Plenary Council 2020


is Launched today on Pentecost Sunday
“Listen to what the Spirit is saying.”

Pope Francis has approved the Australian Bishops’ decision to hold a Plenary Council in Australia in 2020 and 2021. It is a significant moment for the Church in Australia to make decisions about the future. To prepare the agenda for the Plenary Council, all of God’s people are invited to reflect on the question: “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?” Find out more about the Plenary Council 2020 at the new website now online: www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au

At the time of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled all people to understand one another. The Holy Spirit transcended all languages, customs and cultures and the early communities of faith were able to listen to one another and hear the message of Jesus, of God’s great love for the world.


· Today, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we look toward the future and begin the process of preparing for the Plenary Council. We too, will need to rely on the gifts of the Holy Spirit to speak boldly, and to listen humbly and with open hearts to one another and especially to God.
· The Plenary Council gives us all an opportunity to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Church in Australia. We are going to build the agenda for the Plenary Council together, through dialogue – we will practice talking with one another, even if we disagree. In the midst of dialogue, we can hear God’s voice. Every one of us, is invited to listen to God by listening to one another.
· Alongside the preparation for the Plenary Council, this year we are celebrating the Year of Youth. Our young people are like those early Christians when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost – anointed and sent, they have the energy and vibrancy of youth and we all are nourished by their witness and their faith.
· Plenary Council Listening and Dialogue Encounters, and the Year of Youth are ways in which the Church in Australia can express the spirit of Pentecost today. We call upon the Holy Spirit to guide us, to help us hear God’s voice as we ask “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”
· In coming months, as a parish community, we will gather together to listen to one another, to reflect on this question and share our own stories of faith, and our experiences of the Church. After we talk together, we will collate our stories and ideas and the questions we have about the future of the Church to be forwarded to the Plenary Council.