This blog is an article for the Together Paper of Wagga Wagga Diocese October Edition.
What an incredible month it has been, marking 10 years of Virtue Ministry with the inaugural
Grace & Virtue Dinner, held on Saturday, the 10th day of the 10th month, in Wagga Wagga.
It was an opportunity to gather with past and present teammates, friends and supporters of
Virtue Ministry, alongside participants of the inaugural Grace & Virtue Formation Program, to
reflect on the years that have been and mark the beginning of something new.
As committee members gathered at Uneke Lounge to prepare for the evening, there was an
opportunity to enjoy one another’s company, share stories and recognise something quite
significant. What had begun as a small seed, a tiny idea, had now grown into a committee
that was alive and well and able to support the continued growth of Virtue Ministry.
Much of the work of Virtue Ministry involves tilling the soil, planting seeds and watering them.
Very rarely do we have the opportunity to see the fruit of that labour. This was echoed by our
guest speaker, Tomasz Juszczak, from Donum Ministries and Divine Renovation, who
reminded us that much of the work we undertake in our parishes is not harvesting, but
planting and watering. Remaining faithful to that mission with perseverance, particularly
when we cannot see the fruit, can be difficult.
Tomasz also challenged us to consider how we contribute to our parish communities. Rather
than simply receiving, we are called to find meaningful ways to give. Sometimes this requires
recognising where we might be holding too tightly to particular responsibilities or areas of parish life and learning to make room for others to come forward with their own gifts and
talents.
It was fitting, then, that the evening provided an opportunity to witness some of the fruit
beginning to emerge from the inaugural Grace & Virtue Formation Program.
The evening included a reflection on the beginnings of Virtue Ministry, its original mission
and hopes, and the journey that has brought us to this point. It was also an opportunity to
introduce the newly formed Nature & Grace Committee, established to support local
initiatives focused on formation and building community. Their work has been instrumental in
making the launch of the Formation Program possible.
Committee Chairperson Barbara Chigwidden presented a certificate to Siena Evans, one of
the program participants, who shared her experience of formation and the parish project she
has developed.
Throughout the program, Siena has grown in recognising the gifts she has been given and
discerning how she might put them at the service of the Church. Her parish project is a
meaningful expression of those gifts, while also contributing to the vision her parish priest
holds for their parish. There will be more to share about this project in the future.
Her parish priest, Fr Byrnes, also spoke of the growth he had witnessed in Siena throughout
the program, reflecting on the significant difference even a few more people formed and
willing to contribute in this way could make to parish life.
It was a wonderful reminder of why we began this work ten years ago. Formation is not
simply about what we come to know or understand about ourselves, but about who we are
becoming and what we are then able to give of ourselves to others.
The evening was also filled with laughter, conversation and some enthusiastic auction
bidding! We are enormously grateful to everyone who attended and supported this first
dinner, whether familiar faces who have accompanied Virtue Ministry over the years or those
joining us for the first time.
There was something particularly encouraging about seeing a room full of people who had
chosen to be there, especially on a weekend when so much else was happening.
Initiatives within the Church do not come to life through the vision of one person alone. They
are made possible by those who act, those who encourage and support, those who
contribute financially, lend a hand, pray, spread the word and, perhaps most importantly,
those who show up and offer their presence.
Every person who attended that evening contributed something to the celebration and to the
mission that continues beyond it.
And perhaps this is one of the most important invitations of the Grace & Virtue Dinner: to
remember that the Great Commission is not reserved for a select few. We are not called
simply to receive each Sunday, but to discover how we might also give of ourselves in
service to the mission of the Church.
Each of us has been entrusted with gifts. What we are able to offer will look different
depending on those gifts, the desires God has placed within us and the season of life we are
in. Yet every one of us has something to give. The invitation is to discover what that might be
and how we can put it at the service of others.
As we celebrate ten years of Virtue Ministry, we give thanks for all that has been planted, for
the fruit we have been privileged to witness, and for all that is still to come.
If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the Grace & Virtue Formation
Program in 2027, please email Contact@VirtueMinistry.org.au with an expression of
interest. You will be among the first to know when applications open.
Written by Stina Constantine
Founder of Virtue Ministry and keynote speaker