Mick Chalkley is Chair of the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council and a member of the Diocesan Finance Council. A parishioner at St Therese’s Kennington and educator, he believes the SMPC can help to create thriving vibrant parishes through authentic listening, and by embracing the gifts of people across the Diocese.
At their first meeting in April, Members of the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC) recognised the critical need for their discernment and decision making to be well informed. To ensure robust communication between the leadership councils it was agreed that two Members of the SMPC would attend the College of Consultors (as participants without voting rights), and one Member would become a Member of the Diocesan Finance Council (DFC).
Bishop Shane who is, of course, a Member of the SMPC, DFC and College of Consultors, welcomed this decision, keen for Members of all groups, including himself, to learn and grow from the unique perspectives of others. He appointed Mick as a Member of the DFC, an advisory body that makes recommendations to him on financial operations of the Diocese, including budgeting and management of diocesan assets.
Mick explained his role on the two councils (SMPC & DFC). “I like Bishop Shane’s idea of casting different lenses across things. Most people on the Finance Council are professionally involved in finance – that’s not my background, I’m offering a different voice. Obviously, I understand budgeting, having managed large budgets in education, but I probably will look at things differently,” he said.
“I’ve only been to one Finance Council meeting so far,” said Mick. “The DFC advises the Bishop on the best use of the Diocese’s resources. There’s a strong focus on budgeting where and how resources will be used for the coming year, but also looking at the assets of the Church and how to best manage them financially. I found that there is an obvious commitment to being true to Catholic teaching. It’s not just about managing finances, it’s about making the best use of financial resources to do God’s work and find appropriate ways to progress that,” said Mick.
For Mick, managing the Diocese’s financial resources ethically is very important, but he acknowledges it is not as easy as one might think. “It’s almost impossible to invest appropriately in major medical companies that have not been touched by stem-cell research for example.”
Mick believes that we take for granted that capitalist values are now the status quo and suggests that we need to employ a value system that directly prioritises the common good. “I think too often there is a hiding behind this notion of doing things for the betterment of shareholders. I think shareholders would be happy to have a reasonable profit, and be doing good for our community as well,” he explained.
As a Member of the SMPC, Mick brings his experience as a married man with adult children and a depth of experience in Catholic education and parish life. A life-long local, Mick also brings a wealth of intergenerational knowledge; his family has been in the Greater Bendigo area since 1862 and he is a committed parishioner of St Therese’s Kennington, where his parents were founding members when it was established in 1966.
“I’m a lay person, a married man with adult children and years of experience in education, so I hope I’m sharing that lens with the SMPC,” he said. Mick is of the view that the only real way to look at issues from another’s perspective is by engaging in authentic listening. “A lot of what the SMPC does is about authentic listening,” says Mick. “The SMPC needs to be a body that does listen, and is seen to be listening. It has a direct link to the Bishop, so it is very important for people to understand that recommendations from the SMPC come after listening and discernment.”
Mick is well placed to be a conduit of information and ideas between various Catholic bodies in the Diocese; he’s had his ear to the ground for a long time. Currently the Co-principal of St Peter’s Primary School in North Bendigo, Mick has worked in Catholic Education for 36 years, including 26 years at Catholic College Bendigo in roles of Principal, Deputy Principal and Religious Education Coordinator. He’s a member of the Knights of the Southern Cross, has been involved in the ecumenical Bendigo Winter Night Shelter, and is an active parishioner at St Therese’s Parish, Kennington, where he has chaired the Parish Pastoral Council.
As a seasoned listener, Mick knows that listening raises questions. “There are a whole lot of questions about who we are listening to – the ones with the loudest voice? The ones who are not involved in parish life? Should we make decisions based on listening to only a few?”
Mick says the SMPC will not only need to listen to people in the Diocese, but also to effectively communicate why a decision or recommendation to the Bishop was made. “Too often decisions are made, and people don’t know where the decision came from,” he said. “We need to pinpoint where a decision comes from and why, and that gives it authority.”
Mick is aware that for some people in the Diocese there is a scepticism that the SMPC might talk a lot and not have any real impact on parish life. “The SMPC can make a difference. We can work to greater participation across our Diocese and create a more vibrant and inclusive Church. We’ve got to open our doors and meet people where they’re at. It’s not all about people turning up on Sunday. It’s about vibrant parishes. I think some people are frightened by what might blow in if we open the doors; I don’t think we need to fear that,” says Mick.
One of the most authentic ways to evangelise is to create environments in which people thrive and feel joy and purpose. Joy-filled vibrant parishes are themselves evangelising – people are attracted to these places. Mick says the SMPC can help to create vibrant parishes by embracing the talents and skills of people in meaningful ways and this, in turn, will impact those around them. “The SMPC will have a significant impact if it embraces the talents of more people in more areas across the Diocese, particularly women. Lots of people feel that their involvement in their parish is tokenistic; we are short-changing ourselves in a big way by not utilising their skills in meaningful ways,” says Mick.
It seems Bishop Shane is on the same wavelength, appointing Mick to two Councils where Mick’s depth of knowledge and experience, and commitment to Christian values are being deployed for the common good of those in the Diocese.
If you would like to get in contact with the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council, please phone the Chancery on 5445 3600, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
