Author: Judith Gardiner

I’m currently working on a couple of presentations to deliver over the next couple of months. The first one is a workshop style that explores the role of women in the governance of the Catholic Church. The title and the abstract are intended for presentation at a conference in April.

Women in Ecclesial Governance – the impasse of Canon Law. What’s holding women back and how do we overcome the structures that perpetuate our inequality?

The norms of Canon Law provide for the governance of the Church under the leadership of Bishops, priests and Religious Superiors. Lay people – Christ’s faithful – appear to have limited roles within the governance structures of the Church, despite being the majority of the People of God, thus limiting the role of the laity, and significantly limiting the role of women in Church governance. In this workshop we ask why this situation seems at odds with the mission and vision of the Church, and explores scripture and the writings of Pope Francis for insights.

The workshop examines some of the apparent limitations in canon law, while exploring options available for women to exercise authority and participate in Church governance. The emergence of ministerial PJPs has provided a pathway for some women, but the role of women in Diocesan decision-making appears limited by the canonical norms. Is it possible to overcome the existing structures to give women greater voice and authority in the governance of the Church in Australia? Is this an area where the Australian Bishops could be petitioning the Holy See to initiate change? Can the Church operate in the ‘spirit of the law’ rather than the ‘letter of the law’? Does Pope Francis offer any insights or window of opportunity to resolve the imbalance?

A second workshop/presentation explores the insights on governance that we get from St Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis. This one takes a bit of research but should be an interesting project! More news about this one in the coming days.

Change is in the air – autumn seems to be making a tentative appearance in Brisbane! Change for me too as I move from my current role to a new and exciting world of the independent consultant!

Gratitude will be my focus for this week. Gratitude for the many blessings, the many great people who walk with me on my journey, for the struggles and challenges that shape me daily. We do not always respond well to the challenges, especially when they seem to strike at our sense of self, our esteem, our perspective on our capabilities.

When we transition from one stage to another, we have to remember that the future can be shaped by our attitudes, our actions and expertise. It can be shaped by our faith in ourselves, and in others.

My mission is to help others achieve their mission – to shape their future, using the tools of wisdom. Wisdom is the considered product of our knowledge and experience. We bring this to the fore, consider the options and choose the wisest path.

I’ve been refining my toolkit – sharpening the tools to help people realise their mission and future! It’s exciting indeed!

Discerning the things that hold us back – that keep us from embracing change, and positively shaping our future – is the key.

Mission-wise futures? A future that is created consciously by focusing on your mission. Most organisations have a mission, and a vision. The mission is often encapsulated in a succinct ‘mission statement’ – a statement of what the organisation aims to do, and a vision of what it hopes to achieve. Being ‘mission-wise’ is having a firm understanding of your mission, understanding its implications and its impact. Being ‘mission-wise’ is also about ‘being wise about your mission’ – approaching your mission in life, or in your organisation with a wisdom born of learning and experience. The knowledge we gain through our formal learning combined with our lived experience properly discerned, gives us wisdom to approach our mission.

What is your mission? My mission is to bring my passion for scripture, learning and growth together with my experience in organisational development to assist others to grow their mission.

This is my new website. My other website is Growing the Garden which is a blog about the things that nurture me: my garden, my travel, ideas, philosophy and religion, especially my Christian tradition.

This new website is my professional website. It will feature my professional services, and provide blogs on topics that are significant in my professional field. I hope also to feature other writers who have insights that my be useful for my clients.