Friends, collaborators and staff of the Columban Mission Institute (CMI) came together in North Sydney on September 23, 2017 for the ‘CMI Celebration’ to mark the closing of the Institute in October 2017.
For many years CMI has contributed to mission in Sydney and beyond – in formation and education for mission, Christian-Muslim relations and interfaith relations in general and in Peace, Ecology and Justice.
The occasion was an opportunity to remember, give thanks and celebrate the achievements over many years of the CMI and the people who made them possible – benefactors, staff, students, collaborators, supporters, partners in various events and participants in various programs.
Throughout the evening a number of ‘Storytellers’ shared their memories and connections to CMI, from its forerunners, St Columban’s College seminary and the missiology course at the Pacific Mission Institute (PMI), North Turramurra, to the present day mode of Centres focussed on missionary priorities.
A Mass of Thanksgiving was concelebrated by Columban Superior General Fr Kevin O’Neill and CMI Director Fr Patrick McInerney. The choir from St Vincent’s Church, Ashfield, under the direction of Jenny Collins-White, led the singing.
In his concluding remarks at the end of the evening Fr Patrick McInerney said, "although CMI will close on October 10, this does not mean the end of mission.
The labours of the past have borne fruit so that many of our Columban concerns – the Vatican II and subsequent understandings of mission, of justice, of peace, of ecology – have been handed on and are now part of the regular life of the local churches. God’s mission is being carried on by laity, by religious, by activists, in myriad ways, with migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, people of all faiths and none, in parishes, schools, hospitals, chaplaincies and secular organizations, in towns, cities and rural areas across Australia and beyond."
"As the Columban Mission Institute closes, some of our missionary projects are being handed on to others, the Culture of Peace Formation Program to Catholic Mission, and the Faith Ecology Network to be facilitated by Australian Catholic University (ACU). And Fr Peter O’Neill will bring his experience in Taiwan to his new role as the Columban Peace, Ecology and Justice Coordinator at the Columban Mission Centre in Essendon."
Fr Patrick also said "Columbans in Sydney will continue those other missionary works that do not depend on the Columban Mission Institute. For example, Fr Noel Connolly and I offering courses in mission studies at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and at the Broken Bay Institute; Fr Brian Vale and the Josephites facilitating intercultural courses for church personnel coming from overseas or returning from overseas. Fr Noel Connolly is already working part-time with Catholic Mission and for the 2020 Plenary Council.
Since Christian-Muslim relations continue to be a pressing issue for church and society, here in Australia and around the world, and since Columbans are in a privileged position to build on the friendships we have established over the past 20 years, we will continue the Christian-Muslim apostolate.
Other Columbans in Sydney will continue to contribute in various ways – through chaplaincies, service to the Chinese Catholic communities, Mass supplies, attending events, and supporting church and secular organizations that serve the common good.”
The new address for the Columban Centre for
Christian-Muslim Relations is:
C/- Institute for Mission
1-5 Marion Street
Blacktown NSW 2148
E: info.cccmr@columban.org.au
Related links
- Read more from The Far East, November/December 2017
