Phase II: Listening and Discernment

Listening and Discernment in Broken Bay

The 6 National Themes for Discernment was released to Diocese of Broken Bay in June 2019.  These themes are inspired by the responses from the listening and dialogue sessions.  In the second stage of the Plenary journey, we were called to continue to listen and discern what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do based on each national theme.

On 1 July 2019, the Plenary Council opened applications for the Discernment and Writing groups for each National Theme for Discernment.  The submissions from these groups, along with the discernment responses from the communities all over Australia will help build the agenda of the first session of Plenary Council in October 2021.

Discernment and Writing Groups

The Discernment and Writing Groups will have the important task of preparing papers for consideration by Council delegates. Each group will consider one of the six National Themes for Discernment, which invite people to consider how God is calling the People of God to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia that is: Missionary and Evangelising; Inclusive, Participatory and Synodal; Prayerful and Eucharistic; Humble, Healing and Merciful; A Joyful, Hope-Filled and Servant Community; Open to conversion, Renewal and Reform.

Three members of the Broken Bay community were appointed positions on the Discernment and Writing Groups.  The appointments came after a thorough process of reviewing all applications received against criteria in the advertised role descriptions, then scheduling more than 100 interviews conducted by six panels (one for each theme) located across Australia, and finalising the membership in consultation with the Australian bishops and other referees.

Alison NewellAlison Newell, CCD Diocesan Coordinator in Broken Bay for the Missionary and Evangelising writing group.

Adrian Gomez Deacon Adrian Gomez for the Joy-filled, Hopeful and Servant Community writing group.

Bernard Cumming Bernard Cumming, Principal at St Patrick's Catholic School, Asquith for the Humble, Healing and Merciful writing group. 

Further Reading

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Communal Listening and Discernment

Parishes and schools in the Diocese of Broken Bay used the discernment guides and snapshot dialogue reports to support their Listening and Discernment sessions in 2019.  Local communities are continuing their discernment processes through Lent 2020, using the Broken Bay Lenten Listening 2020 resource.  Through this, all are invited to reflect on the Plenary themes in conjunction with the Lenten Year A Scriptural texts to discern what the Spirit is saying to us in our own local communities today and shifts focus from a national conversation to a local community conversation, for parishes, schools and other ecclesial community groups in Broken Bay.

 

Reports and Submissions

  1. Communal Responses to Discernment
  2. Thematic Discernment Papers from the Discernment and Writing Groups