PRESIDENT’S REPORT

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6 November, 2011 - PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
After the celebrations and festivities of 2009 and 2010, this year, 2011 has given us the opportunity to slow our pace, take time to strengthen bonds within our group and offer support to one another in developing and living out our charism.


Continuing on from our immersion in the charism of St Mary MacKillop last year, Sr Margaret Robertson has been very involved in frequent communications to the membership, not only keeping everyone abreast of JAN matters, but disseminating information about the whole Josephite family and keeping us motivated by further input on the charism of Mary MacKillop.

Our partnership with the Sisters has been nurtured by shared celebrations such as St Joseph’s Day at Nundah, the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop and the Anniversary of the Canonisation. Also we have been represented on the Liturgy Committee and the MacKillop Committee.

The Provincial Leadership Team, led by Provincial, Sr Moya Campbell continued to take an interest in our growth and activities and actively supported us in the organisation of the Memorial Lecture on October 11, featuring Bishop Bill Morris as our guest speaker. Many Sisters were in attendance at the Lecture and Office Staff helped us with advertising and as the contact point for people wishing to attend.

The Memorial Lecture was hugely successful with people very appreciative of Bishop Bill’s spirituality, scholarship and self-hood. The sense of solidarity and support for Bishop Bill was very obvious and people took the opportunity to articulate their concerns about the crisis in Toowoomba. Bishop Bill’s dealing with the situation has been reminiscent of St Mary MacKillop’s difficulties with the hierarchy so it was valuable to hear his insights into Mary’s spirituality.

Thankfully, the night was also financially successful with minimal costs owing to the generosity of St Mary MacKillop College community, the Sisters and our own very hard-working and talented members.

During the year we offered opportunities to socialise with shared meals and an invitation to join in meetings. We had a special afternoon-tea with Faye Walsh and Lenore Bateman, both of whom continued to shine through their illnesses. Some of us were blessed to spend time again with Faye at the Feast Day celebrations. Faye continued to dress with style throughout her illness and to smile gently often and impishly sometimes.

Faye left this life and was born into eternal life on 21 September. Her life was celebrated in fitting style both here in Brisbane and in Murwillumbah where she is interred near other family members. She was a truly remarkable woman and our inaugural President who has left us her own legacy.

We extend our sympathy to her husband, Brian Sullivan and to all her family. Father John Scarrott has offered a Requiem Mass for her on behalf of JAN.

Our Prayer Outreach has encompassed many members, family and friends and we have incorporated a Prayer Time into our Newsletter. Many prayers are requests for those who are ill but some are in thanksgiving for blessings received. Sr Therese Wilson led a Retreat at Maryhaven on the last week-end of April, a very special time for Retreatants.

The routine work of our Team was carried out steadily. Thank you to members, Guido de Glas, Shirley O’Ryan, Brian Sullivan and Joan Mason, who successfully run our Silver Circle providing us with funds to pay accounts and make donations. Donees were Good Grief for children in flooded areas, the Motor Neurone Association in honour of Faye, the Angel Project for women prisoners and the Mary MacKillop International Fund for assistance to the Sisters’ mission in Peru.

Further work has been done on the One plus One Program which has entered the Power Point stage. Thanks to Joan Mason, Liz Links and Marg Robertson for their efforts. I also enjoyed making a contribution.

Monica O’Rourke has designed a new brochure for attracting prospective applicants and has also produced a Certificate of Membership. Thanks also to Monica’s efforts we now have name badges available.

This year we have two new members, Pattie Lee and Carolyn Foley. Congratulations and welcome to our newcomers.

Thanks to Brian Sullivan for publishing our Newsletter and to all who submitted an article, information and photographs. We hope the addition of photographs has been a worthwhile exercise and we would welcome other contributions or ideas.

In conclusion I would like to thank all the Committee Management Team for their dedication, hard work and faithfulness to our enterprise. I have truly seen the response to “Never see a need without doing something about it” carried out with Josephite hearts.

I wish the incoming team a successful and satisfying term. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with the prayers of Mary MacKillop and the commitment of the membership, I have every confidence in the future of JAN Qld Inc.

Eileen Sullivan.