by Gordon Nary
Gordon: Where did you attend school/university?
Dr Jill: I attended the University of Queensland, one of the ‘sandstone universities’ of Australia. Coming from the western edge of the Darling Downs region of Queensland, My family had little money, but I had finished secondary school within the top 1% of graduates, and so was lucky enough to be able to stay in the Catholic residential college on campus – Duchesne College. And that was a very new experience for me – a big university and an all-girls residential college after growing up in a tiny country town with 3 brothers.
I have two memories that stand out as I reflect on those years:
The first is of two lecturers – in Literature and in Political Science – who were simply extraordinary teachers, and to see their knowledge and passion in action was captivating and inspiring. One had escaped Czechoslovakia and the other had grown up in outback Australia. It showed me that our background shapes us for sure, but does not matter as much as does what we do with that background and who we are in our deepest identity. They both left an indelible mark on me.
The second memory is of university student street marches! We were in a political era where the current leader had been in power a long time through manipulating political boundaries for votes and had gotten to the point of making unilateral decisions, one of them banning gatherings - and street marches. Terrible things were happening. And so, the students marched. I was highly attuned to the legal, social and justice imperatives around this. I was exposed to great speakers, courageous peers and the power of people rising. I also made lifelong friends who remain curious, engaged and committed to the common good. It was a formative time.
I later completed a Masters and PhD studies through the Australian Catholic University. Following this, I was fortunate to be a scholar in residence in both KU Leuven University and Oxford University. I enjoyed both these environments enormously. I loved Oxford – in many ways it felt like coming home. And yet it was as far away from the little country post office in the middle of wide wheat plains of my childhood as it could possibly be.
I also completed other studies in journalism and leadership and I have worked now across three Australian dioceses in Catholic Education in Australia. Outside of that, I’ve worked in diverse Australian and international church initiatives. And also developed my own consultancy and company.
Gordon: Tell us about your freelance work. What were some of the most interesting projects on which you worked?
Dr. Jill: International thinktanks and collaborations have been really energizing for me. Here in Australia, developing collaborative networks of expertise across overlapping areas has been something I have loved along with my own work in writing, keynote speaking and developing and facilitating programs in early career, middle and established leadership in Catholic education. Being trusted to work with teachers and leaders and to do whole of system reviews is a great privilege. Freelance work allowed me to use my creativity, my strategic abilities and my experiential expertise in different ways – a marvelous freedom from managerial pigeon-holing which can happen in large organizations.
I subsequently wrote and published a book Formation for Mission: Stirring the Heart of Catholic Education which has found an enthusiastic audience in Canada, England, New Zealand and Australia. In this book, rather than outline and promote one approach to formation, the various models across the tradition and outside the tradition were explored in order to harvest the elements and processes that best meet the needs of contemporary educators and leaders. In doing this, the broad disciplines of theology, spirituality, pedagogy, andragogy, change facilitation and human development were brought together to bear on the emergence of a strategic faithful and personal meaning making approach that could be used in educational communities. It gives me a sense of gratitude and satisfaction that this book has been so well liked and used. I am at the moment finishing another book and two chapters for other international publications.
Gordon: When were you a faculty member at BBI TAITE, what courses did you teach and what were any of your projects there?
Dr. Jill: I was a faculty member of BBI TAITE during the nineties and early 2000s. I wrote and taught a unit for the Masters in Theology and Leadership.
Gordon: When were you a Chair at GRI Gerard Rummery Institute and what was their mission?
Dr. Jill: The Gerard Rummery Institute was set up by the Lasallian Mission Council to be the Australian based developer of a program of leadership formation for those across Lasallian schools and colleges in Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and Pakistan. It was to be the southern hemisphere version of the Buttimer Institute based in New York. As Chair, I revisited the original vision and developed the terms of reference to reflect futures perspective.
The person this Institute was named after - Br Gerard Rummery – is a giant in the field of education both in the Lasallian global community and in the Catholic educational landscape in general. He sadly passed away recently and will be greatly missed – a scholar and a gentleman.
Gordon: Please provide an overview of your work in Formation in Australia.
Dr. Jill: I began this work in formation as a development out of the work I was doing as a system consultant in curriculum. I added an extra dimension to presentations/workshops that gave focus to the teacher themselves - and teachers were hungry for it. I gradually began to do more and more of this work on request and eventually specialised in this work. I was then asked as an external consultant to construct a formation framework for the whole system. I was then employed to implement it and create the formation programs and resources, and develop a team. This was all very successful and quite innovative especially because of the strategic vision and practical implementation. Other dioceses and religious institutes in Australia used the work either adopting, adapting or re-crafting as a base for their own frameworks.
In 2007, I founded a national network across the Australian diocesan and separately governed Catholic education authorities called FACE (Formation for Australian Catholic Educators). It continues to this day. The focus was on developing shared principles of approach to formation; resources; and to provide a retreat experience for the formators! That is, as the area of formation gained increasing profile and appointments from 2007 to 2010, there was an emerging need to provide sustenance and collegial support across Australia for those in these leadership positions. FACE has done that and has also been quite influential in the development of policy and position papers for the National Catholic Education Commission through its well-developed shared understanding of purpose, context and best practice in formation for Australian Catholic educators.
Gordon: You hold three current positions. What are they, and what are your primary responsibilities of each position?
Dr. Jill: Currently I am a Director for Catholic Education South Australia, overseeing Catholic Identity and Mission. I work particularly closely with others across the areas of learning and teaching, and leadership and culture. I have a wonderful team of 25 staff who are committed, clever, consummate and compassionate.
I am also President of APTO (Association of Practical Theologians in Oceania). My particular roles here are in developing a future-focused strategy and in building the community.
I am also currently on the National Catholic Education Commission of Australia - part of the NCEC Faith Formation and RE Committee.
I am also a member of the international G.R.A.C.E. network (Global Researchers and Catholic Education). And I am connected to a number of international associations and a global thinktank on spirituality.
More locally, I am Chair of the Board of an innovative new Catholic Community College for those young people aged 17 – 25 who have fallen through the cracks, offering them a place to reshape their lives and education. It is fee-free and has a creche as many of these young people have children. I also Chair an Ecology Advisory Committee and am executive Officer for the Catholic Identity and Mission Standing Committee as part of our South Australian Commission.
Gordon: As I understand, there has been a decrease in the Catholic population in Australia. Do you agree, and if so, how should these challenges be addressed?
Dr Jill: Both the number of Catholics and the proportion of Catholics has decreased according to the 2021 census figures. In addition, the Catholic population is ageing, and it is more linguistically, culturally and ritually diverse than ever.
In Catholic schools, we see this cultural diversity and declining religious affiliation reflected in our students and families.
The impact for Catholic education systems has been to be more focused and more intentional about Catholic identity and formation than we have ever been. This laser focus has clarified and allowed us to articulate some very important messages:
Catholic schools welcome all, regardless of race, religion, gender or social and cultural background. We teach those who come to our schools not because they are Catholic, but because WE are Catholic.
That means we must be clear in our witness, our outreach, our faith practice.
And that means in the world today, it is imperative that we teach children how to engage in dialogue with confidence, with openness and with à strong ‘head heart and hands’ understanding of the Catholic tradition.
It also means the formation of teachers and leaders is a priority in order to sustain and grow spiritual capital in our school faith communities.
Gordon: In December 2021 Father James Grant wrote an article in Crisis Magazine titled The Catholic Collapse in Australia: A Warning to All in which he claimed that the Catholic Church in Australia has been in free-fall Do you agree with him? Please provide an overview of his concerns and whether or not you share his concerns.
Dr. Jill: It all depends on where you stand. Some say we are now in a post- ecclesial post believing world and all is lost. But others say the way of connection to the transcendent has changed – the desire has not. In other words, the expression of the religious has shifted – our job is to harness the entry-points and provide the pathways to God within and without. It is simply that the starting point is not to presume faith. That kind of catechetical approach where faith is presumed in indeed no longer a viable, fertile path of encounter. Uncovering the authentic pathways to encounter with God in a way that uncovers the absolute gold of the Catholic Christian tradition in its fullness is my lifework. It is possible. We have shown that.
Gordon: Who is you favorite saint, and why is that saint your favorite?
Dr. Jill: I am a great believer in the communion of saints and I call on three for the gift of their charisms in the work I do: Hildegard for intellect and creativity; Raphael for healing because I think part of the work I do is about that; and Teresa of Avila – first woman doctor of the church and wonderful networker with a wicked sense of humor. I need all these things in my work!
Gordon: Thank you for a fascinating and informative interview.