Women and the Australian Church (WATAC) began as a grassroots effort to address the role of women in the Australian Catholic Church and broader society. How will its inclusive vision be sustained, asks Andrea Dean.

No doubt you will have heard that groups have a life cycle, a series of stages that an organisation goes through over time. Typically, the life cycle of an association includes stages such as start-up, growth, maturity and decline.

Let me introduce you to WATAC, which tends to be pronounced ‘wotack’ rather than ‘whatac’. WATAC is an incorporated association that facilitates prayer and theological reflection, advocates for gender equality and social justice, and builds inclusive communities. The organisation’s foundations are in the religious communities of Australia who provided time, finance and personnel to get the organisation established in the 1980s.

WATAC began as a grassroots effort to address the role of women in the Australian Catholic Church and broader society. Its origins lay in a project supported by the Conference of Major Superiors of Women of Australia, aimed at exploring ‘Women’s Ministry in the Church’.

By 1983, WATAC had adopted its name and established a national structure with representatives from across Australia. The primary goals were consciousness-raising about Christian feminist issues and advocating for the equal dignity and full participation of women in the Church.

Expansion and key milestones

• National conferences: The first national WATAC conference in 1987 set the stage for its future direction, emphasising feminist theology, collaboration and justice. Subsequent conferences reinforced these themes, addressing women’s roles, ministry and justice issues within the Church.
• Local initiatives: Home groups, workshops and resource kits were developed across states to encourage grassroots engagement. These efforts were complemented by local and state conferences.
• Collaboration and advocacy: WATAC worked closely with other organisations and ecumenical groups to advocate for justice and inclusivity, including participating in the Australian Catholic bishops’ study on women in the Church (Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus, HarperCollinsPublishers, 1999).

WATAC faced funding difficulties and a decline in financial sponsorship after the late 1980s. Despite this, it persisted through the dedication of lay members and volunteers. By the 1990s, WATAC had grown in national relevance, addressing issues like women’s ordination, inclusive language and social justice, even amid challenges posed by Vatican restrictions.

By 2019, declining membership and finances raised serious questions about WATAC’s future. It was expected that WATAC would cease to operate. However, a renewed commitment emerged, with younger leaders stepping forward and leveraging technology to modernise its outreach. Key initiatives included:

• WATAC Presents and WATAC in Dialogue (Zoom-based formation sessions)
• Australian Women Preach (a podcast for women to preach the Gospel)
• Involvement in the Australian Plenary Council (2021–22)
• Involvement in the international Catholic Women’s Council (from 2019) and the Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform (from 2019).

WATAC’s mission emphasises an inclusive Church, greater opportunities for women’s leadership, and action for social and environmental justice.

WATAC has provided a critical voice for Catholic women in Australia, fostering community, challenging injustices, and modelling a “discipleship of equals”. It continues to advocate for reform and remains a platform for women’s theological and social contributions.

However, will WATAC survive? To survive, associations must continually adapt and renew.

There are several potential issues that might hinder WATAC’s future growth including institutional resistance. The Catholic Church’s hierarchical structure is slow to change. This resistance to change has disappointed many Catholic women and they have walked away from Church.

As conservative Catholic communities become more forthright there will be cultural backlash to WATAC and its progressive stance on women’s role in the Church.

Limited numbers of younger women are engaging with WATAC’s mission. Some seek stronger relationships with Church and many seek spiritual nourishment far removed from institutional frameworks, so WATAC’s capacity to evolve with generational shifts will be tested.

For the past five years generous, gifted women have served on WATAC’s leadership committee and the resource limitations that volunteer organisations face have been successfully resolved. However, the greater burden of stewarding an association in an era of rising insurance costs, ever-evolving technology, legal and financial responsibilities make resourcing WATAC an ongoing challenge.

WATAC’s future could be secured thorough its capacity for intersectional alliances as partnerships with secular, ecumenical and interfaith women and feminist groups such as the Australian Women in Religion WikiProject and those involved in the Australian Women Preach podcast.

Digital engagement, especially through Zoom, has broadened WATAC’s reach, and other platforms will offer further opportunities. Essentially, though, I hope that WATAC’s inclusive vision will attract women (and men) seeking a compassionate and inclusive community that reinvigorates and sustains.

We are left with many questions:

• Can WATAC influence meaningful change within such a deeply patriarchal institution?
• Will younger Catholics see value in reconciling faith and feminism, or will they abandon institutional religion altogether?
• How might WATAC adapt to changing social and religious landscapes?
• Can WATAC have Catholic roots but be ecumenical in its focus?
• Do Australian Christian/Catholic women want to belong and contribute to WATAC?

If you want to connect with WATAC and contribute to its evolution, there are several options. Firstly, you can become a financial member and have access to our quarterly bulletins, participate in the Annual General Meeting and join the leadership committee.

Secondly you can attend our new Zoom series, Sacred Conversations, which will offer four free formation sessions during 2025. The first topic in the series is Good News for all – Hopeful, feminist perspectives on the Gospel, commencing 7.30pm AEDT on 4 March. To register, click here.

You can join (or start) a local WATAC group, join our Facebook community, visit our website or contact me to arrange a chat with a committee member.

Fortunately, there will be a national conference this year at Mary MacKillop Place, North Sydney, over the weekend 14-16 November. The theme is ‘Shining Bright, Living Loud, Standing Together’ and Dr Julia Baird will be the keynote speaker. Click here for further details and to register. WATAC might be ‘the tribe’ for you.