Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide 2023 Annual Report

We respectfully acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide. We also acknowledge Elders, past, present and pay tribute to those who have contributed to the social, economic, cultural, political, and spiritual life of our community. This acknowledgement affirms our commitment to social justice and the importance of healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Who We Are Vision & Mission

The Catholic Church in South Australia dates back to 1836 and then in 1842; when Francis Murphy was appointed as the first bishop of Adelaide.

Today the Adelaide Archdiocese is home to 253,870 Catholics, 15.7 per cent of the total population (ABS 2021 Census).

The Adelaide Archdiocese covers an area of 105,000 sq km, taking in the city of Adelaide and outer metropolitan areas as well as the regional areas of Yorke Peninsula, Riverland, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Coorong, South East and Limestone Coast.

The Archdiocese employs more than 11,800 South Australians working across the industry sectors of education, health, social services and Parishes. The Archdiocese also has many volunteers who assist and support their communities.

The Adelaide Archdiocese comprises 87 schools, 57 Parishes with 125 Mass centres, four Eastern Rite Mass centres and 22 multicultural communities.

The Archdiocese’s Vision and Mission Statements, launched in 2023, were developed by the Diocesan Pastoral Council out of the recommendations of the 2021 Diocesan Assembly. This process included processes of consultation and feedback with various people and groups in the Archdiocese and the Statements reflect a shared desire to be a Christcentred, Spirit-led, mission-oriented community, accompanying one another, together on the way.

Vision

The Adelaide Catholic Archdiocese strives to be a welcoming Christ-centred community of servant leaders, committed to listening, discerning and growing in the Spirit, as disciples journeying together and as co-creators of the world that God desires.

Mission

As followers of Jesus, loved by God, nurtured and formed in community we are called to be:

• Sharers of faith, hope and love

• Builders of bridges

• Healers of broken relationships

• Agents of transformation in our world

WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING PRINCIPLES OF:

Dignity of the Human Person

We uphold the dignity of all independent of ethnicity, creed, gender, sexuality, ability, or age.

Community and the Common Good

We believe that the common good is served when we work together to improve the wellbeing of all people and creation, in our own communities and in our wider world.

Dignity of Work

We believe that work is dignified and an intrinsic good and that workers must always be respected and valued, demonstrated through their right to productive work, a just wage and to form and join unions.

Preferential Option for people who experience social or economic poverty

We believe that for justice to be upheld, we must speak and act particularly for those experiencing poverty, vulnerability or whose voices are not heard.

Solidarity

We believe that all humankind is interdependent, that we need one another and that we are called to stand in solidarity with each other in our one human family.

Subsidiarity

We believe that whatever can properly be done at the local level should be done at that level and not subsumed by a higher authority.

Care of God’s creation

We believe the earth and all life on it are part of God’s good creation. We are responsible for taking care of the world in which we live, for sharing all its wonders and resources, and preserving them for all who follow after us.

THE Archbishop From

If I were to use one word to describe 2023 it would be ‘pilgrim’. That is partly because of my own experience of travelling to Fiji in February to participate in the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania and to Rome in October as one of two elected Australian bishop members of the Synod on Synodality.

Both events were a wonderful opportunity to listen and discuss our hopes for the Church both locally and universally, what it means to live the Christian faith and how we can be missionary disciples of Christ in the world today.

But this sense of being a pilgrim on a pilgrimage, also relates to our collective journey as pilgrims ‘together on the way’ here in the Adelaide Archdiocese. First, we had the inspiring visit of Sr Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of Synod of Bishops, who shared her views on synodality at several forums. She reaffirmed our commitment as an Archdiocese to deep listening and discernment. To this end, and following on from our two Diocesan Assemblies, Parishes gathered at the Regional level to listen and dialogue while also contributing to the global consultation process feeding into the Rome Synod.

In deepening this theme, the launch in October of the document Drawn into the Joy of the Gospel reflects Pope Francis’ vision of the Church as ‘first and foremost a people advancing on its pilgrim way towards God’ (EG §111). The Pope’s emphasis on the responsibility of the entire people of God to proclaim the Gospel is what is shaping formation in our Archdiocese.

Similarly, Being Church Together: A Theology, Vision and Guiding Principles for the Parish-School Relationship is an invitation for Parishes and Schools to chart new paths toward our common mission in Christ.

Another way that our local Church was an expression of a people journeying together was the annual Marian Procession, which returned to the city streets for the first time in many years.

This prayerful Sunday afternoon in May was much more than a public demonstration of our faith. As fellow pilgrims, we prayed for unity in the Church, and reconciliation between peoples, that God’s peace and harmony would transform us all. By following Mary, the Mother of the Church, we were led to Jesus, Son of Mary and Son of God. The procession was one aspect of the pilgrimage experience and then we found ourselves gathered around Jesus Christ at the end. I am very aware that the backdrop for all these hope-

filled moments was a world in crisis: the continuing war in Ukraine; conflicts and famine in Africa; ongoing human tragedies such as the displacement of the Rohingyas, and the Hamas attacks on Israeli settlements on the 7th of October and subsequent devastating war in Gaza.

In Australia we are not immune to injustice and suffering, particularly amongst many of our Indigenous communities, and the rising cost of living and housing shortage is taking a heavy toll on the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

The generous support of our Parishes and schools for the good works of Caritas Australia, Catholic Mission, Catholic Charities, St Vincent de Paul Society and Hutt St Centre, is proof of our willingness to walk alongside others in their time of need.

It was also a challenging year for our Clergy, 11 of whom passed into eternal life; my prayers and thoughts are with their families and friends.

At the same time, we have been fortunate to welcome new priests from overseas into our community either as Diocesan priests or chaplains.

The multicultural dimension of our local Church is cause for much joy and hope. From sharing the Lunar New Year with the Vietnamese Catholic Community at Our Lady of the Boat People Church in Pooraka to celebrating the feast of Josephine Bakhita with our African community and Simbang Gabi and Santo Nino with our Filipino community, to name just a few, I have been blessed to experience firsthand the rich culture and deep faith of our migrant communities.

As we continue the process of renewing our local Church, I extend my gratitude to all those who have helped get us to this point in the journey. Fellow pilgrims let us continue the journey toward our external Father, accompanied by Christ, animated by the Holy Spirit.

God is good, good indeed!

+ Patrick O’Regan DD Archbishop of Adelaide

The year 2023 saw the passing from this life of 11 of our retired priests and one of our deacons. It’s important to cherish the memories of Frs Peter Fountain, Eddie Welling, John Chambers, Kevin O’Loughlin, Peter Dunn, Noel Molloy and Michael Doherty; Mgrs Vincent Tiggeman, Robert Egar and Robert Aitken; and Deacon Celestino Dias. We also remember Fr Adrian Noonan from the Port Pirie Diocese who resided at Villa Murphy. We thank God for their priestly and diaconal ministry amongst us and pray that they are sharing in the gift of eternal life and that in the Communion of Saints they continue to inspire and encourage us.

Also from a clergy perspective, extra support was required for various Parishes in the absence of their Parish priests. With the retirement of Fr Patick Woods from ministry, the Parish of Elizabeth was supported until after Easter when Fr Santosh Pereira was appointed Parish priest. Likewise, the cluster of the Murray Bridge Parishes needed support until Fr Philip Marshall was appointed priest moderator. The Parish of Yorke Peninsula was supported for Sunday Masses, school Masses and sick calls and funerals with the absence of Fr John Mbaraka in Africa while he renewed his Australian visa.

Following Fr Tony Telford Sharp’s move to the Adelaide Cathedral Parish, Blackwood Parish was supported as the process of amalgamation with Aberfoyle Parish continued throughout the year.

Deacons Arturo Jimenea, Andrew Kirkbride and Tee Ping Koh continued as pastoral directors for the Murray Bridge cluster, Greenacres/Walkerville and Blackwood Parishes. Gratitude is extended to all the priests who celebrated Sunday Masses, funerals and made sick calls, many of whom were retired from active ministry. Also, much appreciation and thanks go to the lay leaders of those Parishes, both pastor and finance council members, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, school principals, APRIMs and many other volunteer Parishioners who served their communities.

The Clergy Life and Ministry Team was reestablished in the Archdiocese in 2023 to coordinate the wellbeing and ongoing support and formation in ministry of our priests and deacons. Clergy gatherings were held in February, the Monday of Holy Week, June and Vianney Day in August. The Clergy Care Council continued to oversee the needs of our retired priests and the oversight of the Diocesan Presbytery Fund.

In July I accompanied Fr Anthoni Adimai to India to visit various religious superiors and bishops to thank them for the missionary priests they had already supplied for ministry in Adelaide and to request further priests for the future. Subsequently, interviews were carried out in January 2024 and the visa process has now began for six more priests. Through the work of Mgr David Cappo further missionary priests are being requested from Africa.

On October 22 the Apostolic Nuncio, the Pope’s representative in Australia, Archbishop Charles Balvo, celebrated the Feast of St Hilarion in the Seaton Parish for the second consecutive year. He was able to stay an extra day to meet some of our priests at West Terrace.

The work of the Diocesan Pastoral Council under the leadership of Monica Conway continued with a special focus on following the issues that arose from the previous Diocesan Assembly and preparations for the first Synod on Synodality in Rome in October. Our Archbishop attended the Synod representing the Church in Australia.

At the end of October Fr George Ochola Oluoch arrived from Kenya and then in early November Fr Luka Poljak arrived from Croatia. Fr George continues to minister in the Cathedral Parish and Fr Luka is chaplain to the Croatian Community.

Sincere thanks and appreciation go to all priests, deacons, lay leaders, volunteers and school principals and APRIMs for collaborating in ministry for the sake of our common mission of proclaiming the Gospel and building up the community of the Church.

THE Vicar General

Fr Dean Marin Vicar General

From

In 2023 we celebrated our history and embedded the learnings of our past in our new organisational structure. Centacare is guided by the words of Pope Francis, “There is a past and there is a present. There are the roots of faith and there is the ecclesial ‘today,’ the current path of this Church which presides over charity, the service of unity and universality. All this must not be taken for granted! (2014).

Centacare is formed by a collective with a common cause to serve others. We are driven by Catholic Social Teachings with subsidiary at the forefront. We ensure people have the right to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

When I visit our services, I am reminded of the dedicated people who journey with the individuals and the communities we support through a range of challenges. This year we supported more than 20,000 clients, including 5000 children, across 63 services at 33 locations. Many of the people we support are from diverse communities who require housing, material assistance and a range of mental health and wellbeing supports.

We provided support to more than 700 women and children through our domestic and family violence services. It does not matter how many people we support, there are many more we cannot reach so we aim to do more.

To ensure our agency has longevity in delivering community services to South Australians, we endorsed a new Corporate Restructure. This led to the appointment of Liam Connelly as Director Corporate and Business Operations and Dr Jonathon Louth as Director Strategy Research and Innovation.

Our revised structure has contributed to a range of successful tenders in child protection, community development, housing, NDIS, domestic violence services and employee assistance.

The new governance structure became operational in 2023 to improve service design, adherence to compliance and regulatory requirements. Four core service unit: Care and Support Services (CaSSdisability services); Children’s Services Unit (CSU); Mental Health, Counselling and Wellbeing Services (MHC&WS), and Domestic Violence, Homelessness & Youth services (DVH&YS).

They operate programs across the Archdiocese of Adelaide, inclusive of metropolitan and regional services in Mt Gambier, Barossa and the Fleurieu Peninsula. With the support of the Port Pirie diocese, we also deliver services in Whyalla and the Riverland.

The services are predominantly funded through Government grant funding (State and Federal), representing 59.1 per cent of Centacare’s total income.

Our fee for service programs, which includes income from NDIS, represents 37.5 per cent of Centacare’s total income. A small portion of funding is sourced through community charitable donations and Catholic Charities.

Our revised structure has contributed to a range of successful tenders in child protection, employee assistance programs, community development, housing, NDIS, mental health and domestic violence services.

In April, the inaugural Centacare Advisory Council met for the first time, heralding a new era for the organisation. With diverse representation, the purpose of the Advisory Council is to provide Centacare’s mission and identity within the Archdiocese of Adelaide, and to forge deeper connections with Archdiocesan services.

Chairperson Claire Victory, formerly National President of St Vincent de Paul Society National Council, is joined by Council members Kelly Bunyon, Principal, Compass Catholic Community; Sophie Diamandi, Adjunct Lecturer, University of South Australia; Carl Collins, Executive Director, Child Protection Solutions Australia; Fr Dean Marin, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Adelaide; and Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith, Director, Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University. John Lochowiak, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council chairperson, consults to the Council.

The year was also marked by the retirement of the much-loved Deputy Director Pauline Connelly. Pauline served three decades in leadership roles at Centacare in the Port Pirie and Adelaide dioceses. Her commitment to assisting others in need and building servant leadership was displayed through her vocation. A day does not go by when we don’t reflect on Pauline’s mentoring, leadership and calm presence.

Our Facilities and Infrastructure team consolidated the acquisition of sites including the merging of two offices in Mount Gambier to one larger site, centrally located to accommodate service growth. The southern footprint expanded with a new site in Noarlunga Colonnades Shopping Centre. This site is now home to the largest intensive family support outreach team and mental health service in the south.

I thank our valued staff, leaders, government and nongovernment partners, Catholic Charities, Charitable Trusts, sponsors and Catholic schools for their commitment towards our clients.

Leanne Haddad

Executive Director

Centacare Catholic Family Services

The launch in 2023 of the Archdiocese’s Being Church Together provided our Catholic community with an understanding of the inseparable connection and the faith-filled mission of Catholic schools and Parishes across metropolitan and regional South Australia. Being church together, we share the common principles of sharing together, mutual respect and support, engagement through being together and in action, effective communication, shared leadership and shared resources.

As part of Catholic Education’s commitment to these principles, activities encompassed a broad spectrum of education-related services for young people and families with educational offerings spanning from birth to completion of university studies. A statewide network of 101 Catholic schools located across 120 campus sites with 87 schools in the Archdiocese deliver education from pre-school years including playgroups, early learning centres, preschool programs, through primary and secondary schooling, and to the university residential college in North Adelaide, Aquinas College.

Committed to educational excellence, enlivened faith formation and improved access, Catholic Education has seen consistent growth in student numbers since 2018, achieving record enrolments again in the past calendar year, with more than 52,000 students in primary and secondary schools.

Educational excellence remained a strategic focus in 2023. Two new teams were created within the Catholic Education Office for a more targeted focus across, on the one hand, learning and curriculum, and on the other, Catholic school and system improvement. Consistent with our mission, these changes have already delivered improved learning outcomes for students and our school communities, having realigned and re-established our focus on critical areas including curriculum and teaching for all year levels, improved support for students with disability, an ongoing commitment to scholarships for students in care, and the third consecutive year of maintaining school fees at the same rate for all Diocesan schools.

Access to Catholic schools has been made easier with strategies in practice that expanded both the number of schools/campus sites across the Archdiocese, as well as increasing student capacity and curriculum offerings at specific sites. The South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools approved record high financial investments right across schools, ensuring modern and contemporary buildings and infrastructure are available to Catholic students in our learning environments.

Examples of new and expanding Catholic schools in 2023 include the new senior secondary campus of Nazareth Catholic College in the western suburb of Kidman Park, accommodating a further 800 enrolments in this birth to Year 12 college; the expansion of Cardijn College in the southern suburb of Noarlunga, where enrolments now exceed 2000 students, with additional land purchased and a further expansion of the learning spaces and facilities at the multi-campus college; the continued expansion in the north of Xavier College Two Wells complementing the new primary school facilities established in 2021, with this college campus now expanding through the development of its secondary school facilities and new gymnasium; and the new arts and sports precinct under construction at Mercedes College in the eastern suburb of Springfield.

Additionally in 2023, access to additional land for future school developments has been investigated and progressed within the northern, western and southern suburbs of Adelaide, as well as the growing regions of the Adelaide Hills and beyond.

Catholic Education South Australia will continue to strive for educational excellence, enlivened faith formation and improved access for Catholic students and families in South Australia through Being Church Together.

Dr Neil McGoran Executive Director Catholic Education South Australia

The Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) was formed at the beginning of 2023 following an interim Council in 2022. From the beginning, DPC members committed to synodality as the blueprint for the way they work with others and with each other.

The DPC put dialogue, prayer, reflection and communal discernment at the heart of its work together.

The DPC priorities come from the recommendations from the 2021 and 2022 Diocesan Assemblies and the Plenary Council decrees. They are grouped under three banners:

• Formation in faith for mission

• Leadership that is authentic and co-responsible

• Communication that is consistent, regular and two-way

The DPC has focussed on supporting the Archdiocese to be a synodal church by engaging projects and initiatives that animate the vision and mission of the Archdiocese such as pastoral planning, formation and integral ecology and by developing a Leadership for a Synodal Church Framework which will undergo consultation across the Archdiocese in 2024.

The DPC has developed a Communication, Learning and Listening plan and members are meeting with Parish Pastoral Councils to ensure that the DPC’s work is grounded in the reality of Parish life and that members model a Church that listens.

Diocesan Pastoral Council members demonstrate commitment and leadership as they continue to work together and with others on the Archdiocese of Adelaide synodal journey.

Monica Conway Chair Diocesan Pastoral

Council

Following the Diocesan Assembly in 2022, Parishes schools and communities were asked to organise and participate in Regional Assemblies. By end of 2023, five out of the nine regions had hosted a regional assembly, with two further assemblies planned for early 2024. The regional assemblies provided an opportunity to gather in local areas to further actions from the Diocesan Assembly and address local pastoral needs and priorities.

Being Church Together was launched and was a culmination of the collaborative work between the Archdiocese of Adelaide, Diocese of Port Pirie and Catholic Education South Australia to develop a framework for supporting positive relationships between the Parish-worshiping community and the school community. Being Church Together draws upon the real-life experiences of Parishes and schools across South Australia, whilst also providing a vision, guiding principles and tools for productive dialogue.

With a focus towards the global Synod the Archdiocese invited Sr Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of Synod of Bishops, to visit Adelaide and share her insights around synodality. She presented at a public forum and spent time with Archdiocesan leadership and members of the Pastoral Services Team.

Renewed focus on diocesan pastoral planning began, beginning with a process for the merger of Aberfoyle Park/Blackwood which involved consultation with the communities and working towards becoming one Parish in 2024.

Justice, Healing and Inclusion

Comprising several different areas, the Justice, Healing and Inclusion team supports the work of the Archdiocese through:

• The Migrant Chaplains and Pastoral Workers Network & Multiculturalism

• Hospital and Prison Chaplaincy

• Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

• Ecology & Justice

• Inclusion of those who feel alienated by the institution – cultivating a safe space for all

The Migrant Chaplains and Pastoral Workers Network & Multiculturalism

The team provides ongoing support to the migrant chaplain and pastoral workers who serve the 26 multicultural communities operating in the Archdiocese. Team members respond to enquiries related to language, chaplaincy and cultural matters, as well as migrant and refugee services.

Key Achievements:

• Welcomed a number of new members to the network

• Marian Procession

• Feast of St Thomas the Apostle

• St Daniel Comboni Feast

• St Bakhita Feast

• Migrant and Refugee Sunday Parish resource and Multicultural Mass at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral

• Production and distribution of Multicultural E-News

• Regular, bi-monthly meetings for migrant chaplains and pastoral workers

• Beginning the transition to alternate Zoom meetings for chaplains and pastoral workers

Hospital and Prison Chaplaincy

Hospital and prison chaplains are available to meet with patients and families or prisoners to listen to their concerns and offer support and comfort in an ongoing manner if requested. Shared prayer and reflection re offered or arrangements made for a priest’s visit if required.

Key Achievements:

• Recruitment of chaplains with extensive experience in the field of pastoral care

• World Day of the Sick/Lourdes Day

• Vicarious Trauma professional development offered to all chaplains

• Ongoing, regular professional development was offered to all chaplains to support and strengthen their skill set

Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

The Diocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission fosters the spirit of ecumenism and interfaith relations and dialogue in the Archdiocese. The basic inspiration for the Commission’s work in interfaith relations is the Vatican II decree Nostra Aetate together with the documents of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue such as Journeying Together and recent papal statements which stress that ecumenism and interfaith relations cannot be reduced to optional extras.

Key Achievements:

• After a pause in 2022, initial planning commenced around the re-establishment of the Diocesan Interfaith and Ecumenical Commission for 2024

• Ecumenical Prayer Service held for Peace in Israel and the Palestinian Region

Ecology and Justice – The Council for Integral Ecology

The Council for Integral Ecology is dedicated to serving the Archdiocese of Adelaide in the promotion of care for our common home, by responding to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. This also encompasses a range of issues, including social justice, peace and human development.

Key Achievements:

• Laudato Si’ Week event at the Marine Discovery Centre

• Season of Creation event at Mercy Grove, Belair National Park

• Continued work on publications for Parishes and communities

• Communicating issues around the referendum on ‘The Voice’ to Parishes and communities and producing informative resources, aligned with the ACBC and NATSICC

• Continued progress made on Council strategic priorities

Inclusion

A recurring theme from our Diocesan Assemblies has been ‘inclusion’. This year, we have explored many issues in this space, and have appointed a Pastoral Support worker who will commence in 2024 to assist in this work.

Key Achievements:

• Membership on the National Catholic Diocesan Disability Network and opportunities to collaborate with leaders in other dioceses

• Identifying key areas which need addressing and commencing the process of discernment

Events and Resource Development

With a focus on the vision and mission of the Archdiocese, the Events office continues to provide support for all Diocesan events with a focus on being sharers of faith, builders of bridges and above all, being Christ-centered.

Underpinning this work is the aim to offer all an opportunity to connect with their faith by listening to the needs of the community and ensuring all who come are welcome.

Key Achievements:

• Moving the Marian Procession to the Adelaide CBD streets for the first time

• Ecumenical Prayer for Peace Service

• All Souls Day Mass in Smyth Chapel (West Tce Cemetery)

Formation Spiritual Directors’ Formation Program

The Ministry Formation Program supported 21 students in 2023 in formation for lay pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese. The program for the year included courses with Australian Catholic University and Dayton University, retreats and seminars. Students also engaged in regular reading and reflection on Pope Francis’ post-synodal encyclical Amoris Laetitia After a review of the Ministry Formation Program, it was decided that the program would be paused for two years to allow time for program redevelopment.

The new Diocesan Formation Commission was established in 2023 to advise on the development of faith formation initiatives and ministry formation in the Archdiocese.

Drawn into the Joy of the Gospel: Formation in the Archdiocese of Adelaide was published and distributed in November. This is an important foundational document which will guide formation for mission.

The program began this year with six first year students, four second years plus two students who opted to do a third year. By the end of the year two students had withdrawn.

Sessions are held at Bethany, part of the Mary MacKillop Precinct at Kensington. This space is a blessing with wonderful facilities including a chapel, a café and a beautiful garden in which to meditate. Students have appreciated the hospitality offered here. The Spiritual Direction Office is still housed at the Diocesan Centre, Wakefield Street.

Being part of the Pastoral Services Team has helped give the team a greater sense of what is happening more generally in terms of the support of Parishes. There were two intensives this year, one in March the other in September. Guest presenters included: Sr Lianella Girardi rsj, Rev Matthew Anstey and Rev Dawn Colsey. The material presented was of great value and diversity and complemented the rest of the material presented during the year.

Bruno Benci was engaged to support the director with some of the administration of the formation program, as well as administration relating to the Catholic Forum, and general support of the ministry of spiritual direction within South Australia.

Special thanks to all those who generously assisted with the program including Lesli Townsend; Stephanie Brabin and Sr. Lil Girardi sj; (supervision) and Rev Dawn Colsey (prayer).

Community Life and Worship

Community Life and Worship is the new name of what was previously the Office of Worship. The team has an expanded mission to support Parishes, schools, and communities not only in the area of liturgy but also more broadly in community life, especially evangelisation and ministry leadership.

The team implements effective strategies that engage people in the faith, life and mission of the Archdiocese and builds capacity for ministry in Parishes, schools, and communities through programming, resources, and education.

The office works closely with the Diocesan Liturgical Commission in developing policies and resources for the Archdiocese, consults on all episcopal liturgies, and offers individual consultations for Parishes and communities seeking to improve their community life and worship.

Key Achievements:

• Produced and distributed Lent and Advent reflection booklets

• Monthly articles in The Southern Cross

• Coordination support for three Regional Assemblies

• Quarterly formation for pastoral associates

• Parish Pastoral Council formation programs offered at six Parishes

• Bi-annual gathering with Parish Pastoral Council chairs, Parish priests and the Archbishop

• Training sessions for extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, readers, leaders of Liturgy of the Word with Holy Communion, infant baptism teams and music ministers

• Diocesan Liturgies of Rite of Election, Chrism Mass, Ordination to the Priesthood, Marian Procession

• Liturgical consultations for all episcopal celebrations

• Consultations for Liturgical Design

• Produced and distributed the Archdiocesan Liturgical Calendar

• Certificate of Pastoral Liturgy

• Service on subcommittees of the National Liturgical Council

• Participation in Australian Catholic University liturgy symposium and the National Pastoral Musicians’ Network Meeting and Conference

• Interfaith service with the local Jewish Community in remembrance of the Shoah

Cathedral Music

Music Director, Timothy Davey, ably supported by Music Coordinator, Astrid Sengkey, has expanded St Francis Xavier’s and the wider Cathedral Parish music program throughout the year. This has grown to include five choirs, a selection of cantors and a roster of organists to service the music needs of the seven sites of the Cathedral Parish.

The Cathedral Music team provides live music at four weekend Cathedral Parish Masses, is responsible for various weddings, funerals, ordinations and special Masses throughout the year and supports the provision of music to the annual Marian Procession. One aspect of this work is maintaining the roster of organists who regularly play the magnificently restored 1927 Casavant Frere organ in the Cathedral. The monthly check-up under the careful ministrations of Pipe Organs Victoria has proceeded uninterrupted.

Key Achievements:

• The annual Fringe pipe organ concerts were well-attended, and a special recital of well-loved hymn tunes was performed by Cathedral organist James Lloyd to an audience of more than 200 hymn enthusiasts.

• The mid-year concert featuring choristers from Holy Cross Church and the Cathedral with accompaniment from the Flinders University Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Arthur Siow. This concert was twinned with a Christmas Carol service in December which also highlighted the collaboration of the two choirs with an orchestral backing.

• The Cathedral Choir expanded in number with the addition of several strong male vocalists, enhancing the long-standing choral traditions of the Cathedral while introducing contemporary choral works, and reinvigorating the chant and motet practice at the 11am Sunday Solemn Mass. The popular Vigil Community Choir maintains the Vigil Mass tradition. The Youth Choir assists at the Sunday evening Mass several times a month and a cantor and organist maintain live music at Burnside and Dulwich each weekend.

• The Children’s Choir, formed in late 2020, has matured with several members joining the main choir as they progress into secondary school. These young singers are not afraid of tackling Latin Motets and Mass Propers once a month and have even ‘toured’ to Burnside and Dulwich for guest appearances.

• This year saw the introduction of a Young Organist program, sponsored by the Cathedral Parish. Gina Dutschke has agreed to tutor the students, ranging in age from 8 to 15 years. The students gave their initial recital performance in December and were enthusiastically received by the congregation. It is planned for the senior members of this group to begin accompanying children’s Masses in 2024, as well as performing a follow-up recital in the early part of next year.

Consecrated Life

Religious women and men continue to enrich the life of the Archdiocese of Adelaide. In 2023 there were 198 women and men from 36 Congregations and Societies of Consecrated Life, together with six lay persons living the consecrated life without any association with a religious congregation, and six men belonging to the Society of Christian Doctrine (Preca Community).

In the spirit of their founders, Religious walk beside many as spiritual guides and companions. They are with our First Nations people, refugees and asylum seekers, prisoners, the homeless, the poor and those on the edges of society, as well as in Parishes and schools. Although an increasing number of Religious are no longer in active ministry, their contribution in terms of prayer and presence is highly valued by those with whom they come in contact. Many retired religious are asked to pray for the sick, the housebound, those in any need and for the world.

The multicultural nature of our religious communities is significant, with 20 different countries represented across congregations. Even a single community may have members from as many as three different countries. The challenge facing such communities – and particularly our priests – is to live with intraculturality in their own small communities as well as in the wider Church.

Our annual gathering, held in the Cathedral Hall in November, provided an opportunity to hear about Archbishop O’Regan’s experience of the Synod on Synodality in Rome in October. We also spent valuable time sharing details of our own particular ministries. Sadly, it is often only when a Religious dies that we hear of the outstanding contribution they made to the life of the Church.

In 2023 10 Religious who had served within the Adelaide Archdiocese and beyond were called home to God. Sr Carmel Clarke RSJ died on December 27 2022 was buried on January 16 2023. Those entering eternal life in 2023 were Br Stan Tyler CP, Sr Margaret Mary Murphy RSJ, Sr Bernadette Ziezing IBVM, Sr Joan Evans RSJ, Sr Estelita Manabo SJBP, Br Patrick Cronin, Sr Patricia Davis OP (North Adelaide), Sr Joan Mary Torpor CP and Sr Alice Foley OCD. We give thanks for their lives of outstanding service to God’s people.

Two religious congregations took the difficult decision to withdraw from the Archdiocese at the end of 2023.

Among the Canossian Sisters who began their devoted ministry among the Italian community in 1976 was Sr Elda Sbarra FdCC. We bade farewell to her and to Srs My Vu FdCC and Jessika Trieu FdCC at our November gathering. At the same time we expressed our gratitude to the Capuchin Fathers who have ministered so faithfully in the Newton Parish. Fr James Grant OFMCap left mid-2023, while Parish priest Fr Eldridge D’Souza OFMCap, and Frs Christopher Maher OFMCap and John Spiteri OFMCap remained until early January 2024.

Sr Elizabeth Morris RSJ

Vicar for Religious

Interdiocesan Tribunal

The Interdiocesan Tribunal of Adelaide is so named because it covers the activities of the three diocese which make up the Province of Adelaide, Darwin and Port Pirie.

The Judicial Vicar, Rev Kevin Matthews JCD, is a priest of the Port Pirie Diocese. This year the Judicial Vicar tendered his resignation following 47 years’ service as a judge on the Tribunal, 11 of those as the Judicial Vicar. He also served as a judge on the now defunct, National Tribunal for more than 30 years.

A review of the Tribunal’s activities was conducted by Emeritus Bishop of Toowoomba, Robert McGuckin, himself a canon lawyer of long experience. The review was conducted over a week long period and included personal interviews of staff, both those who work regularly in the Diocesan Office and those who work remotely, coming into the office each month to conduct judgement sessions. Bishop McGuckin gave positive feedback on procedures, the time taken to complete marriage cases and the excellent archive system.

The Tribunal is strongly supported by the Diocese of Port Pirie with two other priest judges incardinated in that diocese and without their assistance it would be difficult to process cases within a reasonable time. Two judges also assist the Perth Tribunal with any overload they may face from time to time. The Brisbane Tribunal has requested assistance with clearing a back log of cases and we have been able to work with them in that capacity.

The Darwin office has a limited number of staff. Applications received in Darwin are assessed in Adelaide while the interviews are conducted by the Darwin Tribunal. The case monitor in Darwin keeps in touch with the parties to the marriage and sends the completed case to Adelaide for judgment.

A priest of the Archdiocese is continuing with his study for a Licentiate in Canon Law through St Paul’s University, Ottawa, Canada. The opportunity for this study is provided through Broken Bay Institute and is done via online and personal contact with the professors on a yearly basis to conduct oral examinations.

The Tribunal is charged with the administration of justice as a court of first instance for all matters of the public good brought before the Church. Although most cases brought before the Tribunal involve challenges to the canonical validity of marriage, the court also acts as the competent forum for other issues, including penal matters.

In 2023 the new cases introduced increased by over 25 per cent on the previous year. There are also those cases in which a divorced, but not baptised person, wishes to marry a Catholic person who is free to marry. The Holy Father will, in some circumstances, dissolve the prior bond of a person who has not had a sacramental marriage to allow them to marry a Catholic. All the preparation and investigation of such cases is carried out in the Adelaide Tribunal and relayed to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The annual conference of the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand was held in Christchurch, New Zealand, the first ‘face to face’ conference since the end of the pandemic. This was a very successful conference in terms of the quality of speakers from overseas and from within Australia. The Director of our Tribunal and the Parramatta Director presented a workshop on working with respondents in marriage cases. However, the emphasis was again on the revision of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law which covers penal processes and the Church’s response to victims and survivors of abuse. There is much work being done on both prevention, reporting and continuing support. The Canon Law Society continues to work with those canonists who assist the bishops with canonical issues.

The Judicial Vicar and the director of the Tribunal are often called upon by priests and lay people working in Parishes to clarify matters of Canon Law. This continues to be an important part of the work of the Tribunal and they are always open to assist anyone who is uncertain of their rights in Canon Law or who has a question about the Church and how it operates.

The Tribunal assists in preparation of decrees and canonical research on behalf of the Archbishop or chancery staff when required to do so.

Sue Rivett JCL Director

Safeguarding and Integrity

In 2023 the new Integrity and Safeguarding Department was formed from the formal amalgamation of the Professional Standards Office (PSO), Screening and Verification Authority (SAVA) and the Child Protection Unit (CPU). Since that time the Integrity and Safeguarding Department has continued to build momentum as a team providing critical services, education and advice throughout the Archdiocese of Adelaide.

Screening and Verification Authority

The Screening and Verification Authority (SAVA) provides a centralised screening service, facilitating the required Working with Children Checks, Aged Care Checks and Vulnerable Group Checks on behalf of all Catholic locations across the dioceses of Adelaide and Port Pirie. This service assists both dioceses in continuing to meet South Australian legislative requirements as well as continuing to meet the Australian Catholic Safeguarding requirements.

It was another busy year for Professional Standards Office (PSO) with a significant increase in the number of complaints through the Federal National Redress Scheme for Adelaide, Port Pirie and Darwin. These historical complaints of child abuse were against personnel within our Parishes, schools and welfare services, with schools showing the biggest increase in applications.

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) had another busy year in 2023 working closely with Parishes, clergy, employees and volunteers to maintain and strengthen the Archdiocese’s important and long-standing commitment to the safety and well-being of children and young people.

Implementation of the Safe Environments for All Program (SEFA), which is closely aligned with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, and which provides Parishes with guidelines and benchmarks for best practice in safeguarding, was again a high priority for the CPU. A total of 44 Parishes participated in SEFA reviews and ‘follow-ups’, which saw Parishes and Unit staff working together to assess and affirm their child safety progress, whilst also identifying areas for improvement for the year ahead.

A further seven SEFA reviews were implemented with Catholic multicultural communities.

Another high priority for the unit was the continued rollout of safeguarding training programs. A total of 13 Safe Environments For Children and Young People –Through Their Eyes sessions were delivered to clergy, religious, employees and volunteers with a direct role working with children and young people. The focus of these sessions is to ensure Church personnel understand their obligations as mandated notifiers and know how to recognise and respond appropriately when a child or young person has been harmed or is at risk of harm. A further 27 training sessions were delivered to volunteers at their Parishes, so that they understand their legal responsibilities as mandated notifiers.

The theme ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ was promoted for National Child Protection Week. Through the Child Safe Contact Person network, children and young people in Parishes were invited to participate in the NAPCAN art initiative.

On August 3 the CPU convened its annual forum with 42 Child Safe Contact Persons representing Parishes from across the Archdiocese. These volunteers perform a vital role in the establishment and on-going development of child safe practices and cultures within the Parishes. They assist with SEFA reviews, safeguarding communications and the provision of important safeguarding advice. The guest speaker was Shona Reid, Guardian for Children and Young People, who shared her role of engaging with children and young people in out-of-home care. Shona emphasised and promoted the importance of listening to children and young people, which complemented the CPU’s message of promoting children’s voices and participation in Parishes.

Safeguarding Sunday was again celebrated at the conclusion of Child Protection Week on September 10. The resource gifted to children and young people for Safeguarding Sunday was fittingly a highlighter pen with a message to ‘Highlight your voice!’.

This significant event provides the opportunity for the Archdiocese to reaffirm its commitment to the safety of children and also to celebrate the presence and preciousness of children and young people in our Parishes and communities. In 2023, Archbishop O’Regan acknowledged the importance of change and the need to provide safe and supportive church environments for children to grow and flourish. He also invited people to pray for those harmed by abuse directly and indirectly. For the children, the Unit distributed 3200 highlighter pens to each of the Parishes.

It is a requirement that all clergy, Religious and employees undertake and hold a current working with children check, together with our regular volunteers and contractors, in order to provide service to our sectors.

Additional checks are carried out for those personnel whose services extend to the aged care, health and correctional services sectors. This work is carried out in partnership with the Department of Human Services and location partners across both dioceses.

The Authority provides ongoing monitoring relating to service provision by individuals for all locations across both dioceses. This ensures provision of an immediate and appropriate notification to the location authorities concerned, in instances where individuals are deemed to be prohibited and therefore are not able to provide service, ensuring effective safeguarding across the Archdiocese.

The Authority facilitates all registrations and manages all other ongoing national requirements that are relative to the Australian Catholic Ministry Register (ACMR) for clergy resident within the dioceses of Adelaide and Port Pirie. In addition, the Authority carries out all integrity checks relating to proposed visitations or appointments. Ongoing liaison with the national ACMR office as well as other dioceses within Australia and overseas occurs routinely to ensure that all requirements continue to be met.

The ongoing functions of the Authority include initiation and follow up of checks undertaken, monitoring and notification of checks due for expiry as well as those that have expired. A helpdesk service (phone and email), training of location personnel, education, information dissemination and compliance visits (location health checks) round out the services provided.

The overall increase in complaints required a concerted team effort to ensure accurate responses were provided within the short timeframes. During the year PSO had more than 150 requests for information from the scheme, with timelines ranging from four to eight weeks from receipt to submission. Some required external investigations to occur which PSO managed appropriately. This demonstrates a continued commitment to the safeguarding of children and young people which is the motivation for all PSO team members.

The Institutional Records Service within PSO received more than 60 applications to request copies of records, from former residents of Catholic institutions. This involved liaison with Religious orders, former residents, their lineal descendants, legal representatives and a marked increase in the number of applications managed through the Stolen Generations Redress Scheme. The Institutional Records Service continues to be an important function of PSO.

Training during 2023 comprised of Ethics and Boundaries in Ministry for clergy and Religious in Adelaide, Port Pirie, and Darwin, including full day workshops, refresher training and short introductory sessions. Mental Health First Aid training was also facilitated in Darwin. PSO team members also engaged in a series of staff development training sessions to improve knowledge and understanding of trauma and trauma informed principles.

Throughout the year PSO responded to incoming calls, emails and written correspondence and provided advice and recommendations through meetings with external and internal stakeholders and during Bishop’s consultative panels on a range of matters.

Whilst staff turnover continued to be high during 2023, this allowed the PSO to renew its focus on systems to support wellbeing and work life balance.

A strengthening of partnership with CESA and Archdiocesan archival support was critical given the reliance on record retrieval for historical matters.

Child Protection Unit

Family Faith Formation Clergy Care and Wellbeing

The Family Faith Formation team continued to provide support for the family and Parish-based catechesis within the Archdiocese. This includes Sacramental Catechesis of Children, Family Catechesis, Liturgy of the Word with Children, and Parish Catechesis for Children.

The team is involved with training, mentoring and supporting catechists and other Parish and school personnel, as well as developing teams, programs and resources. Support was provided to Parishes and schools through a variety of ongoing support meetings at Parish requests.

Resources for Sacraments of Initiation for Children of Catechetical Age were developed for catechists/ APRIMS (Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission), children and their families to assist with the family-centred, Parish-based and schoolsupported approach of the document, Partnerships in Sacramental Catechesis: The Pastoral Framework for the Sacramental Catechesis of Children. These resources included the sacraments of initiation workshop ‘Where to next?’ for sacraments of initiation catechesis. This was designed to assist with the framework’s overarching aim to provide an ‘authentic and healthy sacramental catechesis of children and their families’ by supporting and encouraging the ongoing faith formation of existing and new catechists.

The team provided support and mentoring to Parishes to enable their sacramental teams to build and strengthen partnerships between the Parish and the school through updating or redesigning their Sacraments of Initiation programs.

A pre-catechumenate program was introduced to provide a safe and informal setting for CESA employees to explore their own spirituality within and of the Catholic faith. CESA staff are able to share and discuss experiences and wonderings in the ‘You can’t ask that…’ gatherings at various venues across the archdiocese.

The team organised the resources for the Commissioning Mass for Catechists held within Parishes on Word of God Sunday, as well as the Parish and family resources for the Blessing of the Cribs on the Third Sunday of Advent.

The team acknowledges all the Parish and school personnel and volunteers for their generous contribution to family and children’s ministry throughout the archdiocese.

The Clergy Care and Wellbeing team provides an essential service to the Archdiocese in caring holistically for the clergy.

Supported by the Vicar General, the nursing team works hand in hand with the clergy to support their autonomy and safety, promote positive health, assist with life transitions, respond to acute care needs, advocate, advise and educate. The role is incredibly varied and the service to each clergy is targeted towards their needs. Over many years the nursing team has developed deep working relationships with carer services who assist with daily care needs: General Practice, medical specialists, aged and allied health providers who are respectful of and sensitive to the specific needs of clergy, resulting in a highly skilled group of professionals ready and willing to be of assistance.

In 2023 the Diocese welcomed three missionary priests from many countries around the world. This resulted in an increased level of health care support being provided by the nurses who work together with these clergy to identify culturally appropriate services. Much focus is placed on health prevention and promotion, while assisting these clergy to transition to life in Australia.

The clergy care nurses continued to care for all other clergy, providing holistic and respectful support across their lifespan.

Sadly, in 2023 the Diocese farewelled 11 priests to God. Leading up time the nurses provide gentle and respectful support, coordination and advice, assisting with care at home, transitioning from home to supported care, or into full time nursing care or hospitalisation. Working with the retired and ageing clergy is such an important part of the work of this team.

It was a year of growth on many levels, welcoming Emma Grieve to the newly created role of Manager, Clergy Care and Wellbeing. Emma comes from a background in nursing and science and has worked for many years in hospital and health clinic management, strategy development and statewide project management. She has enjoyed developing collegial relationships with the clergy and Diocesan staff.

Additionally, the Diocese warmly welcomed back Pauline Connelly, who is known to all through her many years of work at Centacare and is now working as a Clergy Care and Wellbeing Consultant for the Diocese. Pauline is primarily focussing on developing a pastoral accompaniment practice for clergy, and interculturation orientation for missionary clergy, while also providing immeasurable support to both the clergy care and wellbeing team and the clergy. Together this expanded team is developing strategy to move into the next period of growth, efficiency and reporting measures and service planning for 2024 that can provide both reactive and proactive health support to clergy across their lifespan.

Archbishop’s Office

The Archbishop’s Office is the hub of activity providing administrative support and assistance to the Archbishop, Vicar General, Vicar for Religious, senior executives, clergy, Religious, Parishes and migrant communities, agencies and the wider community. It also provides services through the Diocesan Centre Reception and the Record Services and Archives Office.

With three new staff members joining the Office throughout the year, there was a focus on training and rebuilding a cohesive team in order to meet the daily and annual task requirements, and also utilising the fresh perspective and skills they brought to initiate new projects and review existing processes.

The beginning of the year saw the first of the regular annual tasks get underway with the Annual Vatican Return gathering statistical data on baptisms, confirmations, marriages and funerals for reporting to Rome, then continued with the updating of the Official Catholic Directory, the Mass Count Data collection in May, as well as gathering of Easter and Christmas Mass times.

The team was kept busy with constant communications to clergy and Parishes to keep them abreast of what was happening in the Archdiocese, along with managing the administrative and logistical requirements for various councils, committees and meetings.

An ever-growing number of enquiries and assistance requests from clergy, Parishes and the general public on a range of issues were dealt with, from baptism certificates, overseas marriage requirements and Mass times to contact information.

The team coordinated the scheduling and administration requirements for the 2023 Sacrament of Confirmation Program which saw nearly 1600 candidates confirmed across 80 ceremonies, along with processing of about 180 marriage permissions, approximately 325 visitation to the Diocese requests by clergy, Religious and lay people, and 18 papal blessing requests.

In addition, ‘supply’ priests were sourced on 409 occasions to cover illness, annual leave and clergy shortages while 91 telecommunication requests were received.

Work related to visa requirements continued for missionary priests from India, Africa, Korea and Croatia. This involved collaboration with the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) to ensure compliance. New visas were granted for a replacement chaplain for the Korean Catholic Community, a chaplain for the Croatian Catholic Community and for an African priest to serve in the Archdiocese.

Improvements were made to the central database, and work continued on reviewing processes and practices.

It was another fruitful year, full of challenges and changes, delivering service and providing support for the Archdiocese.

Human Resources

The aim of the Diocesan Human Resources (HR) Department is to create a supportive environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally.

HR has successfully implemented recruitment strategies aimed at attracting and retaining highcalibre, mission-driven individuals by fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. It was a busy year in terms of recruitment with 58 new employees.

One of the highlights in 2023 for Diocesan office employees was the Staff Day at the Glenelg Golf Club on March 8. It was a successful day, fostering camaraderie among employees with team building activities. Many employees enjoyed the opportunity to engage with staff who they may not encounter in their normal workday.

The Diocesan HR and Payroll teams continue to work collaboratively with Catholic Education SA and Centacare Catholic Family Services to ensure alignment with our payroll and HRIS systems. The payroll department supports all users of the Preceda payroll system throughout the Catholic Archdiocese including Catholic Education and Centacare Catholic Family Services.

The online training suite has also been a valuable training source for employees.

Looking ahead we plan to further integrate Catholic social teaching into our HR practices. This includes expanding training programs, enhancing employee wellbeing initiatives, and increasing community engagement.

The HR Department remains dedicated to supporting our employees and advancing our mission through strategic initiatives and a commitment to our core values. We look forward to continuing our efforts to foster a positive and impactful workplace in 2024.

Diocesan Offices, Parishes & Agencies

244 employees

58 new employees

Centacare Catholic Family Services

20,000 clients

528 employees

Catholic Education SA

101 schools across 120 campuses

52,000 students

8500 employees

(Includes Port Pirie Diocese)

Child Protection mandatory

Notification training for 101 clergy, Religious, employees and volunteers

Screening and Verification Authority

11,572 applications processed

OUR PEOPLE FAST FACTS

Record Services and Archives Office Catholic Office for Youth and Young Adults

The Record Services and Archives Office (RSA) constitutes the administrative record services and pastoral history archives of the Archdiocese. Its role encompasses essential support to the daily functions and operations of the Diocesan Centre through the efficient retrieval and delegation of information. The RSA also provides general advice and assistance to Diocesan departments and Parishes in record management best practice.

The focus of 2023 was the continued review and consultation of tasks and objectives to facilitate new and ongoing projects. These projects progressed to further improve and streamline work practices. The upgraded Record Services and Archives Database was further analyzed and subsequently expanded to further improve the efficient capture and retrieval of vital information.

The team commenced a major project to reclassify and restructure the active clergy files as an expansion on the preexisting Business Classification Scheme, which is the basis of the Record Services filing system. Clergy files will be split and sorted into new defined classifications to create a more streamlined approach to the capture, filing and retrieval of crucial information.

The RSA was fortunate to receive valuable volunteer assistance for projects, including data entry of previous Archbishops’ correspondence files in the Archive. The RSA helped facilitate the Parish Boundaries Project initiated by the Archbishop’s Office, through the retrieval and delegation of files required for research.

By the end of 2023, the RSA had received more than 100 public enquiries, ranging from family historians seeking sacramental records, to schools or agencies seeking historical information. These services highlight the significant services provided to the extended Catholic community in South Australia and interstate, with some enquiries received from overseas. The RSA also provided historical records for Parish anniversaries and assisted academic researchers with primary source materials.

Within the Diocesan Centre, the RSA provided efficient record services for almost 100 enquiries from varying departments, demonstrating its role as a core support service. While not without its challenges, the Record Services and Archives Office aims to preserve the integrity, authenticity and usability of records by continually developing processes through consultation and collaboration. Record Services and Archives strives to continue providing fundamental services to the Diocese and the greater community and maintains an ongoing commitment to the conservation of past, present and future collective memory.

A highlight of the year was the local celebration of World Youth Day (WYD) in Adelaide. The international commemoration of WYD took place in Lisbon, Portugal, in August.

Organised by the Catholic Office for Youth and Young Adults (COYYA) and supported by the Archdiocese and Catholic Education SA, the local event was an opportunity to stand in solidarity with young people from all over the world.

This was a big undertaking which required almost eight months of planning to ensure that a large-scale event could bring young people in Adelaide together for a once in four year celebration.

The local WYD celebrations took place over three days from Friday August 5 to Sunday August 7 with each day featuring a different event. On Friday there was an ecological tree planting event involving secondary school students from 10 schools across Adelaide. More than 100 students planted 1200 trees in Victoria Park in response to Pope Francis’ call of taking ecological action and caring for our common home. A similar event took place at the international celebrations.

On the Saturday, more than 400 people attended the main event at Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park, where a variety of workshops and presentations were followed in the evening by a WYD liturgy and concert.

The local celebrations concluded with Mass and celebrations in local Parishes and communities across Adelaide.

COYYA continued to engage with various youth groups and communities through the New Horizons workshop delivered by Fr Josh Nash, offering further faith formation to youth ministry leaders in Adelaide and exploring how we form ‘missionary disciples’.

The Catholic Youth Podcast was launched and released 20 episodes that varied from practical guides on ‘how to create a sacred space’ to answers to questions that young people are curious about such as ‘how to get married in a Catholic church’.

COYYA supported the Archdiocese at various gatherings and meeting, including presenting and running workshops at two regional assemblies in the Northern and Mid-North regions.

ArchD Radio and Podcasting hosted another successful ArchD leaders’ day at the Catholic Education Office and capped off 2023 with the ArchD Awards at Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park. In 2024, ArchD will move to be part of the Ministry Team within Catholic Identity and Mission at Catholic Education SA.

The Communications Team comprising Jenny Brinkworth, Lindy McNamara, Rosie McMutrie and Mary Coombe continued to provide news and information to Parishes, schools, agencies and the wider community through a variety of communication platforms.

These include The Southern Cross monthly newspaper (print and digital with two EDMs per month), the bimonthly Living Catholic e-newsletter, websites, social media pages, the Find a Mass app and the Intranet.

The team also has responsibility for regularly updating the electronic sign, editing and proofing the weekly Parish e-news and producing the annual report.

A key part of the Director’s role is media liaison for the Archdiocese, including crisis management support for Catholic Education SA. The Director is a member of the Archbishop’s Consultative Panel and the Executive of the Curia.

The Director also participated in a review process conducted by VUCA which had implications for the Communications team, particularly from a governance perspective.

Activities in 2023 included communications support for the Pastoral Planning Task Force, the First Collection campaign, Parish appeals and vocations. New display boxes for The Southern Cross were commissioned and distributed to Parishes. The Easter and Christmas editions of The Southern Cross were once again inserted in The Advertiser, dramatically increasing readership at these key times on the Christian calendar. The Southern Cross won two awards at the Australasian Catholic Press Association in Perth and the editor/director continued her involvement in communications at a national level as chair of the Australian Catholic Media Council.

The recruitment of, and support for, a new Catholic Charities manager followed the resignation of Annie O’Neill and a new senior journalist was recruited in December following the resignation of Lindy McNamara.

FAST FACTS

Communications Catholic Charities

In a transformative period for Catholic Charities, 2023 saw leadership change and new initiatives to meet the growing need for support.

Annie O’Neill, who adeptly managed Catholic Charities for more than 11 years, resigned at the end of September. Under Annie’s guidance, Catholic Charities raised nearly $5 million for numerous frontline agencies and introduced new initiatives and methods of fundraising, including the me4u campaign.

Christina Francis succeeded Annie as manager, bringing a fresh perspective but committed to continuing Annie’s legacy of innovation and passion for helping those in need.

In a departure from tradition, the annual Thanksgiving Mass was moved from December to September in 2023 to encourage greater student participation and to coincide with Catholic Charities month. This change proved successful, with greater participation of students, and will be maintained in the future.

For the first time, Catholic Charities was the recipient of the annual Christmas appeal held throughout Parishes. Collections from Christmas Masses across the Archdiocese were dedicated to Catholic Charities, resulting in a substantial $57,090 being raised for the agencies it supports. It was also an opportunity to raise awareness of the good works that Catholic Charities funds.

The Me4u campaign, which engages Catholic schools across South Australia, continued to thrive. School children raised $33,403 through creative and fun fundraising activities, including Crazy Socks days, walkathons, fetes and flea markets. Detailed reports of these activities and the funds raised are available at me4u.org.au.

St Aloysius College Year 10 students maintained their tradition of an Easter egg collection, distributing treats to Catherine House and Centacare’s Domestic Violence and Homelessness Residential Services.

Catholic Charities remains deeply grateful for the generous support and involvement from individuals, Parishes, schools and the broader community. This year’s efforts have further solidified its commitment to aiding the most disadvantaged members of our community here in South Australia.

Catholic Mission Caritas Australia

As the Australian arm of the Pontifical Missionary Societies, Pope Francis’ global mission agency, Catholic Mission continues to support initiatives in 1100 dioceses around the world and within Australia.

In 2023, the Adelaide Archdiocese continued its focus on education with the continuation of our schools and community engagement program ‘Socktober’. With more than 50 per cent of schools in South Australia contributing to Mission events, activities and challenges.

A new Immersion experience for secondary students has been developed to support the remote community of Coober Pedy, being part of Outback and Indigenous programs as well as developing participants’ faith journey.

October is Catholic Mission month and the main Parish appeal for the year. Parish support is paramount and Parishes continued to deliver the message during Mission Month about Catholic Mission work around the world and Australia.

Our Overall Goals Continue To Be:

• Educate about mission and justice.

• Engage Australians in global mission.

• Spread the gospel both within Australia and throughout the world.

• Form priests and Religious for service in their own countries.

• Encourage children and adults to care for children throughout the world.

Witnessing Faith In Action

• Recently the Director had the opportunity to travel to Cambodia and visit projects, witness outreach work and meet with families and students that benefited from Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission’s motto ‘Reach out. Give life.’ was evident in every location.

• Highlights were a beautiful blessing dance performed at Tahen by students and visiting the Arrupe Centre for students with disability or restricted to wheelchairs who simply want the opportunity of gaining an education and employment opportunities.

• At CoCo de Takeo Handicrafts women with disability and women ostracised due to HIV work at looms producing kramas (Cambodian scarves) and sew uniforms for St Francis Technical and General. Every part of the coconut is used to produce saleable items including coconut oil, candy and sandals.

• Students from very poor families have been given the opportunity to break themselves and their families out of the poverty cycle by the finest education offered in agriculture and hospitality at St Francis Technical School followed by wonderful employment opportunities at Phnom Voah Farm and Eco Hotel.

• At Battambang, the Outreach Team introduced a family whose mother had just returned after being kidnapped and sold into slavery some 13 years ago. Her 17-year-old son has a scholarship to attend St Francis School.

The work of Catholic Mission is only limited by supporter’s generosity.

Tony Johnston Diocesan Director Catholic Mission

As the international aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Australia, Caritas Australia works with communities to achieve transformative and sustainable change and through local partnerships brings aid and relief to people whose lives have been devastated by natural disaster or conflict. In 2023 Caritas Australia continued its rich history of partnership with Parishes, schools and communities in South Australia.

The SA Caritas Advisory Committee grew in membership with the pastoral leader of Justice Healing and Inclusion, James Lloyd, the Caritas Diocesan director for the Port Pirie Diocese, Fr Ramel Morales, and the Caritas national manager of Community Engagement, Michael McGirr, joining the committee. They joined the chairperson and Caritas animator for WA & SA Deacon Paul Read, Alison Gore, Greg Griffin, Barbara Colla and Tracey Tessitore. The committee met monthly to support, advocate and assist with the work of Caritas Australia across the Adelaide Archdiocese.

Walking with God

As a gift back to the community, Caritas National Youth coordinator, Sabrina Stevens, returned to Adelaide to use the resource she launched in 2022. The Walking with God resource connects young adults with the wonder and awe of God’s creation through prayer and reflection. It is a moment to be on country in a more conscious and intentional way. This year our Walk with God through the Mitcham hills culminated in a beautiful Bush Mass celebrated in the shade of the gums at Seven Pines, Brown Hill Creek Reserve.

Women for the World

A group of Adelaide women participated in a trek raising money to support women living in poverty around the world. With 60 per cent of working people living in poverty being women, 90 per cent of countries with at least one law that discriminates against women, and one in five women expected to experience sexual violence in her lifetime, this awareness raising trek is a moment for women to stand in solidarity for justice.

Catholic Earthcare

Catholic Earthcare Australia launched a new logo in 2023 and is gaining membership of schools and Parishes across the Diocese as it heeds Pope Francis’ message to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

Project Compassion

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia’s main annual fundraising and awareness campaign. Held during Lent, Catholic Schools, Parishes and the wider Australian public participate in fundraising and awareness raising activities and events throughout term one. The 2023 theme, ‘For all future generations’, reminded donors that the good that they do today will impact the lives of generations to come. The people of Adelaide, including students and families from 87 Catholic schools, 57 Parishes and many communities, generously donated more than $625,000 to the 71 programs running in 36 countries across Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Middle East, India and Australia.

The Southern School Fun Run lead by Ben Ryan, APRIM at St Martin de Porres School, and supported by eight southern schools continued to be a wonderful community awareness and fundraising project. Other Project Compassion activities in schools included morning teas, garage sales, purple day marketplaces, Caritas K’s, classroom presentations and opportunities for students to learn about Catholic social teachings and the way they can use their position of privilege for the common good.

Emergency Appeals

The year began with a call to Parishes across Australia to urgently support the people of Turkey and Syria after a series of earthquakes devastated their nation. The Australian public responded immediately and generously raising more than $1 million only days after an additional 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey in early February. Fr Charles Lukati and his Parish community of Croydon Park responded by signing up for the Clare Valley half marathon to bring awareness to those most vulnerable and to give people an avenue to support the devastation, raising more than $15,000 for the earthquake relief effort.

Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 26 million people were pushed into acute food insecurity, around 15 million of these children, as thousands were displaced through a combination of conflict, Covid-19 and climate change.

In May, Myanmar and Bangladesh had the biggest storm in a decade hit the Bay of Bengal, causing an intense cyclone (Mocha) to crash through the landfall between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar’s Sittwe with winds of up to 210km per hour.

The Australian public continued to support these emergency appeals along with the ongoing support to Project Compassion they give every year. With big hearts, Caritas Australia is supported by the Adelaide Church and beyond to respond to these humanitarian aid emergencies as well as their long term development programs.

SA Caritas Advisory Committee

Finance Financial Statements

The Archdiocese is committed to sound financial management, sustainability and stewardship of resources in alignment with its mission and ministry.

In 2023 the Diocesan Finance Council continued to provide practical advice to the Archbishop, ensuring prudent financial stewardship within the Adelaide Archdiocese under the purview of the Catholic Church Endowment Society Inc (CCES).

Over the last few financial years, the Archdiocese has been challenged by a range of external influences, including:

• the continuous changes to business models and compliance obligations;

• the rapidly changing population demographic driving changes to consumer expectations and welfare recipients; and

• the long and enduring impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having absorbed the challenges experienced in previous years, the organisation worked tirelessly to further develop resilience and discipline, without losing focus on our purpose and mission to deliver a great community experience at all times.

We delivered a sound financial result, improving underlying income (excluding revaluations) from $13m in 2022 to $16m in 2023. The Catholic Development Fund (CDF), an integral part of CCES established in 1978, primarily holds deposit funds from Parishes, schools and Diocesan agencies. In 2023, amidst economic fluctuations, CDF effectively managed its operations. Notably, CDF approved $78m in new loans, bringing the total loan commitment to $398m by the year’s end. Additionally, CDF oversees prepaid funeral deposits, in compliance with State legislation.

The Diocesan Presbytery Fund (DPF), responsible for supporting Archdiocesan priests and funded by first collections at Mass, continues to face financial challenges due to declining collections and rising healthcare and accommodation expenses. This resulted in an operational deficit in 2023, detailed on page 41. The Priests Retirement Foundation, established in 2020 to facilitate tax-deductible donations for retired clergy, continued to receive donation income, as shown on page 40.

Aligned with strategic goals, Catholic Education South Australia concentrated on improving school affordability, enrolment growth and prudent investment in infrastructure, particularly in areas of growth in Adelaide and regional South Australia. A financial overview of Diocesan schools is available on page 39.

Centacare Catholic Family Service’s comprehensive restructuring effort in 2023 was aimed at enhancing organisational efficiency and service delivery. The establishment of the Strategic Research and Innovation Unit and the rebuild of Corporate and Business Operations demonstrate a commitment to modernisation and adaptability in response to changing market dynamics. The successful advocacy for increased indexation and strategic facility improvements demonstrates Centacare’s proactive approach to securing funding and expanding its operational capacity.

Centacare effectively managed 68 programs funded by state and federal government, with an annual turnover of $53m, benefiting more than 20,000 individuals across South Australia. Six new programs totalling $1.2m annually are addressing critical issues such as child protection and homelessness. Centacare’ss financial standing, detailed on page 38, remains strong with robust cash flows and net assets of $8.7m.

Despite earlier challenges posed by the pandemic, Catholic Church Early Years Inc (CCEY) persevered in operating early learning centres within the Archdiocese and achieved a favourable operational surplus in 2023, as detailed on page 38.

Throughout these efforts, the Archdiocese remained committed to upholding governance and transparency standards across all Church entities, as demonstrated by the availability of audited financial statements on the Archdiocesan and Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission websites.

In 2023 we have maintained a strong cash position, grown equity and had a range of exciting growth projects in the pipeline. We now have the balance sheet, opportunity, and appetite to continue expanding our services and reach to the people of South Australia.

Dr Carlo D’Ortenzio Diocesan Financial Administrator (Chief Operating Officer)

Catholic Church Endowment

Society Inc

Catholic Church Endowment Society includes the operations of the Archdiocese and the Catholic Development Fund (CDF) treasury service. The CDF provides a source of funding to Parishes and the Education sector. It also holds deposits on behalf of Diocesan Parishes, Schools and Agencies. Total Assets include Investment Properties, loans, and Investments with Financial Institutions. Total Liabilities include Deposits held with the CDF and borrowings.

Centacare Family Services Adelaide Diocesan Schools

Catholic Church Early Years Inc

Diocesan Catholic Charities

Diocesan Presbytery Fund

(DPF)

Contact Directory

Adelaide Catholic Diocesan Centre – Reception 8210 8210 cco-reception@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Archbishop’s Office

8210 8210 cco-reception@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Archives and Record Services 8210 8115 archives@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Australian Catholic University 8234 7462 adelaide.theology@acu.edu.au

Bequest Office

Pastoral Life & Mission

Community Life & Worship

Diocesan Events & Cathedral Music

Hospital and Prison Chaplaincy

Justice, Healing and Inclusion

Multicultural Office

8210 8210 bequests@adelaide.catholic.org.au

8210 8130 worship@adelaide.catholic.org.au

8210 8220 events@adelaide.catholic.org.au

8210 8210 aheinemann@adelaide.catholic.org.au

8210 8272 jhi@adelaide.catholic.org.au

8210 8140 multiculturaloffice@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Spiritual Direction 8210 8210 spiritualdirectionoffice@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Catholic Charities 8210 8157 charities@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Catholic Development Fund

8210 8215 cdf@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Catholic Earthcare 8210 8105 philippa.rowland@gmail.com

Catholic Education Office

Catholic Safety & Injury Management (CSaIM)

8301 6600 info@cesa.catholic.edu.au

8210 8101 dnation@csaim.org.au

Catholic Life Initiatives 8210 8210 tgrauel@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Catholic Mission Office 8210 8199 tjohnston@catholicmission.org.au

Catholic Office for Youth & Young Adults 8301 6155 julian.nguyen@cesa.catholic.edu.au

Caritas Australia

8210 8172 caritas@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Centacare Catholic Family Services 8215 6700 enquiries@centacare.org.au

Clergy Care Team 8210 8210 clergycare@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Communications – Southern Cross 8210 8117 cathcomm@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Financial Services 8210 8210 finance@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Human Services 8210 8134 hr@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Integrity & Safeguarding

Integrity & Professional Standards

Safeguarding Operations

8210 8275 receptionprofstandards@adelaide.catholic.org.au

- Screening Enquiries 8210 8150 receptionsava@adelaide.catholic.org.au

- Training & Safeguarding Operations 8210 8159 childprotectionunit@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Interdiocesan Tribunal of the Catholic Church for SA and NT

8210 8225 srivett@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Parish Finance Liaison 8210 8241 Parishfinance@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Property Office 8210 8210 property@adelaide.catholic.org.au

Vocations 8210 8122 vocations@adelaide.catholic.org.au

8210 8210

cco-reception@adelaide.catholic.org.au www.adelaide.catholic.org.au