About Us

In Australia, lay people, including those in consecrated life, have long worked alongside our ordained brothers in pastoral ministry. Early on, many of these partnerships were informal, but increasingly, a new reality emerged of paid positions and/or volunteer positions either full-time or part-time, where lay people took on significant leadership and other ministry roles in pastoral settings. In parishes, in particular, parish associates or pastoral associates became common titles for these roles.
Those involved in this work soon found themselves asking many questions about their involvement.

In May 1987, well over three hundred people gathered at Melbourne University for the first national gathering of pastoral associates. Their aim was to “identify some of the movements within the ministry of the Church in recent times.” The report goes on to say, “people came with the chaos and shape of their own ministry in specific parts of Australia, and with the lives of their own people, close to their own searchings.” (Report of the First National Gathering of Pastoral Associates).
It was a sign of the strength of the emerging ministry of pastoral associates, no stronger than in Melbourne, where in 1991 it was reported that 172 lay pastoral workers were employed across 235 parishes.

In April 1995, under the auspices of the then Catholic Leaders of Religious Institutes (CLRI) and the NSW Bishops’ Conference, a Priests and Parish Associates Conference was held. A recommendation was made from that conference to form a NSW Association of Priests and Parish Associates. Both the CLRI and NSW Bishops agreed to provide funding for the association and to appoint representatives to its executive. On 25th March 1996, six people were appointed to the executive: Bishop Bede Heather, Sr Maureen Flood, Mrs Elizabeth Clarke (Elizabeth Bay), Sr Ann McRae (Deniliquin), Fr Terry Brady (Kingsgrove), and Fr Paul McCabe (Inverell). Sr Marie Craddock took over from Sr Mary Crowe as Executive Officer. Membership fees were set, a newsletter was created, and the first conference under the new branding of NAPPA (NSW Association of Pastors and Parish Associates) took place in 1998.

The network has evolved over its lifespan, in recent times retitling itself “NSW Association of Pastors, Pastoral Associates and Pastoral Workers” to embrace the ever-increasing diversity of pastoral roles, and our recent conferences have included ministers from parishes, education, health care, prison chaplaincies, ethnic chaplaincies, universities and also representation from our eastern Catholic Churches. Increasingly, we also have participants from parish teams, and volunteers from parish pastoral councils and other ministry areas.

The Network worked with the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations to develop guidelines for pastoral worker awards. More recently, we had a key role in supporting the development of the Australian Catholic Council for Lay Pastoral Ministry, and had strong input into the writing of the Australian Bishops’ National Handbook for those in Lay Pastoral Ministry, entitled “Faithful Stewards of God’s Grace”.

In 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we took the decision to host a virtual Oceania Conference for Pastoral Ministry. Over 700 people registered with many more engaging in small groups. We estimate well over 1000 participants. We partnered with the Mission Planners Network of Oceania and the Christian Initiation Australia Network. 

Following the success of this initiative, our Network has taken the step to expand to become an Oceania Body.

The Mission Planners Network of Oceania is a professional pastoral planning body that promotes and advocates a culture of planning within the Catholic Church in Oceania. It promotes consultation, facilitates the exchange of knowledge, provision of resources and training among pastoral planners.

In 2022, the Mission Planners Network of Oceania recognised the benefits of formally joining the Pastoral Ministry Network, lending its strength as a permanent Standing Committee and special work.