Fifth Plenary Council of Australia
Second Assembly
The Catholic Church of Australia gathered in Sydney from 3-9 July 2022 for the Second and final Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia. The Motions and Amendments (29 June 2022) were discussed and voted on during the final Assembly.
Stay up to date with the Plenary outcomes
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Voting Outcomes
The Fifth Plenary Council of Australia
Plenary Council reading resources
Garratt Publishing
Plenary Tracker – a daily Zoom to discuss the day’s events and links to blogs and podcasts
The Journey So Far
The First Assembly
The First Assembly of the Plenary Council was held in October 2021 via online mode due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There were 17 members in this gathering called from the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Read the Plenary Council Concluding Statement.
Continuing the Journey
The working document for the Plenary Council known as an instrumentum laboris, draws heavily on the voices heard during the Listening and Dialogue and Discernment phases of the Plenary Council, but also from other key sources. It is entitled Continuing the Journey. Read more…
Writing and Discernment Group Papers
The Plenary Council has made available the Discernment Papers from the Writing and Discernment Groups on the six themes in both written and audio format. Read more…
Plenary Council 2020: What can we expect?
The three sessions were held in May 2020 and explored the synodal process and expectations. Our presenters, Fr Brendan Reed, Cathy Jenkins and Fr Kevin Lenehan shared from the wealth of their knowledge and experience, guiding us through the intricacies of Church governance.
Topics and Presenters
The Synodal process and expectations
What does synodality mean? Where does it come from? What can we expect from the Plenary Council?
Presented by Rev Dr Brendan Reed, Parish Priest, Camberwell, Deepdene & Balwyn and lecturer at Catholic Theological College.
Applying what we know
Applying what we have heard and learnt about synodality to our parish context.
Presented by Ms Cathy Jenkins, Assistant to the Director: Leadership and Development at Catholic Education Sandhurst. Cathy is a member of the Missionary & Evangelising Writing Group and will attend the Plenary Council as a delegate.
Dealing with the themes
Looking at the nature and practice of discernment and the six themes.
Presented by Rev Dr Kevin Lenehan, Master of Catholic Theological College. Kevin is a member of the Open to Conversion, Renewal and Reform Writing Group and will attend the Plenary Council as a delegate.
Plenary Council Writing Group Reflection
We were fortunate to also have Simon Donahoe, Cathy Jenkins and Kevin Lenehan share their experiences from being on a Writing Group. They each provided an insight into the richness and challenges they faced as they drew together the submissions received from across Australia.
Simon Donahoe’s reflection
Information
Resources
Visit the Plenary Council website
Writing and Discernment Group Papers. Read more…
Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document).
Framework for Motions document.
‘Discernment both a call and a challenge given to us by the Holy Spirit’ says Archbishop Costelloe. Read more…
Frequently Asked Questions about the Plenary Council. Read more…
Enquiries
Please contact the Parish Office on 9816 9291 or cbdparish@cam.org.au