National Discernment and Writing Groups for the Plenary Council 2020

Earlier this year, the national discernment and writing groups for the Plenary Council worked intensively and invoked the Holy Spirit in the pursuit of forming the papers on their appointed national theme of discernment. These groups were comprised of lay people, clergy and religious from all over Australia. Their written submissions will be considered as part of the preparation for the first session of the Plenary Council session.

The Discernment Papers were published on Pentecost Sunday and are available to read on the website: https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/ continuing-the-journey-of-discernment/

Below are excerpts of the personal experiences and challenges of three of the Broken Bay members as they journeyed and participated in their communal discernment and writing processes.

Discernment and Writing Group - Inclusive, Participatory and Synodal

John Honner, 73

The “Inclusive, Participatory and Synodal” discernment and writing group first took shape via an induction in Sydney in October 2019. People were in good spirits if apprehensive. Everyone seemed ready to have a go at a daunting task. We tried to model a synodal process, listening to lots of different perspectives, beginning with reflective prayer and later moving to discernment. We were guided by the concerns expressed in the Final Report on the Listening and Dialogue Phase. We had disagreements, confusion and reality checks, to be expected in communal discernment. I learnt to appreciate all the particular concerns as being of equal importance. I was very impressed by the efforts every member of our group made to participate fully in our sharing. I sensed this was a work of the Holy Spirit.

Putting our report together was a complicated exercise. Gradually, with attentive reading of drafts and painstaking coordination by our chair, our discernments were drawn to a point of satisfactory, even remarkable, completion. We were able to move beyond having competing priorities. It became clear, in the first place, that everything should be based on the way Jesus was inclusive and participatory. Priority should then be given to the inclusion of the poor and vulnerable—both persons and communities. From my perspective, it seems that a major challenge for the Church in Australia is to transcend differences and to seek unity in diversity, with greater openness to the rich and various gifts of the Spirit in the community, because that is the synodal way.

Discernment and Writing Group – Joyful, Hope-filled and Servant Community

Deacon Adrian Gomez, 46

Over the last year I have had the pleasure and privilege of being a part of the “Joyful, Hope-filled and Servant Community” Writing and Discernment Group. Our group represented almost every state and territory in Australia: from cities, to regional areas, to the outback.

I jumped into the discernment process expecting it to be like a regular committee – with an agenda, discussion and outcomes. Instead I found it to be a prayerful experience, with deep listening, reflection and sharing on the submissions

from around Australia. With constant prayer and reflection, seeking the voice of the Spirit, it was months before we finally started writing. Rather than being a task-driven process it was very much a Spirit-led journey.

In a 6,500 word document our recommendations for the Plenary Council to discuss included: strengthening parish communities by developing leadership; greater engagement with the wider Australian community; promoting integrated mission from the many Church agencies and organisations, formation at different levels for all members of the community, re-building trust in the Church and an accountable and equitable use of finances.

The most exciting thing about this process for me has been the recognition that we are putting into practice the synodal way of being Church that Pope Francis has been promoting. Like any pilgrimage, our journey together of listening and discerning has been messy and challenging, with things often not going the way that was expected. But the greatest fruits from a pilgrimage often come from the journey itself, not the destination. My hope is, that through the Plenary Council journey, the Church in Australia can become a listening and discerning Church, that recognises where the Spirit is present now as well as having the courage to set out into the deep where the Spirit is calling us to be.

Discernment and Writing Group – Humble, Healing and Merciful

Bernard Cumming, 53

I’m a member of the Humble, Healing and Merciful Group. This group represents a broad cross-section of women and men from across the country. Part of the work of the group was to study and reflect on the large document which comprised the many stories of those who have been wronged by the Church. This was a serious and sobering task. At one of the meetings the group also had the privilege of listening to the experience and suggestions of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and Indigenous Catholics in person. It has been a privilege, though very saddening, to hear many stories of those who have been wronged by members of the Church.

The study and listening phase of the group’s work has culminated in the preparation of a written document on the theme of a Humble, Healing and Merciful Church. The many ideas and suggestions from the documents, testimony of survivors and reflections of the group members have been synthesised into a series of themes and practical proposals for action. Some of the themes which have emerged strongly during the discernment and writing process include: an apology to survivors of abuse, strategies for developing a leadership that is humble and merciful, the role of clergy and laity, and the need to establish inclusive institutional processes to value the contributions of women, First Nations Peoples and the variety of gifts of lay members of the Church. The written report from the Writing and Discernment Group will be sent to the Plenary Council to inform the next phase of deliberation.

To keep up to date and for more information on the Plenary Council 2020, please visit https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/