Communio Calling

Living Discernment is the focus our latest episode. Following on from Dr Carmel Posa's earlier episode and her insights on Benedict and Discernment, host Gabrielle Sinclair welcomes Carmel back to deep a little deeper and unpack what it means to cultivate discernment within contemporary educational communities.

In this enriching conversation, host Gabrielle Sinclair and special guests Jenni Hickson and Martin Teulan explore what it means to see the world through a Catholic lens. We celebrate our communities being places of welcome, so when we expand the table of hospitality to include diverse voices how do we ensure our ministry remains Catholic? Drawing on their own stories of faith, family and vocation...

Living Discernment through the lens of prayer and community is the formation theme for GSE in 2026. To give some context for our theme we offer you, Listening, Thinking and Discernment – The Old and the New , a presentation by Dr Carmel Posa sgs. This deep engagement in understanding discernment was a keynote from our 2025 Triennial Conference, and is the perfect way to launch our year.  Drawing o...

For Communio Calling's final episode for 2025 join host Gabrielle Sinclair in conversation with GSE students who attended the International Benedictine Youth Congress (IBYC). An initiative of the International Commission for Benedictine Education (ICBE), the congress took place at Sant'Anselmo, Rome, from 19-21 September.  Six students from Rosebank College represented the Australian-Pac...

To honour Scholastica Gibbons, co-founder of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, on the anniversary of her death (October 15) this episode is a treasure trove of rich conversation on the life and legacy of Mother Scholastica. Host Gabrielle Sinclair welcomes Joanna Mead, Paul O’Shea, and Fran Vella, who together share fresh insights and personal reflections on Scholastica’s journey - from family in...

In this episode of Communio Calling, we bring you our first keynote presentation from the Triennial Conference, Weaving Educational Baskets: Centering Indigenous Knowledges in Leadership, Learning and Systems, presented by Kelly Humphrey.  Kelly Humphrey is a proud Gomeroi woman, and the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) at Australian Catholic University. With degrees in Education and The...

Hear from our Prophetic Voices 2025 students at the Triennial Conference, ‘Ever Ancient Ever New’—now available in the latest Communio Calling episode. This year’s topics: • Mental Health: Stewarding Supportive Communities • Access to Education for All: Rural, Remote, and Vulnerable Communities Students answered audience questions and shared honest reflections. Listen in to discover their perspect...

In June, GSE Staff Immersion participants journeyed to Timor-Leste, taking part in the first staff immersion since 2019. The group included staff from our GSE schools, the Good Samaritan Schools Network (GSSN) and, GSE. The 8-day immersion saw participants learn about the country's rich history and witness the impact of the work of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, particularly the work of S...

In this special NAIDOC Week episode, we invite listeners into a reflective conversation about reconciliation with members of the GSE Reconciliation Action Plan Working Party. Recorded in the lead-up to National Reconciliation Week 2025, this insightful and honest conversation is filled with both hope and frustration, reflecting on the imperfect journey of reconciliation that each of us—and Austral...

Ten years ago today, 24 May 2015, Pope Francis's letter to the world about Care for Our Common Home, Laudato Si', was born. In this episode our host Gabrielle Sinclair is joined in heartfelt conversation with Jacqui Remond and Beth Riolo. Recorded days before the conclave which elects Pope Leo XIV, they reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis as a 'Pope of Creation' and our ongoi...

In this episode, Judith Sutera OSB joins Gabrielle Sinclair to explore how the Benedictine tradition offers a grounded, inclusive, and deeply human lens for understanding who we are and how we live together. In this enriching conversation, Sr Judith shares her own Benedictine journey and highlights the importance of articulating faith and tradition with care and intention.  Judith is a member of M...

Special guest Joan Chittister OSB shares her insights on what the Benedictine way of life can teach us beyond the cloisters. In her eighties now, Joan has authored an extensive list of books, from commentaries on the Rule of Benedict to the call for action on climate change. Her words, insights and reflections have shaped, challenged, and inspired many to reengage with the monastic worldview. Join...

In Season Five's first episode in the Year of Jubilee, host Gabrielle Sinclair is joined in dialogue with Elizabeth Carrillo OSB from the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, Kansas. In our Year of Stewardship, they engage in a nuanced conversation about our sacred home with awe and wonder while also looking at how we engage the lens of Benedictine stewardship. Elizabeth br...

In our final episode for 2024, we unpack the evolving story of GSE and the journey regarding changes to the governance structure that will come into effect in 2025. Moira Najdecki, Jane Comensoli and Biljana Apostolova join host Gabrielle Sinclair for this important conversation. Moira, Jane and Biljana share with us the journey of discernment to more clearly articulate and structure the civil ide...

Prophetic Voices, our student voices forum returned in 2024. Host Gabrielle Sinclair is in conversation with some of GSE students reflecting on their experiences and unpack their final statements. This year the students investigated the topics: Integral Ecology: In a Culture of Consumerism Towards a Future of Non-Violence: Domestic and Family Violence Reconciliation: Beyond the ‘No’ Vote Students...

In this special episode, Gabrielle Sinclair is joined in conversation with Sister Teresa Jackson OSB, the prioress of the Centre for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of St Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho. Sister Teresa, with wit, strength and vulnerability, shares her faith journey and the steps of transformation she and her community are evolving in their expression of Benedictine life and ministr...

In this episode of Communio Calling we talk with a well-known face in Good Samaritan circles and beyond, Monica Dutton, taking a look at cross-cultural immersion programs and their significance within the GSE community. Based on the knowledge gained through Monica's experience and academic thesis, she shares the key components to foster transformative outcomes, for individuals, school communi...

Catherine McCahill sgs, Sisters of the Good Samaritan Congregational Leader, sits down with host Gabrielle Sinclair to unpack their Statement of Directions for 2023-2029. Discerned at last year’s Chapter, the statement gives shape and direction to the Sisters of the Good Samaritan's lives and ministries. In conversation, Catherine shares with us her own journey and stories of the audacious wo...

In this episode, we hear Sister Antonia Curtis OSB share with us the journey behind her new book ‘I Give You My Word’. A practical guide in Lectio Divina. Written with educators, parishes and lay people in mind, I Give You My Word is a culmination of Antonia’s learnings and experience of sharing and teaching Lectio Divina.  It is a remarkable gift to the world. You can purchase your copy at the li...

Special guest Dr Carmel Bendon, academic, author, and presenter, sits down with host Gabrielle Sinclair to discuss the life and legacy of 13th-century Benedictine abbess, Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard’s vast knowledge, mystical teachings, and body of works has made her an inspirational model of holy audacity, she is one of the four female ‘Doctors of the Church’. Carmel’s expertise and profound i...

In this episode, GSE shares the special presentation ‘Liturgy of the Hours and the Psalms’ by Sisters Elizabeth Brennan sgs and Elizabeth Murray sgs. Originally presented at the Mission Leaders Conference, this powerful session provides insights into the Prayer of the Church, the communal prayer that plays a vital role in the spiritual life of Benedictines and many others. The presentation launche...

For our first episode of 2024, we are in captivating dialogue with Sr Aquinata Böckmann OSB. With our host Gabrielle Sinclair, Aquinata graciously shares her compelling narrative and profound insights. Together they reflect on the essence of Holy Audacity, with a specific focus on the themes of Hospitality and Peace. Aquinata Böckmann OSB, a distinguished member of the Benedictine Missionary Order...

In our final episode of Communio Calling for 2023, GSE delegates discuss their whirlwind South American adventure to this year’s BENet Conference and visit to Chile's lay Benedictine Manquehue Community. Hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in October,  about 180 representatives from 16 countries gathered to share their insights as educators in the Benedictine tradition  On route to Rio, the GSE...

Following the success of the 2022 program, GSE’s Prophetic Voices student forum initiative returned in 2023 and was expanded to consist of three online student sessions that culminated with a two-day in-person gathering at Mt Carmel Retreat Centre in Varroville, NSW, in July.  In this episode, host Gabrielle Sinclair chats with four GSE students who participated in the program  to reflect on their...

Special guest Carmel Posa, lecturer, author and Good Samaritan Sister, shares her wisdom and insights on St Scholastica in the lead-up to the release of her new book due in 2024, ‘The Lost Dialogue of Gregory the Great: The Life of Scholastica’. In this conversation with host Gabrielle Sinclair, Carmel walks us through the process of shaping this new hagiography of the life of Scholastica. Many pe...