THE
ORDER
The Order of the Knights of
the Southern Cross (Australia), known as The Order, is an organisation of Catholic laymen
whose mission is:
To instil and maintain
Christian moral values and ethics in society and to assist Catholics to live their faith
in their roles in the family, at work and in society.
The Order is incorporated
under the Associations Act of the Australian Capital Territory as the Knights of the
Southern Cross (Australia) Incorporated: a confederation of member organisations. These
are the State arms of the Order, which act autonomously within their geographic areas.
Membership of the Order is administered by and between the State bodies.
GOVERNANCE
Each member organisation is
governed by a State Council. As befits the circumstances of a State, State Councils may
commission Branch Councils and these may be grouped into District Councils. The Branches
are the beating heart of the Order for in them individual members come together and, in
fraternal strength, through prayer, discussion and action, seek to realise the Objects of
the Order:
(a) To promote the
Advancement of Australia;
(b) To foster the Christian
way of life throughout the Nation;
(c) To promote the welfare
of members of Member Organisations and their families;
(d) To encourage social and
intellectual activities amongst members of Member Organisations; and
(e) To conduct and support
educational, charitable, religious and social welfare work.
Nationally, the Order is
governed by the National Council which normally meets in a Triennial Conference. This
National Council comprises:
three elected officers:
National President, Deputy National President and National Secretary;
fourteen National
Councillors, two nominated by each member organisation:
Knights of the Southern
Cross (NSW) Inc
Knights of the Southern
Cross (VIC) Inc
Knights of the Southern
Cross (QLD) Inc
Knights of the Southern
Cross (WA) Inc
Knights of the Southern
Cross (SA) Inc
Knights of the Southern
Cross (TAS) Inc
Knights of the Southern
Cross (ACT) Inc
the National Chaplain
appointed by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and
the National Homes Officer,
ex-officio the Chairmen of Southern Cross Homes Australia.
Between Triennial
Conferences, a National Executive sees to the needs of the Order. The National Executive
is the three elected members, the two non-voting members and one nominee from each State,
usually the State Chairman.
A feature of the National
Executive and National Council is that, unless required by the law of the land to vote,
decisions are made through discernment of the Holy Spirit.
See Discernment
for information about the process used for most decision making.
Copyright © 2004, KSC (Aust)
Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any
form or medium without
express written permission of KSC(Aust) is
prohibited.
Last updated:
12/02/2006
