For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission – Final Document
Australian delegates reflect on Synod on Synodality
The second assembly of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod Bishops in October marked the culmination of a three-year process for participants, including 14 Australians.
Upon concluding their time in Rome for the Synod, some of the Australian participants shared their overall reflections and impressions of the process, expressing their gratitude for being involved and their enthusiastic hope for the Church’s future in Australia and internationally.
Below are some excerpts from the reflections on the Synod from Australia’s participants:
Dr Trudy Dantis
“What an amazing experience this Synod on Synodality has been, ever since I began the journey way back in 2021.
“The thing that I treasure most at the second assembly is the maturing of relationships and conversations that we've had at the table. We met as strangers, so many people from all across the world. We became friends. But at this assembly something deeper happened and that was our maturing of our conversations with one another through the intercession of the Holy Spirit.
“I've seen so many conversion experiences happen here, from people who were fearful and who then were able to make intercessions that floored everyone, and from groups who moved from competition to collaboration. So my hope is that this journey continues and as we return back to Australia, I hope to be able to take this experience with me so that many others can share this journey.”
Dr Sandie Cornish
“Throughout the journey, we've been learning how to be a more synodal Church together, and the process itself has been so important. As one of the facilitators here at the Synod, I feel that this is one of the things that people will take home with them, that we've been learning how to be a synodal Church on mission together.
“People are going home knowing more people from the universal Church, having heard of so many different contexts and different ways of expressing ourselves as a Church on mission. So I hold a lot of hope for the future.”
Susan Pascoe
“The sharing around the table has been incredible and that sense that we listen to one another attentively and we create space for the Holy Spirit. I do believe that that has happened in this Synod.
“So it's a very grace-filled time and I'm really looking forward to seeing the implementation in dioceses, parishes and other ecclesial communities across Australia and the Pacific.”
Bishop Anthony Randazzo
“It's been a great month, very tiring as per usual, but a lot of learning. One of the greatest learnings for me has just been the experience of listening. There are so many different kinds of thoughts, experiences, realities of Church, understandings of the journey and being able to hear those and expand my own thinking and my own understanding of a synodal Church has been really powerful.
“I've really enjoyed the possibility also of coming home back to my own local church where I am with a lot of other people in Broken Bay, and being able to explore and unpack and to continue to live the synodal culture and grow it among our young people, our old people, right across the Church and out into the society in which we live.”
Archbishop O’Regan
“I think the experience can be summed up in 3 words, all that begin with ‘H’. The first one is horizon. It's given us a wonderful horizon of Vatican II and the Church at work. The second is heart. Since we've been here, the Pope has released another encyclical reminding us of the importance of having a heart and putting God at the centre of all things. And the last word is the word hope. We as the people of God have come together and see God at work among us. And it's in the little things, it's the connections, it's in the direction. It's very much like John the Baptist pointing the way and inviting us to be instruments of that in our world.”
Bishop Shane Mackinlay
“There's real excitement about the journey that we've been part of and the signposts that this will give us for the way forward from here.
“We've become very aware of the significance of this across the whole of our Church, and it will play out in very different ways in different places. It's an enormously significant step forward. It's clearly an experience that's been very full of the Holy Spirit and guided by the Holy Spirit. I'm tremendously grateful to have been part of it and look forward to the ongoing journey in this synodal process to which we are so committed.”
Fr Sijeesh Pullenkunnel
“It was a great experience for me. Although the structures that we discussed during the sessions are already present in the Eastern Catholic Church traditions, hearing and listening to everyone, I understand that there are a lot of things to do to improve in synodality in the Eastern Catholic Churches.
“When I go back, naturally, I can share my wonderful experience with others so that we can grow as a real synodal Church.”
John Lochowiak
“It's been an extremely amazing experience, a spiritual experience.
“Being here at the Synod has taken my spirit to the next level and I'm basically overwhelmed from the experience. And I really believe that the Catholic Church is going to lead the way with synodality.”
Kelly Paget
“It has been such an incredible honour and privilege to be here to represent the people of Oceania and of our local churches in Australia and I cannot wait to actually continue this journey now.
“I'm filled with such joy and such excitement of where we're going to go with this document and I've seen first-hand across these years that we've travelled in this synodal journey, the conversion that's possible and most importantly the conversion to Christ.
“So I'm really excited to be back in Australia and bringing this to life and continuing the journey.”
Links
For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission – Final Document
Videos from the Synod of Synodality (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference)
The Synod on Synodality - What now?
“We recall that the purpose of the Synod is not to produce documents, but to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.”
We are “in-between times”, that is, between session one and session two of the Synod on Synodality. It is reasonable for Catholics who have been involved in the global Synod process to ask the question, “What now?” Pre-empting this question, the Letter to the People of God, published at the end of session one, responded with the following, “We hope that the months leading to the second session in October 2024 will allow everyone to concretely participate in the dynamism of missionary communion indicated by the word ‘synod’.”
One of the ways Catholics can “concretely participate” is to make use of the rich abundance of documents and presentations resulting from the Synod. The resources listed below could be used to stimulate small group discussions or as reflection material for parish pastoral councils, and the like. To enhance the experience, the following questions could be used as discussion starters:
- What did I learn from reading/listening to this article/video/quote?
- In what ways, if any, did it change my thinking about the topic under consideration? Or did I feel my heart was transformed in any way after reading/listening to the article/video/quote?
- Is there an initiative our parish/faith community could consider as a result of what has been discussed? Or is there an existing initiative that might be “tweaked” to be more effective/more welcoming/more evangelising?
Key articles/videos for your reflection
Official documents
Letter of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God.
XVI General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, First Session (4-29 October 2023), Synthesis Report.
Theological reflections at the Synod
Fr Timothy Radcliffe
Dominican Fr Timothy Radcliffe from the United Kingdom provided the following meditations on synodality to the participants, as part of their pre-synod retreat program.
First Meditation, “Hoping against hope.”
Second Meditation, “At home in God and God at home in us.”
Third Meditation, “Friendship.”
Fourth Meditation, “Conversation on the way to Emmaus.”
Fifth Meditation, “Authority.”
Sixth Meditation, “The Spirit of Truth.”
Spiritual reflection, “The seed germinates.”
Fr Ormond Rush
Australian theologian Fr Ormond Rush offered a theological reflection on “The Synthesis Report”, October 23, 2023.
Synod: Fr Ormond Rush’s theological reflection on Synthesis Report, Vatican News.
Dr Anna Rowlands
Dr Anna Rowlands is professor of Catholic Social Thought and Practice at the Department of Theology and Religion and Centre for Catholic Studies, Durham University, United Kingdom. The link below is to her theological reflection on the theme: “Communion: the wedding feast of the Lamb”.
Prof Anna Rowlands: Communion: the wedding feast of the Lamb (text).
Participant reflections
Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP
This article by Archbishop Anthony Fisher of the Sydney Archdiocese is an edited excerpt from Unity in Christ: Bishops, Synodality, and Communion (Catholic University of America Press, 2023).
What Synodality is, and is not, Catholic Weekly (online version, 1 November 2023).
Walking Together in Communion, Participation and Mission, a reflection on the Synod on Synodality, 20 November 2023.
Bishop Shane Mackinlay
Bishop Shane Mackinlay of Sandhurst Diocese offered a reflection on the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia to the Synod.
Synod: Testimony of Australian Bishop Shane Mackinlay, Vatican News.
The first session of the Synod for a Synodal Church
Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay Diocese celebrated Holy Mass for the Memorial of the Guardian Angels and peached the homily for Synod members.
Synod Retreat: Homily during Mass for the Memorial of the Guardian Angels, Vatican News.
Renee Kohler-Ryan
The Church is Listening is an interview between Austen Ivereigh (Catholic journalist and Pope Francis biographer) and Renee Kohler-Ryan (Synod member and Professor at Notre Dame University, Australia) (YouTube).
Dr Trudy Dantis
Trudy is the Director of the National Centre for Pastoral Research for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, and the National Coordinator for Australia for the Synod of Bishops (2021-2024). On Trudy’s return from the Synod, she wrote:
“Being among the first group of women at the Synod has been a very special experience for me. For one, it was lovely to meet such a diverse group of women from across the globe and share our experiences of faith and Church. Secondly, participating in discussions appeared quite daunting at first, especially when in some instances I was the only woman at the table and the rest were cardinals, bishops and priests. But as our conversations continued and we became acquainted with one another, there was a great generosity of spirit and an openness to listen which made me feel at ease in no time. At the end of this time together, I feel confident that my voice was heard and it gives me great hope knowing that I could share my views and those of the people in Australia and Oceania on important topics.”
Observer’s Reflections
Br Mark O’Connor FMS
Br Mark O’Connor FMS is the Vicar for Communications for the Diocese of Parramatta and wrote a number of reflections on the Synod on Synodality in Rome, October 2023.
“Trust the God of surprises! Letters from a listening and global Synod”. Article includes links to meditations from the pre-Synod retreat given by Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP.
“Ear to the Ground: Letter two from a listening and global Synod”.
“Put out to sea! Letter three from a listening and global Synod”.
“The meaning is in the waiting: Letter four from a listening and global Synod”. Article includes a YouTube video of Pope Francis, Moment of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees.
Plenary Matters Podcast (available through Spotify, Apple and other platforms)
Hosted by Australian journalist Geraldine Doogue on the Synod on Synodality.
Season 5, Episode 1: The Synod gets underway, 13 October 2023: an interview with Br Mark O’Connor FMS.
Season 5, Episode 2: A church under pressure, 19 October 2023: an interview with Australian Augustinian Fr Tony Banks.
Season 5, Episode 3: History making at the synod, 25 October 2023: an interview with Tablet correspondent Christopher Lamb.
Season 5, Episode 4: Letter to the people of God, 28 October 2023: an interview with Julie Thorpe, Research Executive Advisor, ACU.
Disclaimer: These links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the National Centre for Evangelisation of any of the presentations or articles of the organisation or individual. The National Centre for Evangelisation bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the presentations or articles.
Images: Supplied - General Secretariat of the Synod
Words: Sharon Brewer