The Catalyst President has issued the following message to all Catalyst supporters, previewing our programs for 2023:
From Catalyst for Renewal, we send greetings and best wishes for the new year and an outline of our 2023 program.
Our schedule for 2023 begins already this Wednesday 1 February.
The first course in our new program, The Call to Be, will be presented by Tom Ryan SM who will explore “The Eyes and Ears of Conscience” over three Wednesday mornings in the Rocks, Sydney. Register for this course today! The Call To Be program continues in the format of the courses previously offered by Aquinas Academy. The full program for 2023 will soon be available at our website.
The rest of our schedule is taking shape.
We’ll present a full program of Reflection Mornings at two venues, Hunters Hill in Sydney and Lawson in the Blue Mountains. If you have ever attended, you will be familiar with how these mornings enable us to gain rich insight into the day’s topic whilst enjoying both peace and companionship in our beautiful venues. The programs run from March to October and details will be available soon on our mailing list and website.
Catalyst’s first forum for conversation, Spirituality in the Pub, commenced in 1996. The pandemic years have set us back and whilst local committees remain engaged and committed, practical barriers persist. The movement remains active in regional centres – Central Coast, Parkes, Shepparton. We hope that other SIP venues will recommence in 2023, as determined by each local committee. Watch for news on our website.
Of course, our online version of SIP, Spirituality on the Sofa will continue each first Wednesday of the month from March to October commencing at 7.30pm AEDT. These conversations are conducted over Zoom. Our theme this year is “Spirituality in …” and speakers for each meeting are currently being finalised. The annual program and details of our first meeting will soon be posted to the website.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic it has not been possible to host Catalyst Dinners. However we can now announce a new initiative, Catalyst luncheons to be held in the parish hall at Hunters Hill in Sydney. Our first gathering will be on Saturday 25th March from 12 noon when our guest speaker will be Sr Patty Fawkner SGS. If you will be in Sydney at that time, please join us for lunch and good conversation. Further details will be available very soon.
In addition to these regular events, we’ll provide a number of Catalyst Forums throughout the course of the year, some of which may be online using Zoom. Our Forums generally feature a prominent speaker well known for their thought leadership in spirituality, theology, biblical studies or ecclesiology. Following a structured input, those present are able to engage in questioning and conversation with the speaker to enable a deeper exploration of the topic at hand. Over the years, our Q and A in the Crypt series, our Bishop’s Forums and our occasional forums have proven particularly popular. This year’s forums will be advertised on our mailing list and our website as the details become available.
We hope that in our program this year you will find something that will lift your heart, or bring you comfort or challenge you to a new understanding in your personal spiritual or faith journey. If you are able to attend any of our gatherings, we assure you of a warm welcome and the opportunity to engage, as you choose, in stimulating conversation. May we be transformed through our encounter with others and refreshed in our commitment to the Gospel, so that we might model the church we wish to be!
In 2022 we had the privilege of hosting Joan Chittister osb in Sydney and supporting Sister Joan’s forums in other capitals. Which international thought leaders in our church would you like to hear from this year and next? Please let us know by email to catalyst-for-renewal@outlook.com
We thank you for your support in your attendance at our activities. We greatly appreciate your ongoing spiritual and financial support of our mission.
With every blessing,
