PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR PRIESTS

Last week Fr Bert and I joined 180 priests and bishops from Cairns to Bunbury and ordained six months to sixty years,  who gathered at Warrnambool for a four day conference. I was encouraged to go as Fr Bert had previously heard the famous Fr Timothy Radcliffe, a Dominican from Oxford, author and retreat-giver.
The theme of the conference was “Navigating our way in a changing Church.” Timothy spoke of how he saw the present state of the Church and where to now. In this Year of Grace, there was a presentation on St Mary MacKillop who showed new ways of living the Gospel. Sr Veronica Lawson, a biblical scholar from Ballarat, presented St Mark’s Gospel (Sr Veronica Lawson RSM writes a weekly reflection on the Gospel for us under the heading of THE YEAR OF GRACE IN TODAYS READINGS)
Our fourth key speaker was a lecturer in journalism who has surveyed over 500 priests in Australia, finding that 90% of Australian priests are happy with their lives.
I came back full of hope, of challenges to be taken up after these four days of meeting old friends and new colleagues, of prayer together and much laughter. The staff at the venue remarked “these priests are quite normal and happy!”       ……..Kevin McIntosh