What could and should the Church look like in the future? What kind of leadership does that imply? What needs to change? And what is the role women have and need to develop more in helping to make this happen?

Pope Francis asks for help when he says “I readily acknowledge that many women share pastoral responsibilities with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering new contributions to theological reflection. But we need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church... Demands that the legitimate rights of women be respected, based on the firm conviction that men and women are equal in dignity, present the Church with profound and challenging questions which cannot be lightly evaded… This presents a great challenge for pastors and theologians, who are in a position to recognize more fully what this entails with regard to the possible role of women in decision-making in different areas of the Church’s life.” Evangelii Gaudium 103-104

Activities and initiatives include:

Acknowledged by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life as promoting “best practice” in lay formation, this leadership program for young women across Australia provides a series of educational and formative encounters, bringing together the leadership experiences of women in the Church within the context of an academic and collaborative learning environment. Delivered in partnership with the National Centre for Evangelisation, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Mission.

Read more about Leadership for Mission

An evening of theologically informed conversation about Catholic women in leadership across a range of organisations. With alumnae from the first iteration of the Leadership for Mission program in dialogue with other women and men in leadership roles in the Church, we share reflection on how leadership today implies “leading from the front, from the middle and from the back.”

Watch the live recording

To celebrate the launch of the second Catholic Women Speak book, Visions and Vocations, our 2018 event, Catholic Women Speak: Leadership in the Church, brought together a range of diverse voices to explore how we support the presence and formation of women for leadership roles in the Church.

Panellists: Ms Andrea Dean, Ms Jenny Parker, Professor Jim Nyland, Dr Maeve Louise Heaney

Explore how we can work together

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