Mission & Formation
Jesus came into the world “to bring the good news to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free".
Luke 4:6-21
Our Heritage
Leadership Formation
In the spirit of Mary Aikenhead, the Trustees of Mary Aikenhead Ministries call all to a shared and collaborative leadership which seeks to respond to the needs of the poor at this time. The Trustees acknowledge that our heritage and our values place service of the poor at the heart of our work and thus we commit our ministries to a preferential option for the poor.
The Trustees recognise that each person within Mary Aikenhead Ministries has the capacity to engage in relationships of collaboration, inspiration and influence. Recognising the gifts of all within our ministries, we seek to respond to all people with courage and flexibility, focusing with hope and compassion on the common good of humankind. This, we believe, is at the heart of our call to minister within the Church.
As Trustees we invite those in our ministries to a leadership, which meets the needs of the poor. As well as responding within each specific ministry, the Trustees call all to a collective initiative on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged. The process for this call to action is, identify within our facilities and services the evidence of current response and, in so doing, celebrate what we have in place and work on behalf of the reign of God in the present and for the future.
Gospel vision
Formation for Mission
Jesus came into the world "to bring the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. " (Luke 4:19). Our ministries continue Jesus’ mission in the name of the Catholic Church. Formation for this mission of service is critical for those who lead, govern and work in Mary Aikenhead Ministries as we seek to bring to life the Gospel vision of love, justice, compassion and hope.
Mary Aikenhead Ministries has developed a Leadership Formation Framework entitled Formation of the Heart and extensive formation opportunities are provided by both the Trustees and their ministries.
The Trustees themselves have a spiritual companion. They embed formation into their meetings, have a formation day at the beginning of each year and an annual retreat, as well as participating in pilgrimages and relevant conferences and seminars.
The Trustees’ major formation activity is a conference offered to those in leadership and governance roles across the ministries.
Every year, the Trustees conduct a pilgrimage to Ireland in the footsteps of Mary Aikenhead for ministry senior staff and Board Directors. Members of the ministries are also able to participate in regular local pilgrimages to places of significance to the Sisters of Charity of Australia – Parramatta, Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne, Brisbane and Toowoomba.