St Anthony’s parishioners reflect on five-year international leadership appointment

Kevin and Faye said the highlight of their world adventure was an intimate audience with Pope Francis

Kevin and Faye Noonan are settling back into their Canberra home after an “extraordinary” adventure travelling around the world to meet married couples.

The St Anthony’s parishioners have just completed a five-year international leadership appointment with Equipes Notre-Dame, known in Australia simply as Teams.

Teams is one of the Church’s biggest lay organisations, focusing on ordinary married couples. Every month, more than 150,000 Catholics meet in small groups in the home in more than 90 countries. This includes over 10,000 bishops, priests, and religious who provide support as spiritual advisors and guides.

“The objective of Teams is quite simple: to help ordinary married couples to live their sacrament of marriage in all its fullness, so they are well equipped to step out to be active members of the wider Church and their community,” Kevin explained.

“Our specific responsibility was to liaise with English-speaking countries around the world. As you can imagine, this covers pretty much all corners of the world and requires an enormous amount of travel.”

The international leadership team is comprised of seven couples from around the globe.

Some of the team’s recent work includes research into the changing needs of young couples, listening to others and synodality, the piloting of a new team and support for couples in second unions.

Kevin said each time they travelled, he and Faye prioritised staying in people’s homes and listening to others in small groups.

“We found it was much easier to get to know the reality of life in a country through quiet dialogue around a kitchen table or in small groups over a glass of wine,” he said.

“Whenever we met with others, we did not begin with theoretical statements, but instead, we carried stories about the real-life joys and struggles of couples in other countries. We found authenticity is valued highly. Over time, we did achieve some important outcomes, not so much through our own efforts but by finding the nuggets of brilliance in others and then connecting them with the other people we discovered along the way. This allowed a sharing of resources and ideas, in ways that people had not thought possible.”

Kevin and Faye were continually inspired by the amazing couples they met, who were doing their best in impossible circumstances.

“We listened to the harrowing story of a couple from Ukraine living in the shadow of war. The first word uttered by their young baby was not “mum” or “dad” but “boom” – the sound of a bomb exploding. Despite the incredible challenges of supporting their family, they continued to work with others to provide spiritual and physical support to the wider community,” Kevin said.

“We met a couple from Malawi in Africa, one of the world’s poorest countries. They organised relief and donations from overseas for couples who had lost their homes in the recent floods. We were amazed that couples who had nothing could organise support for couples who had even less.”

Amongst many incredible experiences, one holds special significance for Kevin and Faye.

“Top of the list is surely our meeting with Pope Francis,” Kevin said.

“We had previously met with Pope Francis and had contact with Pope Benedict, but the meeting was much more intimate this time. Beyond the formalities, we found in Pope Francis an inspiring and gentle person, with an incredible sense of humour. He delighted in meeting us, greeting each person personally with a few words and his infectious smile.”

Now back at home, Kevin said it was hard to believe it had all happened.

“The past five years have been an amazing time for us – extraordinary events were everyday occurrences,” he said.

“We went into the role committing to each other that we should give 100%, so we would finish with no regrets. The experience has certainly transformed us, and we hope our time has also transformed the movement in some way.”

Kevin said he would not forget the countless couples they now called friends from so many countries.

“They continue to hold a special place in our hearts,” he said.

“Of course, each time we stayed at someone’s home, we invited them to visit us at our home in Australia. As we settle back into Canberra, this could be just the beginning of a new adventure!”