Editorial
Dear Friends of the Kildare Ministries Community
Birthday celebrations are special events in our lives! On those occasions we gather to share a meal, tell stories of the years that have passed, laugh with friends and family, and wish the person/event being celebrated all the very best for the future. No doubt that rings a few bells!
Kildare Ministries has an incredibly special birthday occasion coming up! It is our 10th anniversary.
To be held in March 2024, the Trustees warmly, and proudly, invite all staff of our Ministries to the 10th birthday celebrations of Kildare Ministries - a significant milestone of our journey and story. We will gather on 25th March, and the conference of celebration and planning for our future will be conducted on March 26th and 27th. What lies ahead? Your ideas are important to discern that.
We are looking forward to celebrating the goodness, the achievements and dedication over these 10 years, and each one of you is a vital part of that story and celebration.
Just as any special milestone birthday celebration demands vision, preparation and team work, so too does this one. Our gratitude goes to the overall planning committee and subcommittees who are working on a very detailed process to welcome you, to look after you and plan a programme that is engaging. It is wonderful to witness the leadership and commitment from representatives from our thirteen ministries working together to achieve these goals. Their skills, passion and commitment bring the promise of success for discernment. All of us are called to honour that work and engage through it and with it.
We are looking forward to being together in the five hubs as we explore our theme of “Crossing New Seas” – just as the Congregation founders did almost one and a half centuries ago. Their vision and determination has inspired and carried us to where we are today. We are all standing on the shoreline together, ready to embark on the future beyond 2024.
It’s also been a very energetic commencement to the 2023 year for each Ministry, tinged with the sorrow of the news of the loss of a student from the Marian College Ararat and a staff member from Brigidine College Indooroopilly. We ask for your prayers for Carmel, Brendan and their communities as they support each other and family and friends through these tough times.
Congratulations on your return to a different understanding of what’s normal. Having a calm commencement to the year is so important for what follows. The Trustees have been engaged with their first visits to the Ministries for the year, and we congratulate all ministries and their staff for hopefilled beginnings to the year.
The Mission and Ministry Team have been super busy with Principal and Leaders meetings, induction programs (80 new staff and leaders – amazing!), formation programs, network meetings for Business Managers, Risk Co-ordinators to name just a few! Visit the Min Kildare Facebook site to read about their amazing work.
Kathy and I wish you all many blessings for the year ahead, and on behalf of the Trustees express our gratitude and our trust and pride in the work you do as you carry out the mission of Jesus.
Kathy McEvoy and Rosemary Copeland
Co-Chairs of the Trustees of Kildare Ministries