About New Pentecost Forum

The New Pentecost Forum is a partnership and meeting place for many church and faith-based community groups and individuals involved in peace, justice, welfare, development, and ecology. It is an opportunity to showcase and exchange between groups and is not a movement or organisation in itself.

The New Pentecost Forum is an affirmation of faith-based participation in public and political life as well as diversity and inclusiveness within the church. Each year the meeting is on Pentecost Sunday. The day is a symbol of dialogue and diversity – different tongues speaking and a place in which the disciples became aware of their evangelising mission.

The Forum is about you

The key to the Forum's success over the years has been the focus organisers place on you and your organisation. The Forum provides the opportunity to meet and the space to gather in the spirit of participation, diversity and cooperation. We call this the "free space" method of organisation. Anyone may offer to organise an event around any topic or interest. Please check the workshop section of this website to see how. Other planned initiatives include free information stalls in which you can use to promote issues that are of interest to you or your organisation.

The speakers

It has been a tradition for New Pentecost Forum to invite international speakers who are significant emerging thinkers or activists but who may not be well known in Australia. The 2007 international guest is Rev Dr Jojo Fung, a Malaysian Jesuit priest who ministers to Malaysia's Orang Asli indigenous people. His perspective will have relevance as we celebrate the anniversary of the 1967 referendum which recognised Indigenous Australian human rights. Dr Fung will be joined by Sr Susan Connelly, a Josephite Sister and well-known advocate for East Timor, Mr Tony Kevin, a distinguished former Australian ambassador to Poland and Cambodia and 2003 "International Whistleblower of the Year", and respected Indigenous Christian leader Mr Graeme Mundine.

More biographical information

Initiating organisations

Initiating partners or sponsors include the Australian Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ACMICA), Australian Catholic University (ACU), Cardijn Lay Community (CLC), Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre, Edmund Rice Centre, Pax Christi (NSW, QLD, NZ), Franciscan Justice and Peace Office, Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia, Young Christian Workers (YCW - VIC, NSW), Young Christian Students (YCS - NSW), Young People for Development (YPD), Online Catholics magazine, The Mercy Foundation, Tradewinds Tea & Coffee and more! Many of these organisations and new ones will participate this year.

You are invited to join this project and share our vision.

The logo

The seven points represent Pentecost (seven weeks) and Australia (the states and national flag). It was originally based on antique star quilts which symbolises unity in diversity.