St Mary’s Community Ltd | FACT SHEET
A message from the Board of St Mary’s Community Ltd
16 October 2010
There have been a number of inquiries over the past weeks as a result of emails which have been circulated. Some of these emails have contained incorrect information and have caused considerable concern and discussion among some members of the community. This fact sheet has been prepared by the current board to clarify these issues.
Background
During 2010 the company St Mary’s Community Ltd was established for the purposes of administration and to continue collecting and managing the finances of the community. This legal entity was necessary given that the community was no longer able to function under the legal entity of the Archdiocese. All financial decisions and employment processes have remained as they were while under the Archdiocese. Over time these may require changes.
There is an important difference between the legal structure established to complete processes and who we are as a faith community. The former is up to the Board. The latter is up to the community of St Mary’s.
The board was established by appointing a number of members who then became directors.
This was done quickly, and board members were chosen accordingly, to fulfill legal and administrative requirements, in particular those of a financial and administrative nature.
Going forward
This is our first year as a community outside the umbrella of the Archdiocese. As such, it has been a steep learning curve. Membership of the company has been limited out of necessity. It is now time to begin discussion within the community about a number of important issues as we move forward to the future. These issues include:
- How we define membership – a discussion that would begin on October 31 and continue into 2011, to be decided on by June 30, 2011
- Decision making processes for the community – not limited to the role of the Board of the Company, but in relation to a range of activities and our journey as a faith community
- Objectives of company’s constitution, which will be voted on when membership has been decided.
The company is required by law to hold an Annual General Meeting this year. At this AGM the
Board will report on its limited number of activities and begin the process for further consultation and discussion with the community over the next 12 months.
The feedback of the last few weeks has underlined the need to take time to have these discussions. This will allow people to consider accurate information, discuss issues and have their say.
While we engage with each other as a community the current Board will remain in place and membership of the company will have been determined in time for the next AGM. This position has been arrived at following legal advice and feedback highlighting the need for further time, information and discussion as a community. The Board will continue its current role as a legal entity for administration and financial management.
On October 31 the community meeting will begin with presentations from a lawyer and a consultant on not-for-profit governance. The discussion will be led by a skilled facilitator. The Board anticipates that this will allow any questions of legality and process to be discussed and accurate information provided to inform the discussion.
We welcome your participation and understand that for some people these processes have not happened quickly enough. The Board is committed to the ongoing processes required to establish ourselves as a strong and respectful community of faith, within an appropriate legal entity.
17/10/2010 at 8:25 pm Permalink
Hello from Flinders Island, firstly let Peter Kennedy know that he came through loud and clear in the early hours of the morning re the canonisation of Mary Mackillop on the ABC programme. I found the discussion and callers interesting. Secondly, I am not able to attend St Mary’s every week but I just want to say how impressed I am with the effort you make with the liturgy, homily and help with spiritual development of the community and furthermore the friendliness of the long standing community members to new attendees. I will be there again about the 14th November. In the meantime keep up the good work you have certainly earned my respect. When I am absent I look forward to downloading the video of the litury. Regards from Patsy Nugent
17/10/2010 at 8:29 pm Permalink
Dear St Mary’s community, I have just tried to download the latest video of the liturgy. Woops, the man must be on holidays as the latest one for retrieval is mid August. Patsy Nugent
16/11/2010 at 4:51 pm Permalink
Hi,
I’ve just got your community’s details and feel for you. I am with the Blackheath, NSW Community – a fantastic group that were better for my wife and I than any other congregartion we have been to in the world – Europe, England, Canberra, Sydney and Denman, NSW!
Part of the charm of this place is the mountains, the other is the fabulous giving and talented community that rescued the parish after a problem last priest, ran it without a priest with a religious sister for many years – going from strength to strength, having a stable of visiting priests, getting closer to the Aboriginal roots of this area by paying respect and becoming a model for parishes in the future where priests will become scarcer.
On the Sister leaving, the then Bishop (Manning) seems to have felt that this church was becoming too “Congregationaist” and big for its boots (sound familiar?) and he put in a 74+ or so year old priest who had just joined the priesthood after his wife died and he had been scarely involved in the church.
Priests here in the Blue Mountains are getting very few and far between and we have a brand new, very young Bishop – Fischer.
The wheels have started to fall off, traditionalists started to come in looking for the new/old priests daily mass offerings and the model has quickly slipped back to the Father/Children relationship and not the Holf Spirit moving amongst us.
A few weeks ago the new? priest over-rode the Parish Council and brought in a Redempterist Priest (Fr Pat Keenan) to conduct a mission. He has been a disaster – an old priest full of the fire and brimstone rhetoric to cow and instil fear into the congregation – a home mass from hell (literally) where parents then in protest remove their children from Sunday Services (Mary McKillop’s Cannonisation day) and managed to stop Fr Keenan from going to the local school and talking to them.
Then on Mary McKillops cannonisation day, Fr Keenan was talking about the mission and two senior lady members of the congregation were moving around the church getting ready for the celebration in the hall after and he effectively threw them out of the church. About 43 members then left in protest and many have left since.
Many of the spirited congregation including myself have written to the parish prist, the bishop and the Redemptorists but from the first two we have been met with a stoney and very rude silence – seems they want a “smaller but purer church”!
Since they will not properly and fairly engage with us we are beginning to reach out to kindred spirits such as you.
Just thought I’d open up a conversation.
Cheers
Tony
20/11/2010 at 2:56 pm Permalink
Intrigued by this unnamed and unloved new parish priest, I found out more about him on the internet.
He seems a decent enough fellow, with a life story that would not be out of place as one of the human interest articles on this website.
So what is the problem?
The previous post provides a few clues. He offers daily masses (thus attracting, apparently, the wrong sort of person); he is not a footstool to the parish council; he objects to unwarranted interruptions to the mass.
In other words he seems to be doing exactly as Vatican II says a catholic priest should – teach, lead and offer the sacraments.