BCE Dialogue Schools Project
e-Update - Term 3, 2017
Welcome to Term 3
As we begin Term 3, it is hard to imagine that we are now half way through 2017. This term is a busy and exciting one with regard to Catholic School identity as we welcome Professor Didier Pollefeyt and his research assistants Jan Bouwens and Chelsea Schofield to Brisbane in August. Professor Pollefeyt and his team will be key speakers at the Gather Conference as well as guest lecturing with ACU for those engaging in THCT 605- Introducing the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project. Details about both of these events can be found by reading on in this e-Update.
The Identity, Mission and Religious Education Services Team also has some staffing updates that we would like to share with you. As you would all know, we farewelled James Robinson last term as he took up an Education Officer role with Evangelisation Brisbane. We thank James for his commitment to Catholic Education and the gifts that he shared with BCE over many years. For the remainder of 2017, Cath Rodden will take on the Education Officer Religious Education- Programs role. We warmly welcome Cath into the team. Two new staff members have also recently been appointed with Joshua O'Keefe taking on the role of Education Officer- Formation and Steph Unger taking on the role of Project Officer- Student Formation. Both Josh and Steph bring significant skills to these roles and will work with school and office communities in the key area of formation, which is one of our significant strategies in achieving our system critical aspiration in Catholic school identity. A final addition to the team is Lavona Cortereal who is our acting administrative support office while Jenna Wathen is working at North Lakes. Lavona is highly experienced and we welcome Lavona to the team.
In this edition of the e-Update there are a number of news items and resources that we would like to share with you.
Some of the key topics in this issue are:
Visit by Professor Pollefeyt
The GATHER Conference
- Reflections from the 2017 Leuven Theological Intensive
- Reflections from the Masterclass series with Prof. Amy-Jill Levine
- Upcoming conferences and professional learning
- New resources to support Catholic school identity
For further information about these key initiatives please read on in this e-Update.
If you would like more information on any of these areas please contact The Identity, Mission and Religious Education Services Team on 3033 7620 or imare@bne.catholic.edu.au .
Gather Conference
From August 9-11, Brisbane Catholic Education, together with ACU and Holy Spirit Seminary, will host Gather. This conference coincides with Professor Didier Pollefeyt’s Australian visit and our Qld ACU Intensive which will run concurrently. A link to the overall program is accessed via this link: Gather! You and other staff are able to register through the link itself. We have a limit of 150 participants, so I encourage you to register as soon as possible.
This will be an opportunity to hear key speakers elaborating on the work of re-contextualisation, and for schools across our own Archdiocese and other dioceses to share their own experience, and to discuss future possibilities and challenges.
For those who had the opportunity to listen to Professor Pollefeyt on his visit to Queensland in 2014, this will build upon your knowledge and understanding as we delve deeper into what it means to be a Post-Critical, Recontextualising Dialogue School.
Some of the key speakers will be:
Professor Didier Pollefeyt- Enhancing Catholic School identity and Recontextualisation
Rev. Dr Brendan Reed- Catholic identity and connection with parish
Dr Therese D'Orsa- Doing theology for Mission
Rev. Dr Anthony Mellor- Christology and the religious imaginary
Registration is limited so book in now to confirm your place.
For more information and how to register please click the link below.
Gather Conference
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2017, 08:30 AM
Holy Spirit Seminary, Earnshaw Road, Banyo, Queensland, Australia
Leuven Theological Study Intensive
From May 29th through till June 9th a group of 33 principals, office personnel, senior leaders and clergy travelled to Leuven in Belgium to engage in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (ECSIP) study intensive. 13 representatives from the Archdiocese of Brisbane joined together with colleagues from the dioceses of Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns to take part in this annual study course.
The ECSIP study intensive was lead by the staff from Faculty of Theology at KU Leuven, in particular Prof. Didier Pollefeyt and Drs Jan Bouwens. The participants engaged in a number of lectures over two weeks which specifically looked at the theology underpinning the BCE Dialogue School Project as well as other lectures on topics such as:
- Vatican II theology
- Interreligious dialogue
- Faith education of children
- Biblical studies
The course gave participants a unique opportunity to listen to world renowned lecturers in the field of theology and enhance their theological knowledge and understanding in this area.
This year the Brisbane group was fortunate to have Executive Director Pam Betts lead the delegation.
This course is a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of a contemporary Catholic theology that should underpin all of our schools. Expressions of interest for the 2018 course will go out in September.
2017 participants:
Pam Betts
Fr Anthony Mellor
Fr Sunil Nagothu
Peter Stower
Anne McKenny
Judith Finan
Patrick Colley
Michael Nayler
Ann Rebgetz
Simon Mahaffy
Allison Stone
Richard Rogusz
Peter Chapman
DATE CLAIMER- Theology and practice workshop
This is an important date claimer for the schools engaged in the 2017 BCE Dialogue Schools Project.
The Theology and Practice workshop for all 2017 Dialogue Schools will take place on Wednesday 8th November at the O'Shea Centre, Wilston. This is a critical workshop in this project and schools are asked to prioritise this day.
At this workshop the school reports will be given and staff from the IMARE team will go through the underlying theory and theology of this project as well as lead schools through a process of analysing their school data in their report.
We ask that a minimum of three staff who are involved in leading this work attend this day.
If you have any questions regarding this day please contact Simon Mahaffy on 3033 7378 or smahaffy@bne.catholic.edu.au.
We look forward to working with the 2017 Dialogue Schools on this day.
Wednesday, Nov 8, 2017, 09:30 AM
Father Bernard O'Shea Inservice Centre, Lovedale Street, Wilston, Queensland, Australia
Prof. Amy-Jill Levine Visits Brisbane
An Orthodox Jew and Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Amy-Jill was an interesting and thought-provoking speaker. She gauged her audience and engaged them as she broke open the book of Ruth, the historical Jesus and many parables, without resorting to death by PowerPoint.
Amy-Jill reminded us that the Gospel writings, which have been translated from Aramaic to Greek to English, are like Chinese whispers and full of metaphors, similes and Old Testament imagery. Also, that the Gospel writings are in fact the first interpretations of the parables and as such they are not as simple as they appear and certainly are not children’s stories with easy moral lessons. Parables are both an inspiration and a challenge, ‘afflicting the comfortable’ as they speak to us at a time of our own need. Amy-Jill invited us to reflect on ‘What does it do?’ rather than ‘What does it mean? She suggested that this often tells us something we already know deep down inside, but don’t want to acknowledge for a myriad of reasons.
Amy-Jill challenged and teased us into thinking about even the titles given to parables and the way this can make a difference to the intent of the story. The Forgiving Father, for example, sets the reader up with an expectation of the intended message. Why, she asked, is the name of the parable not The Two Sons or The Absent Mother? Amy-Jill reiterated that there is no one single interpretation and that we should look at parables as a multi-faceted gem that we turn and turn focusing on another element each time. There are no wrong interpretations or answers, just better ones.
Strong Catholic Identity Strategy Map
The Strong Catholic Identity Strategy Map was developed to build a shared depth of understanding and to provide direction through purposeful action, building capacity, naming expected and effective practices, transparency and monitoring progress. This map was adapted from the Coherence Framework (Fullan & Quinn, 2016) and is organised around the four drivers of:
KNOWING OUR STORY- Focusing Direction
EMBRACING OUR STORY- Creating Collaborative Cultures
LIVING OUR STORY- Deepening Identity
TELLING OUR STORY- Securing Accountability
Story is the central motif as we bind together these drivers and the Catholic Christian story.
To view the Strong Catholic Identity Strategy Map please visit the Catholic Identity Portal. To read more about the map please access the Sway presentation.
Upcoming Formation Opportunites
Staff formation is one of the expected and effective practices of the Strong Catholic Identity Strategy. Ongoing developmental formation for all staff is critical in nurturing Catholic school identity into the future. In Semester Two, there are a number of formation opportunities that you or your community might like to take advantage of.
Retreat day opportunity: Saturday, 2 September
Learning from Spring: Open to Possibility
Greg Sunter is offering a series of retreat/reflection days throughout the year. This one-day seasonal retreat offers time out to reflect on your life’s journey and the things that matter most to you. Using poetry, journaling, and times of silence and dialogue to guide our reflections, we will explore the experience of Spring in our lives, which can be a time of recognising new possibilities growing from small beginnings, planting seeds and bringing dormant skills to life.
For more details and to register, visit the WholeHearted website.
Retreat day opportunity: Saturday, 9 December
Learning from Summer: Embracing Abundance
Greg Sunter is offering a series of retreat/reflection days throughout the year. This one-day seasonal retreat offers time out to (re)connect with the inner wisdom that guides and sustains us, and gives meaning to our lives and work. Summer is about abundance. Authentic abundance does not lie in secured stockpiles of food or cash or influence or affection, but in belonging to a community where we can give those goods to others who need them – and receive them from others when we are in need.
For more details and to register, visit the WholeHearted website.ACU Short Courses in Theology
Want to learn more about Christian faith in an educated and accessible way? Interested in exploring theology but aren't able to commit to a degree? Are you teaching Religious Education, or in a Catholic school, and need professional development?
Our Short Course program is just the thing! Suitable for parishioners, teachers, youth groups, university staff and students, and the general public.
Explore the heart of Christianity and consider questions important to faith in a relaxed group setting. Our short courses enable you to learn from ACU's leading theology and philosophy scholars.
The next theology short course is being held in August at the ACU Leadership Centre, in Brisbane CBD.
Pope Francis’ Witness and Teaching
An opportunity to reflect on the skills and insights that Pope Francis is offering:
- How can we think theologically with Pope Francis?
- How are Pope Francis’ actions and teaching formed by his theological way of thinking?
- In what way do Pope Francis’ spirituality and background form his theology
Topics and Speakers
Monday 7 August: The Ignatian Spirituality of a Jesuit Pope
Assoc Prof Jamie Calder SJ (ACU)
Monday 14 August: Papal authority and Francis as Interpreter
Rev Assoc Prof Orm Rush (ACU)
Monday 21 August: Unpacking Francis’ metaphors: accompaniment and discernment
Rev Dr Anthony Mellor (ACU/Holy Spirit Seminary)
Monday 28 August: The Global South as influencer or context
Dr Sandie Cornish (Diocese of Broken Bay)
Time
6 - 8 pm (Refreshments from 6 pm, lecture starts at 6.30 pm).
Visit the ACU website for more information and to register. Click here to access their site.
Arts, Spirituality and Care of our Common Home
You are invited to ‘come away to a quiet place’ for three sessions of art, storytelling and biblical reflection at the beautiful Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre. Spend some time reflecting on the importance of centring prayer to the quality of life. Experience the "self to selfless" sensation in this quiet journey.
Through the use of iconic paintings by Redlands artist and storyteller, Peter Hunter, (who hold a Master’s degree in theology) and the biblical knowledge of Douglas Jones (who lectured for nine years on Old Testament in the Brisbane College of Theology), participants will have the opportunity to contemplate iconic art, listen to stories, reflect on Scripture and the Social Doctrine of the Church, and pray in service of care of our common home, the earth.
The theme will be Care of Our Common Home (Creation), with God and Creation, Wisdom and Creation, and Love and Creation providing the foci for the sessions. In recognition of the Sacred Role of the Teacher, the workshop will provide teachers and others involved in education with biblical and theological foundations, consistent with Laudato Si’, for developing strategies and activities that foster Care of our Common Home in their classrooms and wider teaching contexts.
The inspiration for the day is Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’ – On Care of Our Common Home.
Registrations close on Friday 25th August. Enquiries can be made to Peter Hunter at peterandhelen190@hotmail.com or phone 3286 1494. Register early to avoid disappointment as numbers are limited!
CATHOLIC IDENTITY RESOURCES
To assist schools with helping staff to understand each of the three key Leuven scales, we have created a series of three posters that summarises the Post Critical Belief Scale, Melbourne Scale and Victoria Scale. The dimensions of each poster is 45cm X 100cm.
If you would to order a set of these posters please contact Simon Mahaffy or Lindell Johnstone from the IMARE Team.
UNDERSTANDING THE MISSION OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
In collaboration with Resource Link, we have identified some key resources around the mission of Catholic education which are useful to school and office teams and are developing a series of infographics that provide a summary of the publication. The first two of these infographics are now available for use.
1) Instrumentum Laboris- Educating Today and Tomorrow : A Renewing Passion
2) What Makes a School Catholic by Thomas Groome
Please click on the links to access these infographics.
VIDEOS EXPLAINING THE THREE KEY SCALES
The Catholic University of Leuven has developed three short videos that explain each of the three key scales in the Leuven Project.
1. THE POST-CRITICAL BELIEF (PCB) SCALE
2. THE MELBOURNE SCALE
3. THE VICTORIA SCALE
These short videos would be a useful resource when working with staff in developing their understanding about these three key scales. They are also helpful in refreshing your own understanding of the scales in a visual way.
You can view the videos below or by clicking on the link below.
CATHOLIC IDENTITY WEBSITE
The Catholic Identity portal site is designed to support schools who are engaging in the BCE Dialogue Schools Project. This website can be accessed by clicking on the 'Strengthen Catholic Identity' link on K-Web or via the link below. It is housed as part of the IMARE Team site.
On this website there are two main sections:
1) Strengthen Catholic Identity Strategy
This site will have information regarding the BCE position paper and implementation strategy. This will be updated as the strategy progresses.
2) The BCE Dialogue Schools Project
This site will house resources that will be useful to schools who are engaging directly with the Leuven research. This includes resources about the project process, how to complete the surveys and how to unpack the data. There is also a resource section that contains videos, fact sheets, articles, Power Points and other key documents that will be useful to schools.
Please find a link to this site below.
Helpful Resources
Resource Link
Resource Link has begun to curate resources that they have which will support schools engaging in the area of Catholic identity. You will be able to search for these resources by entering the key words 'Catholic identity' or for more specific resources you can search under the four priority areas:
- Catholic Identity and Mission
- Catholic Identity and Formation
- Catholic Identity and Learning and Teaching
- Catholic Identity and Culture
Click here to access the Resource Link collection.
STRENGTHENING CATHOLIC IDENTITY SHAPE PAPER AND POSITION STATEMENT
An updated version of the BCE Shape Paper for the Strengthening Catholic Identity Strategy is now available for download. This document outlines the purpose, vision and scope of this key BCE strategy. Please click HERE to download a copy from K-Web.
The Position Statement is also available for download and can be accessed by clicking HERE.
THE LEUVEN SCALES FOR DUMMIES
These documents have been written by the Catholic University of Leuven to help explain the PCB Scale, Melbourne Scale and Victoria Scale. Please click HERE to access the articles.
LINKS TO PREVIOUS ISSUES
For access to the previous issues of the BCE Leuven Project e-Update please click on the links below.
2017
Term 1, 2017 https://www.smore.com/mtud3
Term 2, 2017 https://www.smore.com/5xhjk
2016
Term 1, 2016 https://www.smore.com/seg3s
Term 2, 2016 https://www.smore.com/50a0u
Term 3, 2016 https://www.smore.com/tjhm9
Term 4, 2016 https://www.smore.com/cn2nr
2015
Term 1, 2015 https://www.smore.com/qgzfv
Term 2, 2015 https://www.smore.com/v8nrp
Term 3, 2015 https://www.smore.com/fhtxe
Term 4, 2015 https://www.smore.com/3evyk
Want to Talk to Someone about the BCE Dialogue Schools Project?
Email: MissionIdentity@bne.catholic.edu.au
Website: http://www.bne.catholic.edu.au/formationandleadership/identity/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 243 Gladstone Road, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia
Phone: (07) 3033 7620
If you have any queries or questions about the BCE Dialogue Schools Project please direct them to Simon Mahaffy or contact the team on 3033 7620