‘New life emerges’: introducing formation.org.au

A bold new initiative has emerged from within the Australian Church with the recent launch of formation.org.au, a professional membership network designed to create time and space for connection, collaboration and renewal among people shaping and leading formation for mission.

Formation is central to the Church’s life, and this network aims to support those who work in boardrooms, staff rooms, parish communities and across all of the Church to provide formation for mission. Catholic Mission is proud to have been a part of bringing this concept to life.

‘Inspired by the Gospel and the needs of our time, the vision for formation.org.au is to be a permanent platform for dialogue and connection for all people who are engaged in formation for mission,’ says Lana Turvey-Collins, the lead facilitator of formation.org.au.

‘Across the many and varied parts of the Church, deep thinking is taking place around the future of formation for mission. Important questions are being asked, not only operational, [such] as who and how; the questions go deeper to the heart of what it means to be a missionary Church.’

Speaking at the recent ‘Mission: one heart many voices’ conference in Sydney, where formation.org.au was officially launched, Lana introduced the new initiative to more than 200 attendees during the morning breakfast.

‘This is a space to ask big questions, to connect with peers, and to broaden one’s horizons,’ she told them.

One of the aims of formation.org.au, she explained, ‘is to provide a platform where those involved in formation for mission can access relevant resources and nurture meaningful connections.

‘Whether you bring deep experience and wisdom, or you’re just beginning your journey and looking for a mentor, there is a place for you here.’

As Archbishop Mark Coleridge explains, ‘Formation in the Christian life is something that God does. It’s God doing the work, and we cooperate with God in all our programs and all our networks.’

Archbishop Coleridge reminds us that ‘we speak about lifelong formation. I can never say that my formation is complete, because God has never finished with me. I remain a work in progress.”

Following the Plenary Council and Synod processes, both of which emphasised the need for renewed and integrated approaches to formation for mission, formation.org.au has emerged in response to this spirit-led momentum.

According to Sr Monica Cavanagh, congregational leader of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, ‘We know there’s a lot of good formation that happens, but it’s not integrated or held in a common place. This is a response to that call that came through the Plenary Council and also the work of the Synod on Synodality.’

Creating that common place—a national network that supports and connects formators across ministries and sectors—is the purpose of formation.org.au. Through community-building, mentoring, roundtable dialogue, case studies, shared wisdom and learning opportunities, the platform offers a range of resources and forums for growth.

For Sr Monica, ‘It’s about growing and maturing in one’s faith and journey, and then giving expression to that through mission.’

The founding partners of formation.org.au include dioceses, religious congregations, educators and facilitators who bring decades of experience in spiritual formation, leadership and accompaniment. Rooted in that same spirit of accompaniment and practical mission, the network recognises that today’s formators work across a wide range of contexts, including Catholic education and diocesan offices, interfaith programs, lay leadership and ministerial governance bodies, novitiates and seminaries, social services and chaplaincies.

‘If you are thinking of joining this network,’ Archbishop Coleridge says, ‘what I would say to you is: you’ve got nothing to lose and potentially a great deal to gain … and that will be good for the whole Church.’

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, formation.org.au is an invitation to listen, learn, lead and walk together in the work of formation for mission.

‘I am hopeful,’ says Sr Monica, ‘because life, and I guess my living of my Christian faith, teaches me daily that in every experience there is potential for newness and life and beginning again. And it doesn’t mean ignoring the struggles, because it’s often out of the struggles that new life emerges.’