The Council for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) aims to promote the participation of women in the Catholic Church of Australia. Established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in 2000, the council is committed to ongoing dialogue regarding the participation of women in the Catholic Church. A small contact group was formed in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in 2002 and has remained active.
Members of the group in the diocese have participated in many aspects of the CACW. The group has hosted the CACW Photographic Exhibition, conducted launches of the publications "And the Dance Goes On" and "HeartSpace" and each year celebrates International Women's Day with Mass in the Cathedral followed by morning tea and a guest speaker.
Women from the diocese have been published in both publications mentioned above and were featured in the Photographic Exhibition.
The group meets locally four times per year, usually following the national meeting.
The Magdalene Award
Inaugurated in the Year of Mercy, the Magdalene Award seeks to recognise a Catholic woman who lives out her faith in a way that makes a real difference to the lives of others in her community.
Click here for more information about Magdalene Award 2020 nominations
Contact Helene O'neill & Tracey Edstein
E helene.oneill@mn.catholic.org.au and tracey.edstein@bigpond.com
Survey
In 2014 The Council for Australian Catholic Women Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Contact Group conducted a survey in the Diocese. Read the final report - Listening to Local Women.
