The Executive of the National Association of Deacons came together for our annual Face to Face meeting late on Sunday February 2010, at the Treacy Convention Centre at Parkville.
Present were Mick O’Donnell (ACT & NSW representative), Jim Curtain (Vic & Tas) Russ Nelson (Qld). We welcomed newly elected Bruce Talbot (WA) replacing Bryan Sykes who has given years of service to the Australian deacons as Secretary/Treasurer and who was also invited to pass on his knowledge to the group. Also present was Paul Simmon, the Co-ordinator of the Permanent Deacons appointed by the ACBC, who is a non-voting member of the Executive. Travelling from Brisbane was Anthony Gooley, the Editor of our “Ausdeacon News”.
Some of the new terminology used above may seem strange. At the previous meeting with the Executive of the NCP, we presented a proposed new constitution that we believed was more encompassing of all the permanent deacons in Australia. We are grateful that under the Chairmanship of Fr Ian McGinity, this was agreed to during 2009. Therefore, all permanent deacons will come under the umbrella of the National Association of Deacons and the Executive replaces the National Committee of Deacons. We remain very closely allied to the NCP and encourage all deacons to become members of the NCP (only about 15% at this time) who also support us very generously through financial assistance.
On Sunday evening, Jim had arranged for us to meet aspirants for the diaconate and their wives over an enjoyable dinner before we lagged behind Jim as he guided us to a shop that served delicious gelato. We were to begin in earnest the next morning with a formidable agenda to work through.
Mick O’Donnell accepted the position of Secretary and Jim Curtain is our new Treasurer. Bryan agreed to continue to maintain the Register of Deacons. Tony Cunningham was confirmed as the Representative for the region of South Australia/Northern Territory. This is the final phase in all regions being represented on the Executive. It was agreed that deacons from the Eastern Rite be approached with the possibility of providing a representative on the Executive. The duties of Regional Representatives were read by all and questions clarified.
Before we began planning for future National Conferences, we took time to review our 2009 Conference at Broken Bay. Again, mention was made of our generous sponsors, the Manly Union and Australian Catholic University as well as the generous assistance given by the Broken Bay Institute. A tentative date was set for July 2011 for the next conference and sites are being checked out as well as possible speakers. In acknowledgement of newly ordained deacons and those who perhaps have not attended a national conference, the theme will be “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you preach.”
As part of a discussion on a “Five Year Plan”, conferences will be held in 2013 and 2015.
Paul was able to update us on his and Tony Aspinall’s role and positions within the Commission for Church Ministry of the ACBC. Paul also mentioned an initiative to formulate a proposed directory that will be a standard in the formation of the permanent deacons in all dioceses. It is hoped that this will be ready by the end of 2010. Anthony addressed the issue with regard to the changes to Canon Law in relation to deacons. He has agreed to update us further on this matter.
Perhaps the two most pressing matters contained in the agenda were those relating to our newsletter, “Ausdeacon News,” and the website. The website has been seen as not as practical as it could be, and with further contacting of key figures, a solution will be found in the near future which will provide the NAD with full control of our website. This will enable a format change to the newsletter to better reflect modern media presentations and be more accessible to a wider audience.
While there were many other items to be discussed formally, informal discussions also took place in “free” time, covering such points as the English Translation of the Missal, the updated version of “Towards Healing.” We were all surprised by the quickness with which proposals were put forward and decisions were made.
We thank the staff of the Treacy Centre for their service and also a very big “thank you” to Jim Curtain for his organisation before our meeting as well as his guided tours of Melbourne after hours.
Peter Olsen, Brisbane
Chairman, National Committee of Deacons
