Victoria

Background

The Victorian Chapter is the largest chapter in the Academy consisting of some 30 members.

Several members are based in rural centres or on the outskirts of Melbourne. The average attendance at meetings is 12 to 15.

Chapter Convener

Stephen Millington ARMIT (Aeronautical Engineering), BTheol (Hon)

Contact by email milling@alphalink.com.au

Meeting Details

We meet from 4:30 pm to 6 pm on the second Wednesday of March, May, July, September and November at St Francis Pastoral Centre, Lonsdale Street Melbourne.

News for start of 2011

At the January 2011 AAL Conference the VIC Chapter members chose Stephen Millington for the role of the Chapter convener.

The first chapter meeting of the year was held on 16th March. (The normal meeting date of the second Wednesday of March was Ash Wednesday, so the meeting was delayed one week.)
At that meeting we discussed the question: “Can the words spoken and the liturgical actions performed in one location have the same efficacy in another, especially for the Eucharist, when those words and actions are conveyed over a two way electronic communication medium, such as Skype or video conferencing?” This discussion originated from one of the morning prayer liturgies at the AAL Conference where an audio-visual hook-ups was used to enable a single liturgy to span two locations. (This was not one service being beamed to an audience elsewhere, but a two-way link that allowed interactive participation from both locations.) We had an extremely interesting discussion and a stimulating evening.

At our next meeting (11th May) we intend to discuss involvement in planning and conduct of multi-faith services that follow large disasters such as the recent floods, earthquakes and tsunamis.

The H.F. Leatherland Exhibition

The Victorian Chapter in conjunction with the Melbourne College of Divinity has responsibility for the H.F. Leatherland Exhibition, a prize given every biennial year for an essay on a liturgical topic and if suitable published in the Australian Journal of Liturgy. Appointed members of the Victorian Chapter with the Melbourne College of Divinity also form the H.F. Leatherland trust.

The Austen James Lecture

The Victorian Chapter also sponsors the Austen James Lecture given from time to time by a liturgical scholar.