Parish employees have been acknowledged for their invaluable service to the archdiocese at the recent “Parish Office Professionals’ Day”.
94 attendees representing 63 parishes, close to two-thirds of the archdiocese, were present for the annual in-service and networking event.
The large turnout necessitated a shift from the traditional venue at the Francis Rush Centre into the Australian Catholic University’s post-graduate course campus in the CBD.
The success of the day underscores how “POPs” days are now highly valued, both for the affirmation they provide and also the ongoing resources and connections employees can draw upon in their role.
This year’s event honoured over 50 employees reaching milestones of between 10 and 30 years of service.
Workshops were conducted by a number of church agencies, ranging from ultra-practical areas of insurance, blue cards and the new MYOB cloud-based accounting system to the ultra-pastoral area of embracing cultural sensitivity.
The day’s program was co-ordinated by the Human Resources department on behalf of Archdiocesan Services and the Archdiocesan Development Fund.
Ms Diane Lally, Director of Human Resources, said she hoped the day reassured all parish employees of the support and help available to them from within the Archdiocese.
“The energy during the day from attendees, presenters and sponsors kept everyone interested in every topic discussed and the information shared and reinforced resulted in the day proving to be of great value to all participants,” Ms Lally said.
“We believe the attendees are already talking about coming next year – and the date of 26th October 2016 has been set in anticipation.
“The new venue with its latest technology and new facilities was also a great success,” she said.
The farthest travelled office professional came from the Kingaroy parish.
Fr Malachy Onuoha, Parish Priest from Gatton-Laidley parish in the Lockyer Valley, also attended.