Members of Sydney’s Chinese Catholic Pastoral Community gathered on Saturday at St Joseph’s Retreat Centre in Baulkham Hills for a leadership renewal conference, a day shaped by reflection, formation, and a deep sense of mission. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Central to the day was a series of workshops led by Daniel Ang, director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, and Tania Rimac of the Parish Renewal Team within the retreat centre, who helped participants reflect on the kind of leadership needed to faithfully embody that vision.
Drawing from Scripture and the life of Christ, Mr Ang invited attendees to reimagine leadership not as status or function, but as an act of love and humble service.
“To lead in the way of Christ is to descend,” he said, “not out of duty alone, but out of love. It is leadership rooted not in position, but in presence – a daily ‘yes’ to God’s call.”
Since March 19, 1954, when Fr Paschal Chang OFM and Bishop Leonard Hsu established the Franciscan Chinese Mission in Sydney, the Chinese Catholic community has grown into a multi-generational, culturally rich presence within the archdiocese.
The acquisition of the Asiana Centre in 1963 provided a spiritual and cultural home for many years, followed by the development of Francisville Retreat Centre in 1973 and later integration with St Peter Julian’s Church in 1985.
The community lives its vision through initiatives that serve both faith and culture, including Chinese language schools, university student outreach, youth and seniors’ ministries, retreats, and charity partnerships like Vinnies.
These ministries reflect a core belief that Chinese Catholics in Sydney are called not just to preserve tradition, but to proclaim the Gospel with joy, drawing people to Christ through lives of witness, service, and prayer.
The conference marked a fresh chapter in their story, grounded in the community’s conviction that, through a shared baptism, they are called to be a Eucharistic and sacramental people of faith, hope, and love, proclaiming Christ through the four key priorities of evangelisation, pastoral care, liturgy, and spiritual formation.
FULL STORY
Chinese Catholic leadership renewal conference (The Catholic Weekly)
