Wollongong mum and former teacher Lisa de Paiva will use a liturgical studies scholarship to empower the next generation of Catholics in her parish and beyond. Source: ACU.
Ms de Paiva is the recipient of the 2025 ACU Centre for Liturgy Postgraduate Scholarship, which is awarded to eligible students studying a Master of Theological Studies specialising in liturgical studies.
“I’m focusing on empowering the next generation and giving them the tools to come forward, to help and participate actively in parishes in a way that encourages co-responsibility,” Ms de Paiva said.
“Parishes need to give young people a chance otherwise they’re going to be turned away and think, what’s the point of coming to church?”
Ms de Paiva’s approach to liturgical formation stems from her own experience as a former lapsed Catholic.
Born into a Portuguese Catholic family, Ms de Paiva stepped away from the Church as a teenager but became strengthened in her faith while studying teaching at the University of Wollongong.
After having her daughter in 2010, Ms de Paiva made a personal decision to homeschool, opening opportunities to volunteer at her local parish, Lumen Christi in Wollongong.
“I told myself, God didn’t ask much of Mary, all he asked her to do was say yes, and he’s not asking much more of me,” Ms de Paiva said.
She is now coordinator of the parish’s sacramental preparation, supports the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and oversees the formation of lectors and altar servers.
As her parish volunteer work increased over the years, Ms de Paiva decided to return to study “because I knew my faith, but didn’t know how to articulate it to others”.
She enrolled in a Master of Theological Studies at ACU, and after attending a liturgy conference in Brisbane in 2023, developed a passion for liturgical studies.
“Everything flows from and towards the liturgy and without it, you can’t do anything else, and we especially can’t evangelise,” Ms de Paiva said.
The director of ACU’s Centre for Liturgy, Clare Johnson, said Ms de Paiva exemplified a bright new generation of Catholics training to become qualified liturgists.
“We encourage anyone with an interest in liturgy, liturgical music, sacraments and liturgical ministries to join Lisa and other keen students to advance their understanding of this central part of our Catholic faith,” Professor Johnson said.
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Wollongong mum on liturgy scholarship hopes to close a looming generation gap (ACU)
