelief in Australia today, belonging and questioning, and how the Catholic Church is responding to the challenges of today, especially in the light of the sexual abuse scandal and the Royal Commission. How might we respond anew with integrity and faith?
The conference will see acclaimed US Systematic Theologian, Dr Richard Gaillardetz, talk on the challenges facing the Catholic Church in Australia. And, and will be joined by fellow keynote speakers including Hugh Mackay AO (social researcher and author), Dr Maeve Heaney (musician and composer), Geraldine Doogue (journalist) and Archbishop of Brisbane the Most Rev Mark Coleridge.
Maria George from the Conference Planning Committee said she is looking forward to welcoming Dr Gaillardetz.
“Dr Richard Gaillardetz provides an insight that deserves our attention and consideration. He is held in high esteem throughout the world and we are privileged to have his attendance and input right here in Melbourne,” Ms George said.
The National Pastoral Leaders and Planners Conference, ‘Vine & Branches: Yearning to Belong’, 4-7 September 2017, Rydges on Swanston, Carlton, Melbourne. Registrations are open until 21 August 2017 via the Conference website www.nplpconference.com.