Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 51-58

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 41-51

Anne Surtees is an Ursuline sister and is currently living in Arrernte Country in Central Australia.

Anne is a Spiritual director and runs a small retreat centre called "Thirsty Heart” in Alice Springs. She travels twice a week to the Ltyentye Apurte ( Santa Teresa) community 80 kms out of Alice Springs to assist the women in the running of the Spirituality Centre. Anne’s background is in education. Previously she worked in the Brisbane Archdiocese in lay ministry formation, multicultural pastoral care and Centrecare pastoral ministries.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 24-35

Teresa Pirola is a Sydney-based writer with many years involvement in Catholic faith formation for parishioners, families, teachers and parish personnel. She is the author of several books and numerous other publications used in pastoral renewal and spirituality programs. She has a Doctorate in Theology (Sydney College of Divinity) and a special interest in the importance of Jewish-Christian relations for the Church’s self-understanding and for societal cohesion. Teresa is a firm believer in the capacity of grassroots lay leadership to effect change and renewal, owing much of her own formation to the impact of ecclesial movements in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Her most recent book, published by Paulist Press (2023), is “Catholic-Jewish Relations: Twelve Key Themes for Teaching and Preaching” and her website LightofTorah.net explores similar themes.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 1-15

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 6: 30-34

Dr Clare Schwantes has been the Director at Liturgy Brisbane since 2023, having fulfilled the role of Editor from 2012. She prepares annual publications such as the Ordo and the Daily Mass Book on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, as well as Break Open the Word and Praying Together with Young People. She is also responsible for the design and ongoing evolution of the electronic liturgy planning program, Liturgia, which is used widely in schools and parishes around Australia. 

Clare has a PhD from the University of Queensland, a Master of Theological Studies (Liturgy), Bachelors of Education and Psychology, and diplomas in Editing and Publishing. Clare is the Chair of the National Liturgical Council, secretary of the Brisbane Archdiocesan Commission on the Liturgy, a member of the Australian Academy of Liturgy and is on the editorial board of the quarterly journal, Liturgy News. She is the author of From Page to Proclamation: Interpreting Scripture in the Context of Liturgy, which will be available towards the end of 2024.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 6: 7-13

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 6: 1-6 - God of the ordinary

Jennifer Wakeling is a professional musician and educator who spent many years performing as a classical pianist but whose interest has extended in more recent years to the field of theology. Jennifer’s research interests centre on worship theology, music theology, and musical-liturgical semiotics, and they also include the theology of symbol. Her work has been published in Studia Liturgica and Australian Journal of Liturgy, and she recently contributed a chapter in Imagination in an Age of Crisis: Soundings from the Arts and Theology. Jennifer currently teaches piano and works as a faith and music ministry officer at a Catholic boys school in Brisbane – St. Joseph’s Nudgee College. She also regularly prepares the liturgy for her local church community – Pilgrim People. She is passionate about the education of local church communities seeking to develop and enrich communal worship. 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 5: 21-43

The Very Reverend Naomi Cooke is an ordained Anglican priest and is currently the Dean of the Cathedral of Grafton in regional NSW’s Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr country. 

Naomi's spiritual formation has been shaped by a rich tapestry of ecumenical experiences. Her childhood faith was nurtured within the vibrant parish and youth movements of the Roman Catholic Church alongside the invitational discipleship of Sydney Anglican youth groups. She studied at a Baptist theological college, developed her vocation within the gentle and inclusive Anglo-Catholic traditions of regional QLD and NSW, worked within the democratic and inclusive ethos of the Uniting Church of Australia, and served for two decades as a School Chaplain in Independent Schools.

With degrees in Theology and Arts (English Literature), she was amongst the first women in Australia to be ordained by a female Anglican Bishop and is only the 9th woman in Australia to be installed as a Dean of an Anglican Cathedral. Naomi works closely with First Nations communities in the journey towards Reconciliation and her ministry includes the creativity of Godly Play, Taize prayer, Prayer Spaces and Labyrinth reflections.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 4: 35-41 “The calming of the storm”

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mark 4: 26-34