Golding Centre Colloquia 2009

At the April 2009 Colloquia in the first colloquium Dr Catherine Thom rsj shared the fruits of her postdoctoral research in a paper entitled, ‘Two women, two men, two lives’, which focuses on Mary MacKillop and Cornelia Connolly, founder of the Congregation of the Holy Child Jesus.  Each of these women, who were contemporaries, was deeply influenced by a significant man in her life who shared her spirituality and humanity.  Both were great educators; both were pilloried by institutions, Church and state; both lived in a very anti-catholic era; each was deeply disappointed by the man who had been central in her life; and both suffered from their companions.   Both were acclaimed for their sanctity in the late 20th century. The following conversation was led by Dr Rosa MacGinley pbvm, recognised scholar in the field of the history of women religious. The problem of “presentism” emerged in this conversation as the participants attempted to come to grips with the prevailing theologies and spiritualities of the nineteenth century.

Dr Catherine Thom rsj and Dr Rosa MacGinley pbvm

In the second colloquium Dr Trish Madigan op spoke to her doctoral thesis successfully presented at Sydney University in 2008. This thesis explores the impact of fundamentalism on women’s lives and their responses to it in Roman Catholicism and Sunni Islam – each religion spanning a world-wide, culturally diverse, patriarchal community.  It looks at ways in which Muslim and Catholic women, both within and between their respective traditions, are critiquing fundamentalist theology and reclaiming their rightful place within the life of their religious communities. In so doing, it argues that they offer to their respective communities and beyond, a holistic way of negotiating the impact of modernity in a globalized world. The following conversation was led by Pauline Rae smsm, who convened and has worked for many years on a project promoting dialogue between Christian and Muslim women. It was interesting to see the parallels the participants drew between the women of both of these traditions.

Dr Trish Madigan op and Pauline Rae smsm

In the third colloquium Dr Damian Gleeson (Notre Dame University) spoke to his doctoral thesis successfully presented at New South Wales University and titled, ‘The Professionalisation of Australian Catholic social welfare, 1920 - 1985. This study, in the much neglected areas of social welfare and Australian Catholic histories, is thoroughly researched and wide-ranging. It traces the complex story of the development of modern Catholic social welfare, which was inspired by professionally trained lay women.   These women demonstrated vision and tenacity in introducing new policies and practices across the unco-ordinated Australian Catholic welfare sector. The following conversation was led by Dr Patricia Hansen, Head of the School of Social Work, ACU. There emerged in the discussion an appreciation of the ongoing tension between the professional and volunteer dimensions of social work in Australia.

Dr Damian Gleeson and Dr Patricia Hansen

(Art work on this website by P. Lindner © 2002)