OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Thousands participate in “Mary - First Disciple,” third e-conference held by Australian Bishops' Conference

Broken Bay (Agenzia Fides) – The Mary - First Disciple National eConference goes live today to thousands of participants across the country and the globe this morning, with talks from scripture scholars, bishops and religious figures.
This is the third e-conference organized by the Australian Bishops' Conference and the Broken Bay Institute, to which 300 sites have subscribed (see Fides 27/04/2010). Professor Francis Moloney, a Melbourne-based Salesian priest and the Order's Provincial, will be the key presenter, while others scheduled to give sessions include Australia's Maronite Bishop, Bishop Ad Abikaram, Dr Margaret Ghosn MSHF, on Mary in Eastern Iconography, and Sr. Vivienne Goldstein SM. Among those registered to take part are groups in parishes, Benedictine Monasteries and Abbeys, hospitals, schools and universities, and a group in Sydney's Long Bay Jail. Thirteen sites have been registered in New Zealand as well as sites in Fiji, Paris, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malta, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Swaziland and the USA. I think it shows that people are hungry for really good quality adult faith formation and opportunities to come together as parish communities or workplace communities to reflect on the Gospel and to really allow the Gospel to have a living, active role in our daily lives," said the diocese's Bishop David Walker, member of the Bishops Commission for Mission and Faith Formation. For those unable to follow the program in live, the events will be aired on http://mary.vividas.com (AP) (Agenzia Fides 18/5/2010)