Academic focus zones for 2025
News 11 DecemberThe 2025 Academic Timeline interactions and focus zones are now available to help prioritise the planning and delivery of learning and teaching. Sync the focus zones to your Outlook calendar now.
05 August 2020
Share
The ACU Centre for Liturgy recently hosted the President of the Catholic Theological Union, Rev Prof Mark R Francis CSV in a free online public lecture broadcast live from Chicago, USA on: “The Challenge of Intercultural Liturgy in the Era of Pope Francis.”
The public lecture was a huge success with more than 200 people logging in to the live broadcast from more than 10 countries, including Australia, Samoa, The Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hawaii, the continental USA, England and Italy.
Professor Francis also hosted online lectures for THEL620: Liturgical Inculturation live from Chicago, with 26 masters students and 59 professional learners including clergy, teachers and senior school leaders, Catholic Education Office staff, parish pastoral associates, ministry formators, professional liturgists, and academics in attendance.
The ACU Centre for Liturgy has mobilised during this time of global pandemic to offer lectures via a live virtual platform to connect people to the worldwide scholarly conversation. Professor Francis said, “In lecturing for the ACU Centre for Liturgy from Chicago, I was amazed how easily the technology allowed me to reach out to so many people so far away.
“I was very happy with the moments of interaction with those in attendance. Our exchanges underscored our common passion for helping the liturgy become ever more effective in expressing Christ’s good news in the many cultural contexts where the Church is present.”
ACU Centre for Liturgy Director, Professor Clare Johnson said, “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had arrangements in place to bring Professor Francis to Australia for several weeks of postgraduate teaching, professional development sessions and public lectures.
“When all international travel was restricted, he graciously agreed to work with us live online from Chicago. This was the first time we had attempted to offer a class and public event internationally in this medium, and we were extremely pleased with how it worked.”
Referring to the masters-unit/professional learning seminar, Prof Johnson said, “The live online classroom enabled us to bring Prof Francis virtually to Australia live from Chicago, and to make this rich and fascinating learning experience available to a far wider range of people across Australia than would have been possible in a regular classroom situation.”
In addition to Prof Francis’s lectures, ACU academics Prof Johnson and Dr Jason McFarland delivered several online sessions in the afternoons for the postgraduate students. ACU Higher-Degree Research Student Rev Michael Wallace and special guest Matthew Digges presented sessions on liturgical inculturation in New Zealand and Australia as well.
Edward Havelock, a teacher at St Francis College in Crestmead QLD said that the Professional Learning Seminar was, “Excellent in all regards. We had access to someone with a great depth of knowledge, insight and experience. Prof Francis was at ease and able to relate to all who were involved with the course.”
Sr Judy Foster SGS, a liturgy consultant for the Townsville Diocese, said highlights of the professional learning seminar were, “The excellent material presented; and connecting with wide range of people in chats. Sr Judy was delighted with the online classroom because, for someone located in Townsville, the medium provided, “Accessibility…plus no added cost for travel and accommodation, and no added days for travel to venue.”
Lisa Freeth, an Assistant Principal for Religious Education (APRE) at St Peter’s Caboolture QLD said, “As someone who is new to the APRE role, I found the topics both informative and relevant. I have already started to think about the practical application of this professional learning within our school context.”
Fr Tony Doran, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Ringwood VIC, said that the best part of the Professional Learning Seminar was, “Hearing from a world class scholar on the subject, with plenty of experience from very different global contexts and experiences.” Commenting on the format of the seminar, Fr Tony said: “There was a good balance between lecture and discussion. Having done quite a lot on Zoom over the last four months, the week did not feel as onerous as some Zoom marathons have been.”
Given the success of these offerings, the ACU Centre for Liturgy and Faculty of Theology and Philosophy plan to continue this innovative practice and bring other luminaries in the field of liturgy to Australia virtually in the coming months and years.
Please email the ACU Centre for Liturgy at CentreforLiturgy@acu.edu.au for further information on upcoming events.
The 2025 Academic Timeline interactions and focus zones are now available to help prioritise the planning and delivery of learning and teaching. Sync the focus zones to your Outlook calendar now.
It has been a big year, and we understand that the festive season can be a different experience for each of us. Access a new resource from our employee assistance program, designed to help you prepare...
ACU's Co-Lab proudly announces Kyla Tucker as the winner of the $1,000 ACU Co-Lab Business Idea Pitch Award 2024, following careful evaluation by a panel of ACU judges.
ACU will move to the new EBSCOhost user interface on 4 February 2025. Find out what you need to do to prepare.
Please note the digests from Academic Board meetings 06/2024 held on 14 November 2024 and via circular resolution from 15-19 November 2024.
The 2024 Showcase of Teaching and Learning brought staff and students together to share innovations and collaborations from across the university. An online edition will be hosted in early 2025.
Limited services will be available via Service Central on 12 and 13 December, while the Service Central team attend a staff conference. The Service Central phone line and live chat will not be availab...
A message from Vice President Fr Anthony Casamento csma: Ok, let’s not kid ourselves. If you are like me, December can feel like chaos. Yet, amid this chaos, the Church gives us the Season of Advent -...
Associate Professor Grant Duthie from the SPRINT Research Centre and Professor Jo Ingold from the Peter Faber Business School have won a prestigious government grant that will see them work with the b...
Let’s reflect on our inclusive practices during International Day of People with Disability.
ACU’s Peter Faber Business School has earned accreditation from AACSB, the US-based organisation that accredits business schools worldwide.
A message from the Provost, Professor Julie Cogin: As we approach the end of the year it’s fitting to look back and reflect on everything we’ve achieved over the past 12 months.
Find out the end-of-year deadlines and operating hours for a range of staff and student services within Corporate Services including Service Central, People & Capability and Student Administration.
The popular medicines database MIMS Online is upgrading to a new platform and changing its name to eMIMSelite.
16 Days is a global campaign observed annually from November 25 to December 10 and serves as a critical reminder of the pervasive and often invisible violence that affects millions of people. Watch a ...
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in ACU Online Term 4 (202476).
With the end of the year approaching, it's time to ensure a smooth closure of the university’s 2024 accounting books and financial year-end work. Check the finance end-of-year deadlines for 2024.
ACU’s Graduation and Protocol team has been recognized at the 2024 Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) Awards for Excellence for their innovative Reader Module project.
A message from the Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: The Faculty of Health Sciences research space has seen colleagues come together in a spirit of shared learning and conn...
Role of Chair training is now available through the ACU Staff Learning Hub.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.