From February 11-15, 2019, more than 40 delegates from Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti gathered together at Mary McKillop Place in North Sydney, Australia for a training course, Building Stronger Communities.
Each day began with a time of prayer and mediation, making full use of the peaceful spaces and lovely gardens at the retreat centre. Mary McKillop Place is now a spiritual and educational hospitality centre, and is the resting place of Saint Mary McKillop, a nun with a passion for education of the rural poor who was declared saint by the Catholic Church in 2010, the first Australian so recognised. It is a tranquil oasis in the midst of busy North Sydney.
The mornings featured workshops led by ICMA General Secretary Jason Zuidema on why we serve seafarers, how the work has been done, how it can be improved, and, especially, on how we might improve ecumenical relationships into the future.
Other sessions included conversations with members of the Australia Seafarers’ Welfare Board, the New Zealand Seafarers’ Welfare Board, representatives of Port Australia, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, Hunterlink, and others besides.
Revd Graham Miller of The Mission to Seafarers in Townsville spoke at the beginning and end of the conference to help introduce the main theme and tie conversations together. His closing speech used an artistic rendering of building the Sydney Harbor Bridge to help think about what building stronger communities might mean.
Though participants went away from the course with new ideas and tools to improve their work, the most important outcome was new and renewed relationships with others working in seafarers’ welfare in the region. Throughout the seminar participants were given time to speak together and discuss the key challenges and joys of seafarers’ ministry.
It was very useful to hear the voices of those from member ministries of The Mission to Seafarers, the Apostleship of the Sea, Sailors Society, and other partners. A special thank you to the organising committee, Rev Garry Dodd, Sr Mary Leahy, Rev Lance Lukin, Roslyn Rajasingam, and Fr Jeff Drane for their hard work and leadership throughout the week.
Thank you also to sponsors and supporters at the ITF, The ITF Seafarers’ Trust, the TK Foundation, The Society of Mary, The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, The Mission to Seafarers, and other members of the Australian and New Zealand seafarers’ welfare boards.