In May 2018, Australia’s Catholic Bishop’s launched the most significant review of the Church in Australia in recent times, the last one being held in 1937. The purpose of the Plenary Council is to plan for and direct the future of the Australian Catholic Church in the most open and inclusive way possible. It is to be a meeting of the whole Church in Australia, including everyone, bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful.

 

The unfolding process is over a three-year period.

 

The Plenary Council’s first stage of preparation – Listening and Dialogue, concluded on Ash Wednesday, 6th Mar 2019.

 

Following the conclusion of the year of listening, Ss Peter and Paul’s Parish, together with representatives from 20 – 30 parishes in Melbourne, worked on a joint parishes statement to the Plenary Council. Please click on the link to read the submitted statement.

 

In June 2019, the year of Listening and discernment began. The themes for Listening and Discernment are:

1. Missionary and Evangelising

2. Inclusive, Participatory and Synodal

3. Prayerful and Eucharistic

4. Humble, Healing and Merciful

5. A Joyful, Hope-filled and Servant Community

6. Open to Conversion, Renewal and Reform

 

The above themes will be used to prepare the agenda for the first session of the Plenary Council to be held in October 2020.

 

On Pentecost Sunday, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB released six discernment papers in a step towards the fifth Plenary Council of Australia. The documents are the work of Discernment and Writing Groups which addressed each of the national themes for discernment arising from the Council’s Listening and Dialogue phase. Each provides a reflection on the relevant issues faced by the Church in Australia, offers proposals and suggests questions to be discussed as a basis for the development of the working paper (Instrumentum Laboris) for the Council assemblies in October 2021 and April 2022.

 

Read the 6 discernment papers at https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/continuing-the-journey-of-discernment/

 

Visit https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/ to keep up to date on the latest from the Plenary Council.