Kildare Ministries Conference
From 26 - 28 August, members of the Kildare Ministries community gathered at St Joseph’s College Echuca for our 2026 Biennial Conference, Kildare Ministries: Our Voice, Our Future – Listening. Responding. Transforming Together.
Gathering on Yorta Yorta Country, the conference brought together Trustees, representatives of our founding congregations - the Brigidine Sisters and Presentation Sisters - and our Members Council, along with Principals and Community Work CEOs, Board Chairs and Directors, and colleagues from across our ministries.
Our time together began with a very special Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, made all the more meaningful through the involvement of the St Joseph’s College community. Staff member Narjiic Day-Burns led the ceremony, accompanied by Noah on the didgeridoo and a student choir singing in Yorta Yorta.
In her opening address, Rosemary Copeland, Co-Chair of the Trustees, invited us to set aside these days as a time to be together, to listen, reflect and discuss, and to “listen to the heartbeat of Kildare Ministries”. She encouraged us to listen deeply, discuss openly and imagine courageously the path ahead for our individual ministries and for Kildare Ministries as a whole.
That invitation to look forward was immediately connected with the story that has brought us to this point. Louise Cleary csb, Nola Vanderfeen pbvm, Rosemary Copeland and Erica Pegorer, in conversation with facilitator Annie Rosati, shared their experiences as people who imagined and brought Kildare Ministries into being. Their stories reminded us that the future we are now shaping is grounded in the courage, imagination and commitment of those who helped bring Kildare Ministries to life.
Later that afternoon, we gathered for a beautiful celebration of Eucharist in the historic Convent Chapel, built by the Brigidine Sisters in 1899. The beauty and history of the chapel connected us in a tangible way with the Brigidine story and legacy in Echuca. During the Mass, each ministry brought forward a blue cloth bearing words that expressed what they valued most about being part of Kildare Ministries. Together, the cloths formed a centrepiece, representing our ministries as streams of God’s living water, flowing together through Kildare Ministries to bring peace and justice into our world.
Across the three days, we heard many voices - voices that connected us with our story, challenged us to engage with the realities of today, and encouraged us to imagine how Kildare Ministries might respond to the future.
Rev Associate Professor Jamie Calder SJ explored the emergence of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons in Australia and the distinctive role they now play within the life of the Catholic Church. He invited us to think deeply about stewardship, synodality and what it means for us to carry forward the mission entrusted to Kildare Ministries.
Turning our attention to the changing Australian context, Professor Ruth Powell, Executive Director of the National Church Life Survey, explored how Catholic ministries can remain deeply faithful to their mission while responding to a changing social, cultural and religious landscape. Her presentation encouraged us to engage honestly with these realities while recognising the opportunities they offer to renew and express our mission in ways that are authentic, relevant and hope filled.
That challenge, to remain grounded in who we are while responding courageously to change, continued with the launch of the Trustees’ Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Human Dignity. Facilitated by Rev Dr Michael Trainor AM, the session turned our attention to the rapidly developing world of artificial intelligence, exploring its possibilities and challenges and considering how human dignity and the common good can guide our choices and shape our response.
Some of the most powerful voices we heard came from people at the very heart of our mission. Participants in our community works and graduates of our schools generously shared their stories and experiences of hope, dignity and belonging. Their voices invited us to reflect on what enables people to feel valued and included, and what we might learn from their experiences as we look to the future together.
As we entered our final reflective session, we were privileged to hear Sr Brigid Arthur csb AO share her personal reflection on our conference theme, Listening. Responding. Transforming Together. Drawing on her own experiences and insights, Brigid challenged us to consider what we are called to do as we move forward, and how together we can continue to build communities that are inclusive, just and grounded in the dignity of every person.
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of a conference such as this is simply the opportunity to gather. We come from different ministries, different places and different roles, but we are connected by something much larger than any one of us - our shared responsibility for the mission of Kildare Ministries. There was a wonderful energy in being together, reconnecting with those we know, forming new relationships, sharing experiences and learning from one another. Conversations over meals, around tables and between sessions were as important as the formal program, deepening our sense that, while our ministries are diverse, we are part of something shared.
In our beautiful closing liturgy, we returned once more to the well and to the Gospel story that had accompanied us during the conference. The Samaritan woman came seeking water. She listened, questioned and encountered Jesus. Changed by that encounter, she did not remain at the well; she returned to her community and found her voice.
As we prepared to leave Echuca, her story brought us back to the heart of our conference theme. Like the woman at the well, our listening calls us beyond the encounter itself and towards response. We were left with questions to carry with us:
What will we carry?
What will we have the courage to change?
Whose voice will we hear differently?
Where will the Gospel ask us to go?
During the closing liturgy, Kathy McEvoy and Rosemary Copeland presented each ministry with a compass as a tangible reminder of the mission we carry with us as we return to our communities:
“The compass is offered as a sign of the mission entrusted to each of us - a call to remain attentive, to discern faithfully, and to walk forward in hope.”
From the streams of living water brought together in our Conference Mass to the compass carried home by each ministry, these symbols captured something of what we experienced together: distinct communities joined in shared mission, listening for where the Gospel is calling us and discerning the way forward together.
We left Echuca with gratitude for the story we have inherited, strengthened by our relationships and hopeful about what we can continue to become together. As Rosemary reminded us at the beginning of our gathering that transformation is often found not in grand gestures, but in the many small actions we take each day, inspired by Gospel values and strengthened by our togetherness. May we carry that spirit back into our ministries as we continue to listen deeply, respond courageously and work together to build communities of justice, dignity and belonging.
With Gratitude
A gathering such as this is made possible through the generosity and contribution of many people. On behalf of the Trustees, I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who shared their time, expertise, ideas and support - our presenters, panellists, facilitators and contributors; those who so thoughtfully prepared and led our Mass and liturgies; and the many people who worked behind the scenes.
We are especially grateful to St Joseph’s College Echuca for so generously hosting us. Our thanks go to the entire College community for their warm hospitality and for the considerable work undertaken to welcome and support us throughout our time together.
A particular thank you to the members of the Conference Planning Committee, Anne Marie Cairns, Rosemary Copeland, Angela Romano, Danielle Price, Jane Collopy, Monica Lang and Chris Shelly, whose creativity, commitment and care were invaluable in shaping a gathering that reflected the spirit and mission of Kildare Ministries.
To everyone who contributed, in ways both seen and unseen, thank you. Together, you helped create a wonderful opportunity for our Kildare Ministries community to gather, strengthen relationships, listen, learn and reflect together.
Nicole Mangelsdorf
Executive Director