Parish Pastoral Council
The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) promotes and supports the evangelising mission of the Parish, working in collaboration with the Parish Priest to foster the spiritual and pastoral life of all the Christian faithful. The Parish Pastoral Council enables the members of the Parish community to fulfil their baptismal calling to share in Christ’s mission and to connect their needs and their strengths with the Parish’s plans for the future.
The current Parish Pastoral Council was commissioned at Sunday Mass on 6 August 2023 and will have a key role in developing the Parish Pastoral Plan in consultation with the parish community. This plan will help guide the continuation of the work of renewal in our parish in the service of God’s mission.
The members of the Parish Pastoral Council are:
Plus ex-officio members:
Brigitte Rieger
Brigitte Rieger
I am a second-generation Australian who grew up in the German-Catholic community in Sydney. It was from my parents and faith community that I learnt the values of kindness, generosity, and service. These values guided my calling to become a teacher passionately committed to nurturing strong scholars and resilient human beings. My partner Michael and I moved to Port Macquarie 17 years ago to be with my parents and, like so many of us, we were instantly struck by its natural beauty.
Having long been drawn to the Christian contemplative tradition with its focus on the opening of heart and mind to God through practices such as prayer, meditation, and mindfulness, I feel deeply blessed that I can live out the Church’s rich mystical tradition through my involvement in the Eucharistic and Reader ministries. I believe it is my particular interest in the nexus between ancient spiritual wisdom and contemporary behavioural science, together with my people-centered working style, that will allow me to make a positive contribution to our Parish Pastoral Council. I draw great inspiration from Pope Francis’ call that, “The Church must be a place of mercy, freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live out the good life of the gospel.” (Evangelii Gaudium, par 114).
As a faith community bound together in Christ’s love, it is my hope that we continue to pour this love out into the world, most especially into the margins and beyond; to be a Church “attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness, a mother who, while clearly expressing her objective teaching, always does what she can, even if in the process, her shoes get soiled by the mud of the street.” (Amoros Laetitia, par 308).
Tony McAlister
Tony McAlister
I am originally from Tamworth and lived in Sydney for around 30 years. I am married and have two daughters working and living in Sydney. My wife and I moved to Port Macquarie in early 2019, after I retired. I have visited Port Macquarie for many years, coming here for holidays in my youth, regular trips to see my parents who moved here in 2000, and on holidays with my own family.
Since my time here in Port Macquarie I have participated in one of the Parish Family groups. I also joined St Vincent de Paul Society and regularly attend and work in the Port Macquarie Conference as well as recently being elected President of Hastings Regional Council for the Society representing the region at the Lismore Central Council. I am also currently a member of the Parish company Boards.
My working life was in the corporate sector holding many senior leadership positions in both small and large departments, and project teams primarily in Information Technology. My working style is a straightforward, rational pragmatic style that I find engenders a level of trust and credibility with peers which is required in successful teams to deliver results.
Now that I have more time, I am keen to contribute to the growth of the Parish, especially in endeavours to help the disadvantaged in the community. I look forward to new opportunities for the Parish’s pastoral role to help us further fulfill the Parish’s mission.
Thérèse Freeman
My husband, Ashley, and I have 3 children. They are all happily married and have their own families. We moved to Port Macquarie in 2015 after 26 years in Wagga Wagga. During that time, I was employed by the Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga as a teacher in various positions. I was very active in my Parish of Sacred Heart, Kooringal, particularly working with Fr Wilf Plunkett. I was on the Parish Council, was actively involved with Family Groups and served at Mass in the roles of Extraordinary Minister of Communion and as a Reader.
On arriving in Port Macquarie, I quickly found St Agnes Parish to be very active and positive and I felt very welcome. I am part of the volunteer Pastoral Care team at Emmaus. I am an Extraordinary Minister of Communion, where I give Holy Communion to non-ambulatory residents and conduct the Liturgy of the Word with Holy Communion services. I also undertake the roles of Sacristan, Commentator, Reader and EMHC at Christ the King Chapel.
I bring a spirit of Hope to the Pastoral Parish Council. I hope that I can contribute to the Parish’s ongoing growth and renewal in the Spirit of Synodality. Our Church is at an important crossroad as it seeks to impart its strengths and hope for our world in new ways that touch people’s lives.
Debbie Rennes
Debbie Rennes
I grew up in Bega and was the eldest of seven children. I am married to John, and we have five children and four grandchildren. I attended Signadou Teachers College in Canberra. I have been a primary school teacher for many years and have always enjoyed being with the children I teach and helping them become the best versions of themselves.
I moved to Campbelltown in 1975. I was involved in the Catholic Women’s League and in preparing children for their sacraments in the Parish Sacramental programs. John and I spent many years involved with Engaged and Marriage Encounter. We moved to Port Macquarie in1992. We continued being on team and presenting Marriage Encounter weekends in Sydney. John and I have been involved with Pre- Marriage weekends in Port Macquarie from 1992 until 2019. We have always enjoyed our involvement in Family Groups and were leaders for several years.
What I bring to the PPC are my experiences in sharing my spirituality with others, supporting others to grow in their relationship with God and being a team member. I am open to listening to the ideas and wisdom of others. I am a passionate, quiet, grateful, and reflective person. I am looking forward to offering support, opportunities, and encouragement to help parishioners come to know how much they are loved by God.
My vision is for our parish to become a community where everyone feels involved and cared for. Through discernment and dialogue, we can create opportunities to share our spirituality, honour our faith and our diversity and empower people to be engaged and connected.
Tony Worner
Tony Worner
My family moved to Port Macquarie in 1968 because my father took up the local Commonwealth Bank Manager position. At the beginning of 2020, I moved back to Port Macquarie with my family – wife Justine and three teenage children, Gretel, Elliott, and George – taking up the role of Leader of Formation in the Parish. Over the years, I have worked in the bank, in education, and was ordained a priest. Since leaving ordained ministry I have focussed on a career in teaching, both primary and secondary, and most recently, worked with teachers in the Catholic Schools Offices of Maitland-Newcastle and Toowoomba.
My family and I have tried to live out our baptismal priesthood in the parishes we have resided in. I have a deep sense that spirituality is our ruah (breath), that which keeps us alive. For me, it is linked to my faith – faith through the Catholic Church, something I want to share.
With the continuing recent experience of the Plenary Council, I have a renewed sense of hope and of what might be possible in the Church. Universally, I want to see the Church formally acknowledge the inclusivity being called for, and locally, I want us all, to be open to what the spirit is asking. The experience of working in a team to facilitate this hope, this belief, continues my understanding of our baptismal call.
Matthew Bushe
Matthew Bushe
My wife and I have two boys. We’ve both been connected to this parish since childhood. I have been involved in music ministry within the parish for a very long time. I have taught in two of our parish schools and I am currently the Assistant Principal – Mission at St Joseph’s Regional College.
I was an Altar Server in this parish as a child and from the moment I could play guitar, I have been involved in music ministry within the parish (about 32 years). As a younger teacher, I was appointed to the previous Parish Pastoral Council under Father Donnelly where I served for 10 years. I was also part of a Youth Advisory Council for a time.
Having worked in both Primary and Secondary school context, particularly in the areas of Evangelisation and Ministry, I bring an understanding of the sacramental journeys for our families. I am deeply interested in vibrant liturgies that create opportunities for people to meet God. I enjoy collaborating with others to create solutions, particularly in the area of Catholic identity and service.
My hope is that all parishioners would understand their calling, and how they can best use their gifts and talents for the benefit of the Kingdom. That we would be a parish very much in touch with the needs of the world and our local community and we would meet those needs as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.
Tess Koning
Tess Koning
I grew up in a strong Catholic Italian family near Lismore, as one of five children. I moved to the Hastings region in 2004 as a teacher and leader, working in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Wauchope, then in St Agnes’ Parish. I am married with an eight-year-old daughter and am in the role of Principal at St Peter’s Primary School.
I am nourished through Parish ministry, having served St Agnes’ Parish as a minister of the Word, Eucharistic minister, Musician, Welcomer and Children’s Liturgy. Making a connection between ministry as a leader in our Parish schools and the worshipping community is of great importance to me in fulfilling my baptismal calling.
I have enjoyed being part of the Parish Season of Renewal over the past 15 months, finding ways to connect people with the Parish and looking towards the future. Being able to engage with people of all ages and backgrounds and providing a link between youth and families through our schools, assists me in the work of the Parish Pastoral Council.
My hope for our Parish is that we can enable all people to know they are loved by God and are invited into a vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive Catholic community. In doing this, we are bringing God’s mission to life through engaging authentically with others and living our calling in faith, hope and love.
Shane Hyland
Shane Hyland
I am married with three children, having recently moved to Port Macquarie from the Central Coast of New South Wales. I am a teacher at St Joseph’s Regional College, teaching Studies of Religion and holding the position of Leader of Evangelisation.
I have been formed in the spiritual disciplines of the church and have experience leading retreats for young people and adults. I have pastoral experience in parishes, prisons, hospitals, and aged care. I am passionate about formation for ministry to increase active and conscious participation in the liturgy and service to the marginalised.
Belonging and connecting are central principles of mine. At present, I am discerning the permanent diaconate. I believe that my life experience is the strength that I will use to contribute to the success of the Pastoral Council.
It is my hope that our parish can respond to the signs of the times in the spirit of accompaniment that characterises the ministry of Jesus as he walked beside all those he encountered.
Daniel Barakat
Daniel Barakat
I was born and bred in Parramatta having been brought up in a Lebanese Maronite Catholic household from very hard-working parents who migrated to Australia from North of Lebanon. However, my parents met and married each other in Australia. I am one of five kids and was baptised at Our lady of Lebanon Harris Park and went to school at Holy Family Granville and Delaney College Granville, both proud Catholic schools with a rich heritage. I met and married Sara (from Mexico) here in Australia in 2017 and have been married for five years. God has blessed us with a beautiful daughter named Rebeca who was baptised back in Mexico. I am wanting to bring more families and cultures together in the name of Christ and good food.
As I work in a leadership role, I see myself as not a boss but as a guide, someone to lead by example and learn from each other’s experiences. I bring to our parish 20 years of hard-working working culture, management and empathetic leadership style while learning with my ears and not my mouth. I am a people person.
My family and I follow the steps Christ laid out for us and all Catholics around the world. Always looking to the Holy Bible for guidance and comfort, not to the world, when we require support. We teach this way to our daughter, who also has the guidance of our extended family to always look to Jesus Christ as the pillar of peace and strength in our lives. I want to bring that guidance to other parents in our parish and show them that God starts first at home.
Elizabeth Johnson
Elizabeth Johnson
After relocating from Kempsey to Port Macquarie in 1970, my early faith formation was greatly influenced by the countless faith-filled religious, lay teachers and parishioners led by our beloved Father Leo Donnelly.
At age 16, I travelled to Melbourne to pursue a career with the Australian Ballet which ended prematurely in 1982 due to injury. Having the privilege to work in 2 Sydney Aged Care Homes changed the course of my life. Some of my most rewarding days were spent as a teacher’s assistant, collaborating and staging musical productions, children’s liturgies and youth workshops in parish schools.
My husband Peter and I were married at St Agnes Church 33 years ago, we have 4 adult children and 3 grandchildren.
Involvement in volunteering has enriched my life. Assisting with scripture classes in a Bathurst state school, participation and leadership roles in baptismal and marriage preparation and in faith formation programs.
I am humbled to serve and support the needs of our Parish family and the most vulnerable in our community and beyond. I have a genuine interest and love of people and a desire to share my faith journey with and through my love of scripture to be true to the person God has called me to be.
I ask for your prayers of trust and love as we continue to journey together through this new and exciting stage of renewal. One in Christ. To go out and share the Good News of His great love.
Zac Parnell
Zac Parnell
I moved to Port Macquarie in Year 8 to study at St Joseph’s Regional College. Our family was not Christian, so I did not become Catholic until I served as a Youth Ministry Officer at MacKillop College in 2016. Since then, I have served as a missionary and staff member with NET Ministries Australia, worked for the Catholic Church of Brisbane, commenced Theological studies at ACU, married my high-school sweetheart, and started a family; with our 18-month-old Noah, and recently arrived daughter Eden. We moved home to Port Macquarie earlier this year so we could be closer to family and so I could work in the Parish as the Youth Coordinator.
In this role I not only bring experience in engaging young people in their faith but working with Parish communities from around the country in their season of growth and renewal. I love music, I play the guitar, drums, sing when needed, and am pretty handy at operating audio mixing desks. I hope that our Church would be so alive and active that my children will grow up to call it home.
