STORY - "Called to Account "

It is difficult to imagine a person better qualified – personally as much as professionally – for the ministry of Vice Chancellor Administration, than Greg Baynie, who commenced working in the diocese in November.

In creating the position, and that of Teresa Brierley, Vice Chancellor Pastoral Ministries, Bishop Michael completed the fulfilment of recommendations of a series of planning meetings attended by the Diocesan Executive Team and Heads of Agencies in 2004. Greg is a member of Bishop Michael's Executive Leadership Team, with responsibility for supporting, overseeing and resourcing diocesan financial and administrative services. These services include the Financial Secretariat, Catholic Development Fund, Property and Archives, Communications, Information Technology, Human Resources and Legal Services. He also supports the administrative and planning work of the parishes.

In speaking about his role, Greg refers often to notions of leadership, stewardship and integration. “My role requires me to work closely with clergy and staff across a diverse range of parishes, services, agencies, ministries and communities. By planning the appropriate allocation of ever-finite resources, I hope we can continue to achieve the most desirable outcomes for the church.”

His broad experience and qualifications suggest that he is soundly prepared for a very demanding position. Before beginning work here, Greg was Diocesan Financial Administrator for the Maronite Catholic Diocese of Australia, based at Strathfield, for four years. Prior to this he held executive management appointments with the Trustees of the Christian Brothers, based at their High School at Lewisham, Wesley Mission Sydney, for their aged and care services, and the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital and Community Health Services.

At 43, Greg is the embodiment of the current wisdom that anticipates several careers rather than steady progress upward in one field. While he reflects positively, even affectionately, on his experience in health, aged and community services, and education, the common thread is a passion for leading church and community organisations whose ministry is based on care and upholding the dignity of individuals. While still at school, Greg considered priesthood but concluded that while he knew he had a vocation, he was less sure that it was a calling to priesthood. Now he says, “When I look back I think the calling was always there and I just had to be open to it. There was a calling to be involved in church leadership in some way.”

A strong sense of ‘call' permeates Greg's conversation, and maybe its origin lies in an early event which had profound implications. As a tiny baby Greg was seriously ill. His distraught yet devout parents had great faith in Our Lady of Mt Carmel, and as they made a novena to her, they promised that if their child was spared, and they were granted a daughter, they would name her Carmel as a sign of their gratitude. Greg recovered and thrived, and Carmel duly arrived on the Feast of the Assumption. That's a lovely story, which no doubt Greg's wife Cathy, and their three daughters Emma (17), Sarah (13) and Bethany (8), have heard often!

Greg has a great ability to identify ‘markers' in his story that pointed a way forward. On leaving school at St Leo's College, Wahroonga, he sought a reference from his parish priest. Fr Phil Wicks wrote that, “Greg will be one of our leaders in the future.” As time passed, this became almost a mandate for Greg, and his position in our diocese is a significant step.

Greg says that he is “really comfortable with the way Bishop Michael has set up the position of Vice Chancellor because it allows him to take into account the pastoral goals of the church, whilst juggling the daily commercial and business challenges of the diocese. While his Master's degree in Business Administration, and a Bachelor's degree in Education are appropriate for this role, further qualifications in General and Intensive Care Nursing, as well as a Diploma of Catechetics, are a bonus and reflect the diverse experiences that Greg brings to our diocese and his daily work.

Greg's position is unique in that it is a canonical requirement of the church. Integral to Greg's role are the dictates of Canon Law, which prescribe the ingredients for wise stewardship of the church's temporal goods:

Christian stewardship is the practical realisation that every thing we have is a gift from God. Stewardship expresses itself as an integral force in Christian life by motivating us to share our goods with others. We are absolute owners of nothing; rather, we are stewards of all we receive and we must use such resources responsibly in our lifelong work of building up the kingdom of God . (Canon 1263, The Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary 1985)

While careful planning, efficiency and sound management are hallmarks of an effective diocesan financial administrator, a Vice Chancellor also requires a genuine understanding of the vision and mission of the church, and a willingness to engage with people at every level. The appointment of Teresa Brierley as Vice Chancellor Pastoral Ministries and Greg as Vice Chancellor Administration is a clear indication of Bishop Michael's confidence in the ability of lay people to make significant contributions to diocesan life.

.Tracey Edstein

Back to Aurora Homepage