As part of the celebration of its centenary, the Columban Mission held a lecture program on June 20 at the Cardinal Knox Lecture Theatre in Melbourne. The Columbans are a missionary society of priests and lay men and women who work in 17 countries worldwide. Columban fathers work in cooperation with lay people and Columban sisters from a standpoint of solidarity with the poor and integrity of creation.
The ‘Mission today and tomorrow lectures’ were well attended and featured Columban Fr Noel Connolly and Columban Rev Dr Patrick McInerney speaking on the role of the Australian church, evangelisation and social justice.
Fr Connolly discussed the Columban missionary contribution to the Australian Church and the unique role of a returned overseas missionary in our contemporary multicultural church and society. He discussed the energy, hope and vision of the Columbans and of Catholics. 'Our gift is our experience of crossing boundaries,' he said. Fr Noel also discussed how migration is part of human history and also part of the Catholic tradition.
Rev Dr Patrick McInerney spoke on the concept of dialogue as the new mode of mission and evangelisation for the 21st century. He discussed how interreligious dialogue should be acknowledged as one of the essential components of Catholic and Christian mission. He also spoke about the components of mission, including Christian presence, work for justice, liturgy, prayer, proclamation, and stewardship of creation.
Fr McInerney also lead the acknowledgement to the traditional land owners and talked about how much reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is important to interfaith relations. 'Cultural and religious diversity is important to Australia, and has been always,' he said.
Both speakers praised the hard work of Columbans over the last 100 years and their dedication to the Columban motto 'Perigrinari pro Christo' ('We will travel for Christ').
Source: Media and Communications Office
