![](/-/media/feature/micrositesnewsandevents/staffnews/suzanne-chambers-460px.jpg)
Innovation in practice
News 24 JulyA message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
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.
A message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
From Monday 22 July to Friday 9 August, Service Central will be available for extended hours to support staff.
A message from Vice President Father Anthony Casamento csma: From 5 – 9 August we will celebrate Mission Week across our campuses. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to cele...
Are you going to be a grandparent soon? Did you know ACU offers personal leave for staff to care for their child or grandchild after birth or adoption?
Discover the learning and career development opportunities that are available online, including the brand-new leadership development program, 'The Edge Series'.
Join ASCILITE and become a member of one of Australasia’s most vibrant professional technology enhanced learning communities, with more than 2200 members from tertiary institutions across Australia an...
Phones will be removed from all classrooms over the mid-semester break, from 23 September to 27 September.
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in Professional Term 5 (202455).
Australia’s first five-time diving Olympian, a Kiwi gymnast and the woman who taught actor Chris Hemsworth to row will be among 15 ACU students and alumni to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Para...
A message from acting Executive Dean of Theology and Philosophy Associate Professor Richard Colledge: Recently, the faculty has hosted opportunities for reflection on the possibilities for reconcilia...
Are you on your parenthood journey? A practical guide is now available to support staff, and their supervisors, through the stages of becoming a parent and transitioning back to work.
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the mysterious world of enrolments. Register to attend an enrolment information session for Semester 2, 2024.
Join upcoming online workshops in preparation for Semester 2. Secure your spot today to learn how you can utilise Canvas and its features to enhance your teaching practices.
A limitless professional horizon awaits ACU students after its three IT programs were awarded certification by the nation’s most trustworthy player in the tech sector, the Australian Computer Society.
Following evaluation and voting by a panel of ACU judges, Co-Lab is delighted to announce Thomas Clark and Xavier Chalkley as the winners of the $1000 prize for the ACU Co-Lab Social Enterprise Pitch ...
ACU Library staff will participate in professional development activities on Thursday 18 July. While away from their usual posts, they'll be working together across three locations to plan our future ...
Applications for 2024 Teaching Development Grants, Citations and Awards are open. Explore guidelines and resources to enhance your teaching project’s impact or gain recognition for your contributions.
As we sit in this small window of the winter break gearing up for Semester 2, it's important to recognise that not everyone experiences this period as downtime. For many, workloads and busy lifestyles...
This week is NAIDOC Week, an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
ACU staff who are also members with UniSuper can now access free expert medical advice and services to support their health and wellbeing through MetLife 360Health.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.