In the lead-up to the Second Assembly of the Synod held in October, social justice expert Dr Sandie Cornish was burning the midnight oil. As one of three Australians appointed to the study groups tasked with reporting to the Synod, the Sydney-based university lecturer and researcher found herself toiling at both ends of the day – not that she was complaining.
In her role as coordinator of Study Group 2: Listening to the cry of the poor, she was helping to unpack questions that fit squarely with her life’s work in the field of Catholic social thought and practice. But the intense workload did take a toll on her sleeping patterns.
‘The eight members of Study Group 2 live and work in Italy, Canada, the US (when not at home in the Democratic Republic of Congo), Ecuador, the Philippines and Australia. Several members have international roles and might join our Zoom meetings from different places,’ she says.
TIME ZONES
‘It isn’t easy to find reasonable meeting times across so many time zones, so I draw the short straw typically, starting our meetings at midnight AEST!’
In the time before the Second Assembly the group was meeting fortnightly, and Sandie was also meeting regularly with volunteers who were helping in the collection of analysis and data.
On top of that she continued with the requirements of her ‘day job’ as a senior lecturer in the National School of Theology at ACU and the national undergraduate course coordinator for the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy. That workload includes sharing her passion and knowledge of social justice and mission with postgraduate students.
It seems Sandie’s first brush with social injustice was as a young girl sitting in the pews at Sunday Mass.
‘We never considered ourselves poor growing up although we were aware that there were plenty of things that other people had that we couldn’t afford,’ she says.
‘It made me angry to hear one parish priest preach against Catholics who sent their children to state schools – while extracting enormous amounts of voluntary labour from my mother. There was no way our family could afford Catholic education for four children and his humiliation of people of modest means was vile.’
In stark contrast, she was inspired by the next parish priest who was the first person to take her theological questions seriously, often rummaging through books to find something to read on the subject she was asking about.
THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE
Her thirst for knowledge continued and her academic achievements saw her become the first in the family to attend university. She completed an economics degree, but in her heart she knew this wasn’t her career path.
‘At university I had joined the Newcastle University Catholic Association. In 1994 some staff from the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace visited our group to talk about the Social Justice Sunday Statement. It was the first I’d heard of such a thing. They introduced me to Catholic social teaching, and it has been my strange passion ever since then.’
Later completing a PhD in practical theology, a licentiate in Catholic social doctrine and ethics from the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a Master of public policy, Sandie’s deep knowledge of Catholic social teaching and theological sources is widely acknowledged. However, it her ability to articulate this knowledge in easy-to-understand ways that sets her apart from many academics.
This talent has led to her being appointed to many positions and committees over the years, including her involvement with the Plenary Council as one of the periti (theological advisers) and a member of the drafting committee.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Other career highlights include her time as national executive officer of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, when she collaborated with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council to establish a ‘never about us without us’ policy.
‘We were the first agency of the Bishops Conference to establish an Indigenous Reference Group and to ensure that someone from NATSICC was at every meeting at which First Nations matters were to be discussed. That was an innovation rather than a common practice in the mid-1990s.’
A few years later she co-authored Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus, a report from the research on the participation of women in the Catholic Church in Australia.
‘It’s hard to believe it was 25 years ago, and sadly we are still talking about the same issues at the Synod. It was a significant achievement to convince the Bishops Committee responsible for the project to undertake multi-method research rather than simply another community consultation . . . and to partner with ACU to ensure academic rigour.’
After working briefly in Hong Kong in the early 2000s coordinating a faith-based human rights organisation, the Asian Centre for the Progress of Peoples, Sandie joined the Broken Bay Institute (now BBI-TAITE) establishing the course unit on Catholic Social Teaching.
‘Later when I was director of the Bishops Conference Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace, I developed a partnership with BBI-TAITE to deliver an adult faith formation course for governors, leaders, staff and volunteers in Catholic organisations on Catholic social justice teachings. That course is still offered.’
FIELD OF FORMATION
Staying in the field of formation, one of her current roles at ACU she particularly enjoys is being part of the academic team developing and delivering the Women’s Leadership for Mission specialisation in the graduate certificate in theology.
‘We are hoping to develop partnerships with Catholic entities that recognise and wish to support and develop women’s contributions in and for a synodal Church that engages effectively with the signs of our times.’
Sandie believes a synodal Church is so needed and applauds the efforts of Pope Francis.
‘Synodality is about practising what we preach about the equal dignity of all persons, about subsidiarity, and about the co-responsibility of all the baptised for mission. It is about eradicating the abuse of power and being genuinely Spirit-led. It is about a call to conversion.
‘None of this is surprising from a pope who took the name Francis – he is rebuilding the church which has been falling down.’
