The Power of Community

"Let the worth of your life and daily conduct speak for you; that is a language all understand."
- Mother Gonzaga Barry

During moments of immense joy and uncertainty it is comforting to know that we are all part of an interconnected community: be it in work, school, university, sport, city or nation. To belong to a community is inherently in our nature. We are not supposed to walk this journey alone and are called to share in the community encouraging one another.

It is a great joy to be part of an incredibly supportive Loreto Community comprising of the Loreto Schools across Australia, Timor-Leste, Loreto Vietnam, our dedicated Board Members, Principals, staff, parents, friends and of course the students themselves who are daily helping to imbue meaning and hope into our lives.

Loreto Ministries has moved through a full and rewarding start to 2019.  The biggest delight has been to work as a team, with personnel now serving the Loreto network in the areas of administration, business, communications, education, finance, formation and governance – All through the lens of mission. We participated in a Strategic Planning Day at the end of January, which assisted us in both review and goal setting, as well as providing a creative context for discussion about culture, team expectations and strategic intent.

In March we hosted a visit to Australia of our new Executive Director for Loreto Vietnam, Mr Dung Viet Nguyen. Dung met with students, supporters and staff at the Loreto Centre before attending the Loreto Schools Australia Leadership Teams Conference in Ballarat, where Dung and I were able to update leadership personnel about Loreto Ministries’ purpose and priorities.

The post Easter period saw a number of Loreto Ministries and Loreto Centre staff set off on pilgrimage to the lands of Mary Ward. This was an extraordinary formation experience, led in part by Loreto Ministries’ Director of Mission, Anne Muirhead.

Another first for Loreto Ministries is the planning for our inaugural Loreto Boards’ Colloquium to be held at Loreto Marryatville across the July 26-28 weekend.  This Colloquium will bring together Board Directors of Loreto, together with the Province Council, local Sisters and Principals to dialogue with international and local experts in the fields of Institute history, Loreto educational legacy, the vision of Mary Ward and governance issues challenging Catholic organisations and ethical realities facing Boards in every field of life. We are delighted that our invitation to the IBVM General Superior, Noelle Corscadden ibvm, has been accepted for the Colloquium, where she will share some of the Institute’s global priorities and projects.

While much of our work is in support of the Boards and Principals, often in the hidden areas of compliance, legalities, risk and succession planning we are often presented with unexpected opportunities and challenges. Working in partnership with our Sisters and schools, various ministries and Mary Ward International Australia we appreciate the collaboration involved as we uphold the values of our one shared mission.

Cate Sydes
CEO – Loreto Ministries

Main Image: Cate Sydes with Loreto Ministries Board Member, Dr Judy Smeed.