|
By Kathleen Carmody
The Commission for Australian Catholic Women is a “leap of faith” said Mrs Genevieve Hawkes, the recently appointed chairperson of the
Commission, which met for the first time earlier this month.
The nine-member Commission is an initiative of the Australian Bishops Conference and grew out of the Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus report that
looked at women’s participation in the Church.
“It’s like taking a step into the unknown – but doing it together,” Mrs Hawkes said. “It’s about trusting one another and being open to one another in looking at
how a better balance of men and women in the Church can come alive.”
Mrs Hawkes, an Adelaide mother of three who is employed as coordinator of St Paul’s City Ministry, described the Commission’s inaugural
meeting as a success considering the range of people who had been appointed, but thought the members, who were all involved with the Woman and Man report, were still unsure of their roles.
“People feel a bit
apprehensive. Everyone has a different experience and understanding of the research project. There’s always that sense of what am I going to be able to bring to this? How can we respond generously?” Mrs Hawkes said.
Mrs Hawkes said that while it was still early days, she hoped the Commission would facilitate meaningful contributions from across the Catholic Church.
“Women have skills and experience and gifts in
abundant ways that can be brought to all levels of decision-making in the Church,” she said.
“The mandate is to facilitate discussion on how women can fully participate at all levels of decision making. It’s
… about how to balance the contribution of men and women.”
The Commission isn’t just about women in the Church, however. Mrs Hawkes said she and her fellow members, including an indigenous representative, Mrs
Colleen Mucken from Mt Isa, would be considering how the indigenous people of Australia could participate more fully in the life of the Church.
The Commission is expected to be a forum for lively debate. Mrs
Hawkes said she hoped they would be able to provide the kind of atmosphere where people could tussle with important issues.
“Debate will be (open) because we have different experiences of faith and life.”
While opinion has been divided within the Church and the Catholic community about the value of the Commission, Mrs Hawkes stressed that it was an important step forward.
“Some people would say it’s not
enough, others would say it’s too much, (but) the important thing to realise is the bishops have taken this step and appointed this Commission to take this conversation and the implementation of (their) decisions on
to another stage,” she said.
|
