The Bishops of Australia have appointed a new Director of the National Centre for Evangelisation (NCE).
New Director, Shane Dwyer, will integrate the work carried out by the Catholic Enquiry Centre and the former National Office for Evangelisation.
An experienced Catholic teacher and lecturer, Mr Dwyer’s skills include the creation of adult faith formation resources, producing and delivering theological course material, and the provision of spiritual direction and ministry support across a diocesan, seminary and university setting.
Following the announcement, Chair of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, welcomed the appointment of Mr Dwyer as Director of the newly configured National Centre for Evangelisation.
“Shane’s gifts and his experience of the Church in various parts of Australia will make him a creative and empowering presence in the position, helping dioceses, communities and individuals to discover more of Jesus Christ and take up the great task of proclaiming His Good News in fresh ways,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
In taking on this new role, Mr Dwyer explained that he was attracted to the role by his desire to contribute to the Church’s mission of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in Australia and beyond.
“I hope to bring to this role many years of experience in helping Catholics and others to come to a deepened understanding of our baptismal vocation and how it is the basis of our mission to the world,” he said.
Mr Dwyer is currently the Assistant Director (Formation) with Lasallian Mission Services. He was for some years the Senior Coordinator for Faith Formation with the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, and has also served as the Director (Academic Resources) for the Sydney College of Divinity and as the Academic Dean for the Broken Bay Institute.
In recent years, Mr Dwyer has created a series of spiritual resources and delivered retreats, faith formation seminars and reflections days in the Diocese of Wollongong and the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
He completed a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Gregorian University in 1998 and a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology at the Angelicum University in 1990. He also qualified with a Bachelor of Theology from Sydney College of Divinity and a Bachelor of Arts – English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.