LOCATIONS, STAFF & NETWORK
*We supported the 2025 Camp in Cairns run by REACH Youth Ministries
Learn more about our leaders and how you can partner with us to receive
training and accompaniment that is relevant to your context.
We are currently based in Melbourne, Cairns and Canberra, and involved in some local initiatives. At the same time, we are building a national network of relationships, so that we can all mutually benefit from networking and partnering with each other.
MELBOURNE
Hi! I’m Cassius, serving as the National Coordinator for ‘Kerygma’ in Australia. Marian and I - who also serves part-time with Kerygma – have been married for 34 years.
​
I bring 40 years of experience as a Catholic lay missionary with ‘Youth With A Mission’, and 24 years of focused leadership with ‘Kerygma’ to this role.
​
• Leading ‘Kerygma Discipleship Training Schools’ to form Catholic missionary disciples
• Working with a Catholic parish to foster a culture that makes disciples and disciple-makers
• Hands-on experience and coordination of ministries serving those experiencing poverty, to empower them to have a better quality of life.
• Helping a diocese set up an ‘Adult Catechumenate’ to present Jesus to people of other faiths and systematically present the Catholic faith to those who were interested.
• Supporting Catholic parishes with practical and spiritual formation for outreach to the local community
• Offering training and accompaniment to Catholic couples preparing for marriage, desiring marriage enrichment and those experiencing distress in their marriage.
• Providing accompaniment to leaders of ‘small groups’ in a parish.
• Experience working with leaders of other Christian churches in collaborative projects, reaching out to the local community.
• Offering spiritual direction and training to Catholics and other Christians, who seek a deeper intimacy with God in prayer and through their life experiences.
• Roles in leadership with Kerygma and YWAM at the local, city-wide, regional, national & international level.
CAIRNS
Mikaela Shay is a wife and mother with seven children aged 1 to 16yrs. She was involved in youth and young adult ministry in NZ prior to moving to Australia to participate in the first Australian Kerygma Teams Discipleship Training School run by ‘Youth With A Mission’ in Sydney in 2000. She then joined as a staff member with Kerygma Teams serving in Sydney and Dublin until 2006 when she got engaged to John (whom she had met through Kerygma) then moved north to Cairns, FNQ.
​
Mikaela's experiences within Kerygma include staffing six Discipleship Training Schools with roles mainly involving administration, but also leading small groups, short term mission teams and one on one discipleship. She has been on missions to the Philippines, New Zealand, India, The Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Lithuania and of course within Australia
​
Since marrying and having children, Mikaela's main role has been related to taking care of their children and supporting her husband in his various ministries. She has also worked with women and couples teaching Natural Family Planning. Mikaela has always sought to be involved in parish life: including being a lector, running a small Bible Study, supporting young Mums with a Mums/Prayer group, taking Holy Communion to an elderly couple every week for a couple of years, ensuring there is a 'cuppa' after Mass for everyone, and various little jobs around the parish to help other parishioners.
John Shay has been in ministry for 25 years. He has been involved with outreach and evangelization throughout Australia, Ghana, India, Poland and Lithuania, having served with YWAM Townsville, National Evangelization Teams, Kerygma Teams (YWAM), Diocese of Townsville youth ministry, Diocese of Cairns (Family Life Education, Diocesan Synod, Edmonton Pastoral Council, Men’s Group etc.), and Reach Youth Ministries Inc.
​
John has extensive experience in youth and young adult ministry, formation and discipleship training, and has 15 years of management experience, and is currently the Managing Director of Inspired Formation.
John holds a Master of Theology, Grad. Dip. Management, Bachelor of Community Welfare and a Cert III in Discipleship Training. Married to Mikaela Shay, John is the proud father of 7 children.
Kerygma’ in Australia operates under the governance and legal covering of the ‘Youth With A Mission’ (YWAM) community in Canberra.
The leadership of YWAM Canberra has been connecting with Catholic leaders in Canberra in relationship, prayer and at several collaborative events to reach out to the local community in Canberra.
Our YWAM Canberra facility in Watson has also become a venue for hosting retreats, camps and training for the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn and for various Catholic groups.
We recommend YWAM Canberra to Catholics who wish to do a ‘Discipleship Training School’ (D.T.S) with YWAM.
For more details about the next DTS at YWAM Canberra, please refer to:
*Supporting the Immaculata Sisters with some formation in Tasmania in 2016
KERYGMA AUSTRALIA NETWORK
Over the years we have had contact with many Catholic and other Christians who, although not on staff with Kerygma, nevertheless strongly identify with our values and vision for Catholic lay people to become disciples and disciple-makers in everyday life, who witness to and proclaim the Good News of Jesus to all who haven't had the opportunity to receive it, and for Catholic and other Christian believers to work side-by-side in building the Kingdom of God.
​
If you are one of those people, the Kerygma Australia Network was created for you.
Although we all have certain gifts and strengths, it's only when we network and partner with others, that we discover our blind spots, receive a fuller perspective, and experience the complementary gifts and strengths of others, that empowers us to fulfill our purpose. If you want to walk together with us and work together where possible with certain projects, training or events that are relevant to your context, please do get in touch. And if you can commit to praying for us regularly, please do get in touch and I will send you some updates and prayer requests, as we are able.