The logo for the Australian Catholic Council for Lay Pastoral Ministry has been created to reflect the mandate given to it by the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry. That mandate requested Council members to plan for the current and future needs of Lay Pastoral Ministry in Australia.

Council members from across Australia have been meeting since November 2011. They have discussed the many and varied aspects of Lay Pastoral Ministry in the Catholic Church, as it operates within Australia and overseas. One of the directives from the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry was for the Council to develop an information network for lay pastoral ministers across Australia.

To that end, and mindful of access to modern communications, the Council has commenced the production of Lay Pastoral Ministry News and selected a logo to use in its networking. Logos are a powerful visual first point of contact for the viewer.

The logo design chosen for Lay Pastoral Ministry News is of concentric circles and a cross. It was created to encompass the concepts of collaboration and co-responsibility between ordained and lay ministry. These concepts have been promoted by the Papacy, particularly since Vatican Council II and are part of a growing theology about lay pastoral ministry. The concentric circles are dynamic and echo the ripples on water when a pebble is thrown. The colour blue reflects both the waters of Baptism and the oceans that bound our island continent. The ochre and the brown mirror the colours and spirit of “our golden soil.” The central placement of the cross is indicative of the core position that God holds in our work and lives.

This article was first published in Lay Pastoral Ministry eNews on Thursday 29th October 2015.