{"id":513,"date":"2004-10-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-10-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lanuera.com\/cmwp\/?p=513"},"modified":"2004-10-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2004-10-27T00:00:00","slug":"council-of-priests-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/?p=513","title":{"rendered":"Council of priests meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"justify\">\n<h3>Meeting                         of the Council of Priests, Archdiocese of Sydney<br \/>\nMinutes-                         OCTOBER 27, 2004<\/h3>\n<p><strong>ITEM 1: INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">                           <\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\"> 10.00am Morning Tea<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">                           <\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">10.30am Welcome and Opening Prayer<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">                           <\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Present:<\/strong> Cardinal George Pell, Bishop                            David Cremin, Bishop Anthony Pisher, O.P., Mgr Kerry                            Bayada, Fr Brian Byron, Fr Jason Camilleri, Fr Joseph                            Camilleri, Fr Tom Carroll, Fr George Connolly, Fr John                            Crothers, Fr Paul Crowley, Fr Ray Parrell, Fr Josef                            Kolodziej, Fr Martin Maunsell, Fr Paul Monkerud, Fr                            Vladimir Novak, OPM, Mgr Brian Rayner, Mgr Vince Redden,                            Fr Kevin Spillane.<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">                           <\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Apologies:<\/strong> Bishop Julian Porteous,                            Fr Peter Pitzgerald, Fr Paul Stenhouse.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">I<strong>TEM 2: ACCEPTANCE OF THE MINUTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> &bull; Fr George Connolly provided a written statement                            that &quot;the minutes state that no report was received                            from the Randwick-Botany deanery. In fact, although                            I did not hand the secretary a written report, I did                            give a brief verbal report to the Council of Priests.                            It simply stated that the deanery had met on 17 August                            and had discussed the Minutes of the Council of Priests.&quot;                            At that deanery meeting, the following issues were discussed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> The Lineamenta on the Eucharist;<\/li>\n<li> Galilee House;<\/li>\n<li> The short term appointments of Parish Priests over                              70 years of age;<\/li>\n<li> Concern that Parish Priests rather than the Chancery                              be responsible for checking that supply priests satisfy                              Child Protection Legislation requirements;<\/li>\n<li> The work of the Life Office and Dr Brigit Vout;<\/li>\n<li> The requirement that Parishes compose inventories;<\/li>\n<li> Subject to including Fr Connolly&#8217;s statement in                              the minutes of this meeting, the acceptance of the                              minutes of the meeting held on August 25 was moved                              by Fr Joseph Camilleri, seconded by Fr Martin Maunsell                              and approved by the Council.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>ITEM 3: CARDINAL&#8217;S COMMENTS<\/h5>\n<p> &bull; &quot;As you know, the Holy Father has designated                            this twelve months &quot;The Year of the Eucharist&quot;                            to conclude with a Synod next year in Rome in October.                            I have arranged for every priest to receive a copy of                            his apostolic letter &quot;Mane Nobiscum Domine&quot;                            when printing is completed.<br \/>\nThe Eucharist is at the centre of our Catholic life.                            When celebrated with reverence and devotion, with adequate                            preparation and prayerful participation by our people,                            the Eucharist is par excellence the source of grace                            and strength, as well as being the source for missionary                            expansion, for resisting and reversing the slow decline                            of mass-goers.<br \/>\nArchdiocesan agencies and the archdiocesan liturgy committee                            are preparing a set of initiatives and offerings for                            use in parishes and around the archdiocese. I urge you                            to take up these opportunities in whatever way you feel                            suitable for your parish.<br \/>\nThe Holy Father particularly recommends us to do what                            we can to enhance the celebration of Sunday Mass and                            to increase Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass. Throughout                            Australia and in Sydney, an increasing number of parishes                            have a weekly period of silent adoration before the                            Blessed Sacrament. With a bit of encouragement and explanation,                            a goodly number of our parishioners will find these                            times of silent prayer peace-giving and refreshing.                            They also bring grace to the parish. Many parishes use                            these times to encourage parishioners to pray for vocations                            to the priesthood and to religious and lay leadership.&quot;<\/p>\n<p> &bull; &quot;Recently, I was attending a theological symposium                            before the Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico,                            and last week, I attended the international retreat                            for priests in Malta arranged by the Congregation for                            the Clergy. 1000 priests attended from all around the                            world, including three from Sydney. It was well organised,                            written translations of all the talks were available                            as the talks were given, as well as simultaneous translations.                            The spirit was excellent and I found the experience                            encouraging and life-giving.<br \/>\nI urge you to consider attending some of these international                            gatherings. They could well form part of a sabbatical                            program, a period of renewal, especially for those priests                            who are not inclined to formal study, or even longer                            retreats. The Archdiocese is open to making a contribution                            towards the expense of such an undertaking.<br \/>\nWe have great strengths in Sydney, but other parts of                            the Church also have great strengths and sometimes these                            are different from ours. It doesn&#8217;t hurt us to see and                            experience how other priests and dioceses exploit their                            opportunities.&quot;<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Responses to the Archbishop&#8217;s comments:<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Brian Rayner noted that oversees opportunities for                          clergy of the Archdiocese are published in the Ad Clerum.<\/p>\n<h5> ITEM 4: REPORTS FROM DEANERIES AND CONSTITUENCIES<\/h5>\n<h6> 1. Ashfield-Canterbury: a written report of the deanery                            meeting held on September 29,2004 was tabled. It noted                            the following:<\/h6>\n<p> &bull; Welcome new members and visitors:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Dean welcomed John Walsh (Campsie) and Carmen                              Polifrone (Confirmation 2005 Committee member);<\/li>\n<li>He offered words of congratulations to Gerry Scott                              (Ashfield) on his Golden Jubilee of ordination;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Carmen Polifrone, chair of the Parish &amp; Ethic                              Community Liaison Sub Committee, spoke about the ongoing                              arrangements for the celebration of Confirmation 2005;<\/li>\n<li> Carmen responded to questions for about fifteen                              minutes;<\/li>\n<li> She left after an expression of appreciation from                              the Dean;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Galilee House:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Members sought clarification from the Council of                              Priests about the status of Galilee House;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Sacraments of Initiation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Members requested again that the Council of Priests                              address issues relating to the Sacraments of Initiation;<\/li>\n<li> The discrepancies in practice between dioceses                              in the metropolitan area of Sydney were noted explicitly;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Parish Reconfiguration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Correspondence from Mgr Rayner to the Dean in relation                              to concerns about parish reconfigurations in the deanery                              was tabled for the information of members;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; Year of the Eucharist:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Members discussed some practical responses for                              their parishes, e.g. discussion groups on the recent                              papal teaching on the Eucharist;<\/li>\n<li>Members discussed issues related to the document:                              &quot;The Eucharist: Source &amp; Summit of the Life                              and Mission of the Church&quot;;<\/li>\n<li>Other issues flowed from this discussion, e.g. reinvigorating                              reverence for the sacrament and identifying some practical                              means of encouraging the sense of community within                              parish Eucharistic celebrations;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Christmas mass timetables:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Members organised the Christmas mass timetables                              with reference to each other;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Charitable Works Fund:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The meeting agreed that Sunday mass attendance would                              offer a more realistic basis for parish assessment                              than current census information;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>2. Auburn-Bankstown: a written report of the deanery                            meeting held on October 14, 2004, at Bankstown Parish                            was tabled. It noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p> &bull; Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carmen Polifrone (Parish &amp; Ethnic Liasion Committee)                              was welcomed to the meeting;<\/li>\n<li> Carmen updated the meeting on the progress of Confirmation                              2005:\n<ul>\n<li> There would be about 5000 candidates;<\/li>\n<li> A website had been created;<\/li>\n<li> A number of information evenings will be held                                  across the Archdiocese in November for parish                                  representatives;<\/li>\n<li> There will be two sessions on May 21,2005:                                  12.30pm and 4.3Opm;<\/li>\n<li> Each session will celebrate the Sacrament of                                  Confirmation within the Eucharist;<\/li>\n<li> Issues of safety and parling are still to be                                  finalised;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; Music Copyright:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> It was mentioned that the Liturgy Office was seeking                              a General Copyright Licence for the Archdiocese;<\/li>\n<li> The meeting agreed that such a licence would be                              beneficial to parishes in time and cost;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; CWF Contributions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Fr Terence Millard, a member of the CWF Committee,                              explained the new method of calculating CWF parish                              quotas;<\/li>\n<li> He stated that the new method was fairer to parishes                              and required a greater degree of accountability from                              Church agencies;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; CEO administering costs of parish schools:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> The meeting was informed of ongoing discussions                              between the Chancery and the CEO regarding the CEO                              assuming responsibility for the future maintenance                              and repair costs of parish schools;<\/li>\n<li> The new arrangement s could begin in 2005 if agreements                              were reached;<\/li>\n<li> Members raised some concerns, e.g. how the CEO                              would be able to finance this proposal, and what effect                              it would have on the School Levy and tax deductibility;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; Clergy Forum:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Members were reminded of the Clergy Forum to be                              held on October 28;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; Screening of Priests:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> New methods for screening priests from outside                              the Archdiocese were discussed;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> &bull; Child Protection Legislation Training Sessions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Members found these Sessions complex and heavy                              going;<\/li>\n<li> One member said that similar sessions conducted                              at the Bankstown Orientation Day were better;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">&bull; Cancellation of Mr                            Jesus Bello&#8217;s ordination to the diaconate;<\/font><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> Fr Terence Millard                              informed the meeting that Jesus Bello, a deacon appointed                              to the Greenacre parish (and a member of the Neo-Catechumenate                              Way) had had his date for ordination cancelled;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> Mr Bello had been                              sent to Spain for further missionary experience;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> Fr Millard said                              that Mr Bello&#8217;s sudden departure from the parish was                              a traumatic experience for himself, Mr Bello and the                              parishioners;<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Catholic Adult Education Centre:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Fr Flader, the Director of the Catholic Adult Education                              Centre, outlined the work of the Centre;<\/li>\n<li> He stated that more than 200 students had attended                              courses this year, including correspondence courses;<\/li>\n<li> These courses were geared to people involved in                              RCIA and catechetics;<\/li>\n<li> Fr Flader said that the marriage courses run by                              the Centre were well attended;<\/li>\n<li> He did not see the Centre competing with ACU or                              the CIS, but catering to a different market;<\/li>\n<li> He said that the Bookstore was proving successful;<\/li>\n<li> He hoped that the Centre would be self-sufficient                              and not draw on the CWF by 2005;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>3. Concord: a written report of the deanery meeting                            held on September 30, 2004 at the Seminary of the Good                            Shepherd, was tabled. It noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p> &bull; Year of the Eucharist:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The meeting discussed questions 19 and 20 in the                              Lineamenta on the Eucharist;<\/li>\n<li>The responses were sent to Sr Carmel Pilcher, the                              Archdiocesan Director of Liturgy;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The meeting continued its discussion on the details                              of Confirmation 2005;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>4. City: a written report of the deanery meeting held                            on October 22,2004 was tabled. It noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Galilee House:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Discussion centred on whether Galilee House should                              be run by a manager or spiritual director;<\/li>\n<li>The meeting felt it was very important for priests                              to have a place to recuperate, especially those who                              had no place to go on their days off;<\/li>\n<li>It was revealed that a priest of the Archdiocese                              had offered his services to be in charge of the Centre;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Council of Priests elections:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clarification was sought on the policy regarding                              the new elections to the Council of Priests;<\/li>\n<li>Could the same people be re-elected or not?<\/li>\n<li>This was not seen as a reflection on the current                              City deanery representative;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">&bull; Redfern Parish: <\/font><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">Discussion arose                              from the information in the last Council of Priests                              minutes;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The Archdiocese supplies                              $292,000 to the Aboriginal ministry; <\/font><font color=\"#990000\"><strong><font color=\"#005128\"><em>&#8211;                              the St Vincent&#8217;s community has no access to Aboriginal                              ministry monies<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The meeting queried                              the removal of the $220 weekly allowance to the committee                              which supplied community lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">45-55 people attended                              these meals, including aboriginal and non-aboriginal                              people;<\/font><font color=\"#990000\"> <strong><font color=\"#005128\"><em>&#8211;                              the typical attendance is around 100 people<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The $220 had been                              given to the parish for over a year and was separate                              to the $292000;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The committee providing                              the lunches was struggling without the $220 per week;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">None of the aboriginal                              elders involved with the meal could recall stating                              that they did not want the weekly allowance;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">Could the Chancery                              contact Fr Peter Maher with the name of the elder                              who stated that the money was not needed?<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">It was noted that                              the loss incurred by Redfern Parish in the Pastoral                              Returns was the biggest in the Archdiocese, and almost                              double the next loss-making parish;<\/font><font color=\"#990000\">                              <strong><font color=\"#005128\"><em>&#8211; <\/em><strong><em>                              the St Vincent&#8217;s community channels its financial                              support directly into <\/em><strong><em>areas <\/em><\/strong><em>more                              appropriate than the Sunday mass collection or the                              CWF<\/em><\/strong><\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The loss of $26000                              by Redfern was almost half of the loss of the Remuneration                              Fund;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The meeting queried                              why there were two priests at Redfern in the smallest                              parish in the Archdiocese when other small parishes                              had Parish Priests with non-parish commitments, e.g.                              Rosebery (Marriage Tribunal) and Newtown (University                              Chaplaincy).<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><font color=\"#990000\"><strong><font color=\"#005128\"><em>Additional                            comments by the Church Mouse<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<h6>5. Eastern: a written report of the meeting held at                            Waverley on Friday, August 18,2004 was tabled, It noted                            the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Clergy Deployment and Parish Configuration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The meeting discussed the report;<\/li>\n<li>Members requested that parishioners be consulted                              and well prepared for changes;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; St Vincent de Paul Society:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Society expressed concern regarding procedures                              for distributing food vouchers to the poor;<\/li>\n<li>Each parish seemed to have a different method of                              distribution;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Fr Charles Rue:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fr Charles Rue from the Columban Fathers asked that                              deanery members promote the Far East magazine in their                              parishes;<\/li>\n<li>He asked if he could speak at parishes, not as a                              financial appeal but to increase interest in the magazine:<\/li>\n<li>Each parish responded positively to the suggestion,                              with the result that a speaker from the Columbans                              would speak in each parish in the near future;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; CWF Levies:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The new levies were met with &ldquo;stunned disbelief&rdquo;,                              especially Bondi Beach (increase from 21000 to 58000),                              Bondi (13000 to 30000), Waverley (12000 &ndash; 29000),                              Paddington (17000-30000) and Woollahra (31000-49000);<\/li>\n<li>The model seemed to lack much needed information;<\/li>\n<li>The issue would be the subject of continuing discussion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>6. Northern: a written report of the deanery meeting                            on October 22,2004 at Lane Cove presbytery was tabled,                            It noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Parish Finances:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mr Danny Casey and Mr Michael Moore from the Chancery                              addressed the meeting on issues relating to parish                              finances;<\/li>\n<li>The dialogue and their responses to the anxieties                              of members were excellent;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Partnership of Beauty Point, Clifton Gardens, Mosman                          and Neutral Bay:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A meeting would be held at Mosman presbytery on                              Friday evening, December 10, 2004 with Bishop Fisher                              and Monsignor Rayner to discuss the partnering of                              these parishes;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Dinner for Parish Priests and Principals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A dinner for Parish Priests and Principals of four                              schools in the deanery would be held on Friday, December                              3 in Lane Cove Presby1ery;<\/li>\n<li>The evening would provide an opportunity to discuss                              matters of mutual concern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>7. Randwick-Botany:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; No report, as the deanery had not met since the last                          meeting on August 17.<\/p>\n<h6>8. Ryde-Eastwood: a written report from the meeting                            on October 19,2004 at Marsfield Ryde was tabled. It                            noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Year of the Eucharist:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The meeting discussed items 17 and 18 in accordance                              with the instructions from the Liturgy Office:<\/li>\n<li>Fr Brian Byron led the discussion and took notes                              for a report to the Liturgy Office:<\/li>\n<li> &bull; Mgr Brian Rayner &#8211; Structure of the Chancery:                            <\/li>\n<li>Mgr Brian Rayner informed the meeting of the structure                              of the chancery;<\/li>\n<li>He identified some of the different operations of                              the chancery;<\/li>\n<li>He explained the nature of his role and its distinction                              from the other areas of the chancery;<\/li>\n<li>There was considerable discussion about the difficulties                              with the process of Acts of Extraordinary Administration,                              especially the changing of the forms;<\/li>\n<li>It was suggested that these matters be held over                              until Danny Casey arrived to address the meeting;<\/li>\n<li>Unfortunately, Danny was delayed and was not able                              to attend;<\/li>\n<li>Brian encouraged priests to lodge a will with the                              chancery;<\/li>\n<li>He expressed his support for priests, and encouraged                              us to contact him if we had matters of concern or                              needed a bit of time off along the way;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Catholic Adult Education Centre &#8211; Fr John Flader:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fr Flader attended the meeting in response to an                              invitation from the Dean;<\/li>\n<li>Members expressed their concerns about some of the                              material coming from the CAEC, particularly the 2004,Lenten                              Program;<\/li>\n<li>Priests relayed comments from their parishioners                              and expressed their own concerns that the program                              did not centre on the Sunday gospels, did not speak                              to the lived experience of people and emphasised sin                              excessively;<\/li>\n<li>Members expressed concerns that the CAEC was duplicating                              courses that were already established elsewhere, e.g.                              at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, and that the                              offerings of the Centre should serve the people of                              Sydney first, rather than look to a wider audience;<\/li>\n<li>Fr Flader expressed his appreciation for the invitation                              to attend the meeting and the feedback;<\/li>\n<li>He distributed a document outlining the activities                              of the Centre;<\/li>\n<li>He said that the L.UU, Lenten Program would focus                              on the gospels of year A and in the Year of the Eucharist,                              would relate to the Eucharist;<\/li>\n<li>It would also return to the use of stories to speak                              to-the experiences of people;<\/li>\n<li>Fr Flader explained that the CAEC courses tended                              to address a lower level than the CIS, and were well                              attended;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>9. St George: a written report of the last deanery                            meeting held on October 27, 2004 was tabled. It noted                            the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After some discussion, the priests felt that it                              was not necessary for Carmen Polifrone to come to                              a Deanery meeting with the promotional video;<\/li>\n<li>It was suggested that the video be sent only to                              those parishes that requested it, rather than sending                              it to all parishes;<\/li>\n<li>It was also felt that it would be better to have                              confirmation without the Mass as it was in 2000, as                              this would help bring out the link with the parish;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Hospital Privacy Regulations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The priests were concerned about the new privacy                              regulations at St George Hospital that no longer allowed                              members of the Pastoral Care Team to have access to                              lists showing patients&#8217; religion;<\/li>\n<li>As this issue involved government legislation, it                              was felt that the matter should be taken up with the                              Minister for Health;<\/li>\n<li>At a local level, priests were encouraging parishioners                              to take the initiative if they had to go to hospital,                              and to ask for a priest or a pastoral carer, either                              when they were admitted or while in the ward:<\/li>\n<li>The priests realised that this may not be effective                              for those who had been away from the Church for some                              time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Orthodox Children receiving the Sacraments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The priests requested clarification on the issue                              of a Catholic parent asking for a child who was baptized                              Orthodox to be enrolled in a Catholic sacramental                              programme;<\/li>\n<li>The following questions were raised:\n<ul>\n<li> How does an Orthodox child become Catholic?<\/li>\n<li> Is an Orthodox child able to make Reconciliation                                  and Holy Communion and remain Orthodox?<\/li>\n<li> Is an Orthodox child who has made these sacraments                                  considered Catholic?<\/li>\n<li> Does it depend on whether or not the parents                                  want them to be Catholic?<\/li>\n<li> Does it depend on whether or not the Catholic                                  parent practices the Catholic faith?<\/li>\n<li> Does an Orthodox child require a formal reception                                  into the Catholic Church?<\/li>\n<li> Do the parents need to get permission from                                  their Orthodox priest for their child to become                                  Catholic?<\/li>\n<li> Is an Orthodox child who has received Catholic                                  sacraments and practices in the Catholic faith                                  able to marry a non- Catholic in the Catholic                                  Church<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The issue was raised because many families attend                              sacramental programmes where one parent was Catholic                              and one Orthodox, the child was baptised Orthodox,                              and yet the Catholic parent wanted the child to be                              brought up as a Catholic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>10. Sutherland: a written report of the deanery meeting                            held on October 8, 2004 was tabled. It noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Priests and Pastoral Councils gathering:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A suggestion was made that the Priests and Pastoral                              Councils from parishes in the Deanery have a gathering                              to discuss a chosen topic and have a chance to socialise;<\/li>\n<li>The idea of the gathering would be to broaden our                              view of Church and share ideas:<\/li>\n<li>Pastoral initiatives could flow from the discussion;<\/li>\n<li>Issues for pastors in the area could be raised and                              reflected upon;<\/li>\n<li>Some possible topics mentioned were the Eucharist                              and Leadership (how do we lead today?);<\/li>\n<li>Expertise in particular areas could also be explored,                              e.g. Sacramental Programmes;<\/li>\n<li>Further suggestions made were having an input facilitator                              and including parish staff;<\/li>\n<li>All supported the idea and Michael McLean was to                              put a proposal together;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Lenten Program 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It was agreed to have a Lenten Programme in the                              deanery next year on similar lines to this year;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; RCIA gathering:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It was suggested that we have a gathering of all                              involved in the RCIA in the Shire after Easter 2005;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Parish Financial Matters:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Danny Casey, Michael Moore, Brian Rayner and John                              Touzall were welcomed to the meeting;<\/li>\n<li>A presentation and discussion on parish financial                              matters followed;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carmen Polifrone and Fr. Martin Monaghan gave a                              brief overview of Confirmation 2005;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>11. Western: a written report of the deanery meeting                            held on October 27,2004 was tabled. It noted the following:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; Cannes Hill Parish:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pat Hurley was on sick leave from the parish;<\/li>\n<li>There was no supply\/administrator at present and                              Noel Short was signing the cheques;<\/li>\n<li>The situation raised issues around the support of                              priests who are sick, and the support of their parishes;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Council or Priests Minutes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Could an &#8216;executive summary&#8217; of the Council of Priests                              minutes be prepared?<\/li>\n<li>At present there was a lot of reading and a good                              chance of overlooking the important points;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carmen Polifrone spoke to the meeting about Confirmation                              2005;<\/li>\n<li>A number of concerns were raised:\n<ul>\n<li> Why is Confirmation within mass?<\/li>\n<li> If it&rsquo;s going to be mass, why not a morning                                  session?<\/li>\n<li> Why just two sessions?<\/li>\n<li> The problem of getting final numbers in by                                  February;<\/li>\n<li> Transportation problems: in 2000, we had to                                  share buses in the west, which won&rsquo;t be possible                                  this year as the sessions are too close together.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Parish Financial Issues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Danny Casey and Michael Moore addressed the meeting;<\/li>\n<li>the problems of funding secretarial and accounting                              support were raised;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Catholic Adult Education Centre:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Flader spoke to the meeting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>12. Migrant Chaplains:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; No report.<\/p>\n<h6>13. Priests on Lesser Duties:<\/h6>\n<p>&bull; No report.<\/p>\n<h5>Responses to the reports:<\/h5>\n<p><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">&bull; Deacon Elect Mr Jesus                          Bello: <\/font><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The Archbishop outlined                              the decision for Mr Bello&#8217;s return to Spain;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The decision related                              to Mr Bello&#8217;s ongoing discernment between ministry                              as a diocesan priest and as part of the neo-catechumenal                              way;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">Mr Bello had joined                              a neo-catechumenate team in Spain;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">He had spoken at                              all Sunday masses at Greenacre prior to his departure,                              but such situations were always difficult.<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">&bull; Redfern Parish: <\/font><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">The Cardinal stated                              that he was satisfied with what the priests were trying                              to do at Redfern parish;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">He said that it was                              the most needy and difficult parish in the Archdiocese;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">He said that the allocation                              of two priests of the neo-catechumenate indicated                              the importance of the parish to the Archdiocese, and                              the commitment of the neo-catecumenate to the poor;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">He identified some                              of the difficulties that the priests had to deal with                              in the parish:<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">Mgr Rayner said that                              he had visited the parish and made the following observations:                              <\/font>\n<ul>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> The social problems                                  in Redfern were immense;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> The Soup Kitchen                                  that provided lunch two days a week was a matter                                  for the local parish and parish priest;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> The Kitchen was                                  situated in the church;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> Brian had representation                                  from a member of the aboriginal community to say                                  that the kitchen was demeaning for the people                                  there;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> There was conflict                                  among different groups within the aboriginal community;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> The church itself                                  was in urgent need of attention, and the presbytery                                  was a condemned building;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> Attempts to introduce                                  change in the community were often met with intimidation;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> The core congregation                                  comprised only a few local aboriginal people,                                  with most coming from outside the parish borders;<\/font><\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\"> He invited clergy                                  to contact the Parish Priest to arrange a visit                                  to Redfern Parish if they wished;<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><font size=\"2\" color=\"#990000\">Debate followed about                              whether the strategies of the Archdiocese in relation                              to Redfern Parish and the styles of priestly ministry                              employed there were sensitive to the unique nature                              and history of the parish;<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Sacraments of Initiation and Orthodox children:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Cardinal informed the Council that Orthodox                              children should not be enrolled in the sacraments                              of initiation unless they were formally received into                              the Catholic Church;<\/li>\n<li>In such cases, parishes needed to take the children                              through a formal process of reception;<\/li>\n<li>In the case of primary children, both parents should                              give written permission for the reception of their                              child into the Catholic Church;<\/li>\n<li>The same procedure held for children from Eastern                              Catholic Rites;<\/li>\n<li>The Council suggested that the Ecumenical Commission                              be approached regarding this issue:<\/li>\n<li>The Cardinal agreed to approach the Commission;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Galilee House:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mgr Rayner asked that any priest who was interested                              in managing Galilee House contact him:<\/li>\n<li>The Cardinal reiterated his wish that Galilee House                              be operational;<\/li>\n<li>The Bishops were approaching some priests to see                              if they were interested in this ministry:<\/li>\n<li>It was suggested that the precise purpose of Galilee                              House needed to be clarified, because its role in                              the past made it unclear whether it was a place for                              priests to recreate. or a place where priests discerned                              whether they wished to continue in their ministry;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Hospital Visitation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mgr Rayner informed the Council that he was part                              of a discussion with Mr Peter Wong, MLC and the Chaplaincy                              Advisory Committee regarding the difficulties that                              Privacy Legislation was creating for hospital chaplains;<\/li>\n<li>The Bishops would discuss the issue with the Committee                              over the next few weeks;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; Cannes Hill Parish:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mgr Rayner informed the Council that the strategy                              for Cannes Hill depended on Fr Pat Hurley&#8217;s prognosis;<\/li>\n<li>Frs Milani and Short were looking after the parish                              at present;<\/li>\n<li>An administrator would be appointed if Fr Hurley&#8217;s                              prognosis was likely to make him absent from the parish                              for a significant period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>ITEM 5: SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND PASTORAL PRIORITIES                            COMMITTEE<\/h5>\n<p> &bull; Fr Paul Monkerud, in the absence of Bishop Julian                            Porteous, Chair of the Committee, gave a verbal report;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The work of the Committee had focused entirely on                            overseeing the organisation of the Clergy Forum tomorrow                            (October 28), in consultation with the Committee for                            the Continuing Education of Clergy;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; He thanked Mgr Vince Redden, Frs Paul Crowley and                            John Usher for their invaluable assistance to the Committee                            in its organisation of the Forum;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; He encouraged all clergy to attend the Forum;<\/p>\n<h5>ITEM 6: COMMITTEE FOR THE CONTINUING EDUCATION OF                            CLERGY<\/h5>\n<p> &bull; Mgr Vince Redden, the Chair of the Committee, gave                            a verbal report:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Committee had focused on the organization of                            the Clergy Forum, in collaboration with the Spiritual                            Renewal and Pastoral Priorities Committee;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Forum was planned for tomorrow, Thursday, October                            28, 2004 at the Le Montage Conference Centre;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Over 130 clergy had indicated that they would be                            present;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Noelene Veness had been commissioned to assist with                            the organization and running of the Forum;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Redden gave a synopsis of the program for the                            day;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; He hoped that the Committee for the Continuing Education                            of Clergy would meet as soon as possible after the Forum                            to ensure that the momentum of the Forum was maintained;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; This would avoid repeating the situation that occurred                          after the Clergy Forum at Windsor in October, 2003, when                          momentum was lost because the recommendations of the Forum                          were not taken up soon enough;<\/p>\n<h5>ITEM 7: ITEMS CARRYING OVER OR ARISING FROM PREVIOUS                            MINUTES<\/h5>\n<p> a) Council of Priests Statutes:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Council of Priests Statutes had not been updated                            since March 31, 1988;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Revision of the statues would clarify appointment                            and reappointment procedures;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; A sub-committee, comprising Mgr Rayner, Frs Monkerud                          and Maunsell was appointed to study the existing statutes                          and to present a proposal to the Council regarding new                          statutes;<\/p>\n<p>b) Clergy Long Service, Sabbatical and Annual Leave:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Rayner informed the Council that the report from                          the sub-committee of the Council of Priests would be presented                          to the next Bishops&#8217; Conference;<\/p>\n<p>c) Board of Management Matters:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Kerry Bayada, Chair of the Board of Management,                            informed the Council that the Annual General Meeting                            went smoothly;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; There were no significant items of concern;<\/p>\n<p>d) University of Notre Dame Update:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal made the following comments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There was as yet no signed agreement between the                              Archdiocese and the University of Notre Dame;<\/li>\n<li>He was keen to sign in the &quot;long term Catholicity&quot;                              of the project;<\/li>\n<li>Planning was continuing on the Broadway site;<\/li>\n<li>In relation to the Darlinghurst site, there was                              a public meeting on site while he was overseas;<\/li>\n<li>The University was proposing to maintain the church                              as a church;<\/li>\n<li>The matter was proceeding with a &quot;little more                              turbulence&quot; than normal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>e) Tribute to Bishop Geoffrey Robinson:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Redden reported that Bishop Robinson suggested                            that his tribute be combined with the one for Bishop                            Cremin next year;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Bishop Cremin was happy with this proposal.<\/p>\n<p>f) Confirmation 2005:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Bishop Fisher informed the Council that the organisation                            for Confirmation 2005 was on track;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The parishes had been faxed with the details;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The number of candidates looked to be up by 20% on                            Confirmation 2000;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal had written to parishes confirming that                            Confirmation 2005 would take place next year;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; A contract was signed with the Superdome;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; A video had been produced for information and marketing                            purposes;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; A web site had been established;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Information evenings would be conducted in parishes                            throughout the Archdiocese in November; The Committees                            were working well.<\/p>\n<p>g) Priests on Lesser Duties:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The question related to how the Council of Priests                            could better facilitate the representation of Priests                            on Lesser Duties at Council meetings;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Council referred the matter to the sub-committee                            investigating the Statutes;<\/p>\n<p>h) CIS Representation on the Council of Priests<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal informed the Council that the Bishops                            Committee had decided not to invite CIS representation                            on the Council; <\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal pointed out that a number of members                            of the CIS Senate sat on the Council of Priests.<\/p>\n<p>i) Use of Parish Facilities in relation to Insurance                            Cover:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Brian Rayner would approach Catholic Church Insurances                          for clarification of the issues related to the use of                          parish facilities by parish and non-parish groups, and                          report back to the Council;<\/p>\n<p>j) Computer Compatible Forms for Parish Statistics<\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Rayner would investigate the possibility of the                          Chancery designing a form whereby parishes could more                          easily fill out the Annual Parish Statistics;<\/p>\n<p>k) Voluntary Survey of Priests&#8217; Qualifications, Pastoral                            Experiences and Hopes:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; A suggestion some time ago from Concord deanery was                            tftat priests be able to answer a voluntary survey seeking                            their qualifications, pastoral experiences and hopes;                          <\/p>\n<p>&bull; Mgr Rayner would refer the suggestion to the Priests                            Advisory Committee;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; He added that in his experience, some priests were reticent                          to provide any personal information to the Chancery.<\/p>\n<h5>ITEM 8: OTHER BUSINESS<\/h5>\n<p>a) The Chancery<\/p>\n<p>&bull; One of the members of the Council requested an outline                            of the organisation of the Chancery;<\/p>\n<p> &bull; Mgr Rayner informed the Council that there were                            three main sections:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Archdiocesan Administration and Property (led by                              Mr Danny Casey);<\/li>\n<li>Administration of Parish Life and Clergy (led by                              Mgr Rayner);<\/li>\n<li>Cardinal&#8217;s business;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&bull; He asked clergy not to mark mail to the Cardinal                            as &quot;personal&quot; unless they wished the Cardinal                            to open it; <\/p>\n<p>&bull; In such cases, the delay in reply could be significant;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; He also asked clergy not to send mail to the Cathedral                          unless it was specifically for a member of the Cathedral                          staff.<\/p>\n<p>b) Ombudsman:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal informed the Council that the report                            presented by the Ombudsman yesterday was critical of                            the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER);<\/p>\n<p> &bull; The CCER was the nominated &quot;lead agency&quot;                            for the Catholic Church in relations with the Ombudsman;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The relationship between the CCER and the Ombudsman                            had deteriorated recently; <\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Ombudsman has refused to work with the CCER as                            the lead agency;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The situation was being addressed by the CCER and                            the Bishops;<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal added that the issues of concern to                            the Ombudsman related to the past.<\/p>\n<p>c) Sacraments of Christian Initiation:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; It was suggested that the issues relating to the initiation                          of Orthodox children and the differences in procedures                          and practices between parishes, and particularly between                          dioceses in Sydney, highlighted the need for a comprehensive                          Archdiocesan statement on the Sacraments of Initiation.<\/p>\n<p>d) Cardinal&#8217;s Book Launch:<\/p>\n<p>&bull; The Cardinal informed the Council that his new book                          would be launched tomorrow;<br \/>\nIt contained excerpts from his writings.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting closed at 12.30pm. Next Meeting: Wednesday.                            December 1, 2004.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>This is a true and correct record.<\/p>\n<p>Mgr Kerry Bayada Chairman, Fr Paul Monkerud Secretary<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3>Meeting of the Council of Priests, Archdiocese of Sydney<br \/> Minutes- OCTOBER 27, 2004<\/h3>\n<p><strong>ITEM 1: INTRODUCTION<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"> 10.00am Morning Tea<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">10.30am Welcome and Opening Prayer<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Present:<\/strong> Cardinal George Pell, Bishop David Cremin, Bishop Anthony Pisher, O.P., Mgr Kerry Bayada, Fr Brian Byron, Fr Jason Camilleri, Fr Joseph Camilleri, Fr Tom Carroll, Fr George Connolly, Fr John Crothers, Fr Paul Crowley, Fr Ray Parrell, Fr Josef Kolodziej, Fr Martin Maunsell, Fr Paul Monkerud, Fr Vladimir Novak, OPM, Mgr Brian Rayner, Mgr Vince Redden, Fr Kevin Spillane.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Apologies:<\/strong> Bishop Julian Porteous, Fr Peter Pitzgerald, Fr Paul Stenhouse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-morsels"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}