At the heart of this second National Symposium on Religious Education and Ministry is the purpose of enhancing the lives of people through education and service which draw on a religious view of life - in particular the Catholic religious tradition. But increasingly, in modern secularised societies, the concerns of Religious Education and Ministry are not limited to activities that are formally religious. In a secularised society, is there a relevant place for religion? Secularised culture has spiritual alternatives which are intended to meet spiritual needs. This in itself is a good thing. But it does highlight the problem of how we interest people in accessing the wisdom, insights and values of the religious tradition.

In a secularised society, many people seem to be happy without much contact with organised religion. But there are challenges.

I see some of these challenges as follows. We need to enter the marketplace of everyday life and contribute an unconditional service that is as relevant as possible. We should not just be offering help when people come to us in need -- although this will always remain an important part of our ministry. I believe that the tradition we represent has much to say that is relevant to the lives of individuals, communities and societies.

For religious education and ministry, the following agenda is central to the endeavour. It is for you and this conference to spell out the implications for theory and practice.

I think we need to be critical interpreters of life from a tradition of wisdom, giving special attention to:-

People's search for meaning, purpose and values;

Understanding of "Identity" and "community", and of what can be done to promote these authentically;

Interrogation of the culture from justice and ecological perspectives, calling into question what might erode human dignity and decent living. There is much that does so in this modern world.

Without doubt, spiritual and moral elements affect the lives of people at some stage or another. But, in fast moving contemporary society, it is difficult to see just where this happens. We need to discern the points of interface -- where spiritual, moral and justice issues impinge on people's lives. Religious educators and those involved in ministry need to be discerning interpreters of the culture; to see how people construct meaning and values; to see what counts as meaning and how this can be evaluated.

We are working out of the Catholic tradition, and a commitment to handing on that tradition to the next generation is central to our role. But our scope and concerns need to be broader than this: there is a need to reach out and relate to the experience of people at the very points where they are touched by the spiritual and moral dimensions of life. Just giving them "good" theology and Scripture is not enough.

Relatedly, those involved in religious education and ministry have a dual commitment:

Firstly, to the handing on of the religious tradition; this helps provide young people and adults with access to the Catholic religious heritage, giving them both good knowledge and practical experience of the Church, with the hope that they will be able to draw on its wisdom and spirituality throughout their lives as life long learners.

The second commitment is to help young people and adults learn how to identify and address contemporary spiritual and moral issues. This means going beyond the concerns that might be identified with organised religion to help people learn how to think critically about the ways in which culture can have a shaping influence on people's values and behaviour. It attempts to help them become perceptive interpreters and evaluators of the culture, and better able to construct a spirituality and identity that will not only enhance their own lives, but contribute to the life of the community.

Achieving a balance between these two commitments and trying to be relevant in both is the major challenge now facing Religious Education and Ministry.

What are the goals of this Symposium?

This Symposium, as was clearly the case in the first Symposium at the end of 1998, can respond to the challenge in two ways.

Firstly, it brings together people who are in leadership positions in Religious Education and Ministry in the Catholic sector throughout Australia. It is always valuable for people at this level to think about and discuss the issues in a collegial way. It will help us keep informed about what is happening across the broad front of Catholic Religious Education and Ministry. Also it can help forge for us some sense of common identity and common religious purposes amongst those integrally involved in Catholic Religious Education and Ministry.

Secondly, the Symposium brings this group together in a context where the main focus is on research, and scholarship. I think this is important because it challenges you to step back from the hectic pace of everyday work which is often exhausting and sometimes discouraging, and provide time to considering new ideas, new perspectives and current research, as well as to debating issues. This helps renew vision and commitment; and it generates energy. It can open us to new horizons and new areas of interest; it can challenge us to review the implicit theory out of which we are working; and even to enhance it. It will require us to look at conflicting interpretations of what are "best" theory and practice. This is the environment in which we can engage in thoughtful debate, which in turn can help refine theories and practical strategies.

I am delighted that the University's School of Religious Education is continuing with symposia such as this. I hope that the Symposium will inform the research that the staff in the School and its increasing numbers of postgraduate research students will be conducting. I have committed funds to Spiritual, Moral, and Religious Education for research as one of the University's Flagship areas - that is an area of special research strength for ACU and it defines our major research strength areas. Of particular significance are the projects on youth spirituality and teacher spirituality. While we are in effect a young university with an emerging research profile, we are an exciting one, and it is my hope that through partnerships between ACU and the Catholic agencies represented by the participants here, we can increase our research-informed dimension to the work of Catholic education and ministry in Australia.

In conclusion, I would like to offer a word of thanks to Dr. Louise Welbourne, who does such an outstanding job in editing the Journal of Religious Education with its international reputation; and I wish to formally acknowledge on your behalf appreciation of the superb work she has done in the organisation and conduct of this Symposium.

I wish you every success in your deliberations over the next two days. I hope that you will all leave this Symposium on Friday evening with a broader, more exciting and more thoughtful perspective on Religious Education and Ministry.

It is with great pleasure that I declare the Second National Symposium on Religious Education and Ministry open.

Peter W Sheehan AO

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