You’re invited to join the 2026 Mission Inspired Leadership Cohort. Mission Inspired Leadership, with more than 250 Alumni, is a Professional Development Program of five evening workshops for leaders, board members and expert practitioners in Catholic social services and connected sectors. Throughout the learning program, participants partake in workshops led by expert facilitators from across the Catholic ecosystem, learning how Catholic social principles can be applied to deliver social impact, strengthen organisational mission and thrive sustainably for the common good.
To maintain integrity in a highly changeable environment, Catholic social services leaders need to build and maintain a strong sense of confidence in Catholic community organisations to best engage in the creative diversity of our sector and face the challenge of keeping to core purpose.
Although designed primarily with Catholic social services’ staff and board directors in mind, participants from other sectors have also found this program useful and applicable to their contexts in Diocesan, Health and Education settings.
See session outlines and facilitators below.
Learning outcomes:
- Deepen understanding of the Catholic social services ecosystem – to further mission collaboratively
- Explore Catholic social teaching as a creative framework – for services and advocacy
- Connect critical decision-making to organisational purpose – with shared principles
- Consider how business practices can support mission – to embed equity and sustainability
- Discover new ways of delivering social impact – sustainably with integrity
- Build connection with peers – in a social, spiritually enriching shared-learning environment.
The program will be held over five sessions at 4-6PM AEST: 28 May; 18 June; 9 July; 23 July; 13 August
Cost: CSSV Members: $400, Non-Members: $500 (includes take-home resources)
Location: Online (the program may run hybrid, online and from East Melbourne, depending on registrations)
Registration deadline: Thursday, 14 May.
Enquiries: office@css.org.au
Previous Feedback:
- It has been an experience that made an impact on me as a person and my approach to mission.
- Thank you for an inspiring Mission Leadership Program that ended with a bang and focused on practical action with Jayne’s session on delivering social sustainability.
- I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for hosting the recent Mission Inspired Leadership Program. It was an enriching experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate and learn from such insightful discussions. The presenters provided a wealth of knowledge that I am eager to apply to my own leadership journey. The content was valuable, thank you for the resources sent via post. I look forward to staying connected and continuing to grow as a leader inspired by the mission driven approach discussed in the sessions.
Mission Inspired Leadership Alumni Evening, 2025
Learning Program Outline and Presenters
1. ENGAGE AND COLLABORATE – in the Catholic social care ecosystem
Date: Thursday 28th May 2026
The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of social and education services in Australia. When compared to more centralised approaches in the social care sector, working in the Catholic social services ecosystem offers more opportunity to innovate and collaborate. How can Catholic organisations harness these opportunities, and how can Catholic social care thrive in a broader social service sector made up of faith-based, secular, charitable and for-profit providers who sometimes operate in competition with each other? This workshop will equip you to best navigate complexity and work across organisational boundaries for the common good.
Facilitator: Dr Debra Sayce, Chief, Mission Enhancement and Outreach, Archdiocese of Perth
Dr Debra Sayce is Chief, Mission Enhancementand Outreach for the Archdiocese of Perth. She is a highly regarded leader in Catholic Education in Western Australia and nationally, having previously served as Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Ltd. Debra holds an MBA, a Doctor of Education from the University of Notre Dame Australia and a Master of Education (Religious Studies) from Edith Cowan University. Debra has a deep understanding of how connection between Catholic sectors and agencies can enhance our work.
2. KEEP TO PRINCIPLE – considering and applying Catholic social principles in service and community contexts
Date: Thursday 18th June 2026
Principles are our values in action – and Catholic social teaching has an inspiring but little-understood canon of social principles to guide our vital social service work. They are designed to be universally understood and applied by people of various faiths or none. How can these principles assist Catholic social service providers to respond innovatively to contemporary social, cultural and economic challenges? How might these values assist discernment and decision making? How might they be embedded as organisational culture? And why do they remain relevant as service providers’ Catholic identities adapt? Learn about how core Catholic principles promote human dignity and solidarity with the excluded and how they apply when taking action at the local level for the common good.
Facilitator: Dr Dan Fleming, National Director – Ethics, St Vincent’s Health Australia
Dr Dan Fleming is National Director of Ethics for St Vincent’s Health Australia and an Adjunct Professor of Ethics in the School of Medicine for the University of Notre Dame, Australia. Dan holds a PhD in moral philosophy and theology, and is the author of over fifty academic and media publications in the areas of moral philosophy, theological ethics and moral education. Dan’s most recent publication is the 2023 volume Doing Theology and Theological Ethics in the Face of the Abuse Crisis, co-edited with James F. Keenan SJ and Hans Zollner SJ.
3. TRUE TO PURPOSE – how to hold Catholic organisations in mission
Date: Thursday 9th July 2026
How can we stay true to purpose and the best of the dynamic Catholic tradition our organisations have developed within? How might mission and purpose be held as central in organisational practises in a shifting social and political environment and the increasing variety of pressures provided by Government, funding and accreditation requirements? This session will explore creative peer-based leadership approaches for engaging a diverse workforce that inspire rather than compel, and how mission can be kept at the forefront.
Facilitator: Pip McIlroy, Group Director, Mission and Pastoral Care, Mercy Health
Pip McIlroy is Group Director of Mission and Pastoral Care at Mercy Health. Pip has worked across a number of Catholic agencies, including previously as People and Leadership Development Manager at Jesuit Social Services and in ethics and mission integration for St Vincent’s Health Australia. Pip is a Board Member of The Cardoner Network, the young adult ministry of the Jesuits in Australia. She holds postgraduate qualifications in Theology and Teaching.
4. MISSION IN OPERATIONS – considering business practices as core to justice
Date: Thursday 23rd July 2026
As Catholic organisations, the responsibility of enacting mission lies with the whole organisation. Our identity and ethos compel us to be consistent across processes. How can and should our mission to build a more just society extend to all business operations, such as procurement, investment and hiring practices, which often reflect the unjust structures we work to dismantle? This session will explore how organisations can drive systemic change throughout all operations – not just on the front line.
Facilitator: Dr Julie Edwards OAM, CEO, Jesuit Social Services
Julie Edwards is CEO of Jesuit Social Services, having joined the organisation in 2001. Julie has over 40 years’ experience engaging with marginalised people and families experiencing breakdown and trauma. She is a social worker, family therapist, and a grief and loss counsellor. Julie has a Master’s in social work and brings a developed understanding of organisational mission to her work, having completed a PhD in organisational identity. Julie has served on a number of government and philanthropic committees working to promote a more just society and contribute to the wellbeing our community.
5. DELIVER SOCIAL IMPACT SUSTAINABLY – how to thrive together for the common good
Date: Thursday 13th August 2026
This final session brings the first four together and focuses on practical action. How can core purpose and associated principles be best applied within the Catholic social services sector and in our broader community in a shifting social and political environment? Learn how to maintain mission and quality under present and prospective funding models and accreditation requirements while leading and working in teams from diverse backgrounds. Adopt a strategic approach that brings together delivery of social impact and organisational sustainability for the common good.
Facilitator: Anne Kirwan, CEO, Marymead CatholicCare Canberra Goulburn
Anne has held the position of Chief Executive Officer of CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn since 2014. She is a Registered Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in the social services sector. Anne commenced her career working in homelessness services, and has overseen youth, employment, mental health and disability & aged care services during her time with CatholicCare. Anne has held various Board positions including being the President of ATODA (Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Association of the ACT). Anne holds post tertiary qualifications in Psychology, Leadership and Adult Mental Health.
With thanks to Catholic Development Fund for their support