18th Eastern Link - Province 20 Catenians of Western Australia

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EASTERN LINK The Catenian Association Strengthening family life through friendship and faith PROVINCE 21 From. . . Brother John Tweedie President Province 21 The Catenian Association Dear Brothers, In this my first note to you as Provincial President, I would like to introduce myself to those of you who I haven’t yet met. As my aim is to visit all Circles during the year, I trust that by the end of my term I will have met most of you personally. I am John Tweedie, husband (to Pamela for 35 years in September); father (to Katherine); retiring lawyer (I basically finished work heading the superannuation legal team at Commonwealth Bank at the end of December 2012 – but it is hard to completely untie that knot); parishioner (formerly of Sacred Heart Parish Mosman, but with our main focus having moved to the Blue Mountains, now of Sacred Heart Parish Blackheath – the smallest and most westerly of the parishes in the Parramatta Diocese); convert to Catholicism (I am finding that quite a number of my Catenian Brothers in active positions in the Association have this in common with me) and committed Catenian (since 2000 when I joined Mosman Circle). I believe that joining the Association was one of the more important decisions of this part of my life’s journey (I am now 60 but joined in my 40s). I have often related how I remember well the moment I set foot in my first Catenian gathering at Mosman, as the guest of a fellow parishioner. The very first person I saw was Brother Warwick Jones (joint member of Manly and Mosman). Warwick had been a senior lawyer in CBA, whom I had greatly respected but who retired some years before. As can happen when people retire, I had lost contact with him. But as a result I immediately felt completely at home in this gathering, and as my Catenian connections have grown over the years, I have never lost that feeling. Indeed, it has expanded. The trusting relationships that we can quickly develop because we are dealing with Catenian Brothers, have on more than one occasion been a catalyst in helping me determine a personal path to follow. Further, I have always enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of our dinners, apart from being a great way to unwind, it allows for the serious discussion to develop on all manner of topics. We remain a grass roots organisation and our monthly meeting and dinner remain the bread and butter of who we are. Our participation in the Association is very much grounded on these regular meetings and our dinners, including those where we join with Brothers in other Circles. The meetings of course have some degree of ritual, though this has been diminishing over the years. People express different views on the stage we have reached with the use of rituals and the regalia. This is certainly something that one of the Committees of Grand Council is looking at now, and all Brothers can contribute to the discussion over the next couple of months. Circle Secretaries will all have copies of the relevant “Green Paper” proposals, so please contact your Secretary if you haven’t seen this information and would like to comment. My personal view is that as with a sporting team, an employment relationship or any other organisation, one joins with a view to playing or participating under the rules as they exist. My place as a member of the Catenian Association is no different. Having said that, we need to have an eye for the future of the Association. We must be open to change, and in some cases we may need to strongly advocate for change, through the appropriate governance arrangements that exist within the Association. It is not just ritual and regalia that are relevant in this regard. Brother Provincial President John continues on the next page… JUNE Page 6 2013
EASTERN LINK The Catenian Association Strengthening family life through friendship and faith PROVINCE 21 Brother Provincial President John continues… There are many structural issues that the Association is in the process of addressing. The Association started out as a purely English entity in 1908 with a particular focus based on the then social order in England. It has retained its structure, despite the fact that is now an international entity with a sizable and growing minority of its members living outside the UK, and despite major changes in society and the Church. Much work has been, and continues to be, carried out to address this. When considering our future, an important issue is whether our Association has, and will continue to have, an identity which will be attractive to those Australian Catholics who may be seen as essential to its long term viability. I have in mind younger Catholics and also Catholics of non-English speaking backgrounds born outside Australia. Both these groups are very important elements within the Diocese of Parramatta (and no doubt in many other Australian dioceses). An even more basic identity issue is evidenced by the “practising Catholic” debate, that has exercised the minds of many Brothers over the past few years. Australian Brothers, particularly those from Province 21, have maintained a keen interest in this debate. This issue appeared to have been resolved in a fairly flexible way by Grand Council in the guidance it issued in November 2012. Though it seems the issue is still the subject of some further consideration by that body. Another matter concerns our profile within the Catholic Church. Historically the profile has been low. A number of us have had a few recent forays into a more pubic arena acting as volunteers at various events, such as the Proclaim 2012 conference on the New Evangelisation and the more recent Mission: One Heart Many Voices Conference. Apart from the obvious benefits to the conference organisers in providing this simple but important form of service, we have in this way been able to publicise the Association to a broader Catholic audience. I would hope that brother Catenians see merit in continuing this type of activity. Apart from the other benefits, I find that actually working with my Catenian Brothers on projects like this, enhances our fraternal relationship. I am sure my fellow workers have felt the same. Our Provincial Council has recently developed a strategic plan to help with planning over the next five years. The aim is to consider the important issues for the Association, so that we can ensure a strong and vibrant future for the Association in Province 21 and, through our close relationships with Province 20 and the Victorian Area, within Australia. Provincial Council was helped greatly in giving substance to this plan, by the valuable discussion and input from Brothers attending the Provincial Workshop in early April. Because we are part of a single international body, our Province 21 Director Brother Kevin Doherty provides an important link to Grand Council and to what is happening with our brothers in the UK and worldwide. Brother Kevin recently attended the annual conference in London. The new Grand President Brother John Rayer made a very forward looking speech at the conference and a copy is available in the June edition of Catena. Brother John lists a number of points in a vision for the future which shows that his agenda for the future is a very open one. He commented that the species that survives is “the one that is most adaptable to change”. If you do not receive Catena it is currently available free of charge on the public section of the UK website at http://www.thecatenians.co.uk/pages/members_services/catena_magazine/default.aspx . Alternatively Brother Peter Cash has sent a copy of the speech to all Circle Secretaries. Brother Provincial President John continues on the next page… JUNE Page 7 2013
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18th Eastern Link - Province 20 Catenians of Western Australia

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