Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment

Synodality is a way of being Church together. It means learning to walk together as the People of God, listening to one another, listening to the Holy Spirit, discerning together and sharing responsibility for the Church’s mission.

Synodality is not simply a meeting, a program or a particular structure. It is a way of living our Christian vocation that encourages communion, participation and mission. It invites us to ask: How is the Holy Spirit calling us to journey forward together?

The Synod on Synodality (2021–2024) was a worldwide journey of prayer, listening, dialogue and discernment involving Catholics across the world. It explored how the Church can become increasingly synodal, a Church that listens, discerns and journeys together in service of the Gospel.

The process included diocesan, national, continental and universal stages, culminating in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 and October 2024. The journey resulted in the Final Document, For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.

Read the Final Document: https://www.synod.va/en/news/final-document-of-the-xvi-assembly.html

The Synod is not finished; we have entered a new stage of putting synodality into practice.

The Church is now in the implementation phase, exploring how the fruits of the Synod can become part of the ordinary life of the Church. This includes strengthening practices of listening, discernment, participation and shared mission within local Churches. The universal Synod journey is continuing towards the Ecclesial Assembly planned for October 2028.

As part of this journey, the Church is now entering a period of “Recollecting”, taking time to gather, reflect on and share what has been experienced and learned through the synodal journey so far. This stage invites us to recognise where the Holy Spirit has been at work and to discern what we are being called to carry forward as we journey towards the Celebrating stage of the Ecclesial Assembly in Rome in October 2028.

For the Diocese of Broken Bay, this means continuing to listen, discern and act together as we seek to nurture a culture of synodality across our parishes, schools, communities and agencies. Our local journey of recollecting invites us to pause, notice what has emerged, share the stories of our journey and discern together where God may be inviting us next.

Yes. As part of the continuing synodal journey, dioceses are being invited to continue the process of listening, discernment and implementation within their local Churches as we journey towards the Ecclesial Assembly in Rome in October 2028. How this takes shape will look different in each diocese, according to its local context and pastoral priorities.

For the Diocese of Broken Bay, this journey will include a Diocesan Assembly in the first half of 2027. The Assembly will be an opportunity for the People of God across the Diocese to come together, recollect our journey, listen to one another, discern together and consider how we are being called to continue growing as a synodal Church.

The Assembly is not simply a one-off event, but part of an ongoing journey of listening, discernment and shared mission across the Diocese. Plans are currently underway, and further information about the Diocesan Assembly, participation and opportunities for parish and community engagement will be shared as they unfold.

Everyone has a part to play.

You can become involved by taking time to listen, participating in parish conversations, joining a Parish Pastoral Council or ministry, engaging with opportunities for discernment, using the available resources, or simply asking the question: “Where is the Holy Spirit inviting us to journey next?”

Synodality is not something that belongs only to an individual person, or particular groups or those involved in formal Synod processes. It is a way of being Church that invites all of us to walk together, listen deeply, discern prayerfully and participate in the mission of the Church.

Conversation in the Spirit is a prayerful way of listening, sharing and discerning together. Rather than simply exchanging opinions or trying to reach a quick solution, participants are invited to listen attentively to one another and to notice where the Holy Spirit may be leading the group.

Typically, the process involves personal prayer and preparation, listening to each person's contribution, a period of prayer and reflection, moments of silence, and shared conversation to identify insights, convergences and the movement of the Holy Spirit.

It was one of the central practices of both our Pastoral Discernment Regional Projects and the Synod on Synodality. Conversation in the Spirit continues to be encouraged as a valuable way of nurturing a synodal culture.

Want to learn more; excellent resources can be found here.

Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment Broken Bay has developed a wonderful range of practical resources to assist parishes and communities in developing a culture of listening, discernment and participation.

These include:

• How Do We Nurture a Culture of Being a Synodal Church? Accompaniment Guide
• Conversation in the Spirit Practice Guide
• Table Facilitator Practice Guide
• Table Scribe Practice Guide
• Journeying as One, the Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment newsletter
• Resources and reports from the Pastoral Discernment Projects across the North Shore, Northern Beaches and Central Coast.

The Accompaniment Guide is designed as a flexible resource to help a parish pause, reflect together on where it is as a community and consider how it might continue to nurture a culture of communion, participation and mission.

The Accompaniment Guide can be used in a variety of ways. It might be used by a Parish Pastoral Council, parish leadership team, ministry group or wider parish community as a starting point for prayerful reflection and conversation.

It is not intended to be a checklist or an assessment of how well a parish is doing. Rather, it provides an opportunity to pause, listen, reflect and discern together: Where are we now? What are we hearing? What is God inviting us to notice? Where might the Holy Spirit be calling us next?

Yes. You don't have to do this alone.

The Head of Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment is available to support parishes and communities as they explore ways of nurturing a synodal culture.

Support might include introducing the Accompaniment Guide to a Parish Pastoral Council, facilitating a Conversation in the Spirit, helping a parish reflect on its current journey, or simply having a conversation about where to begin.

If you would like support, please get in touch with Patti Beattie, Head of Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment. PDA@bbcatholic.org.au

No. Consultation is an important part of synodality, but synodality goes further.

Synodality involves listening to one another and to the experiences of the People of God, but it also involves prayer, discernment and openness to the Holy Spirit. The goal is not simply to gather opinions or reach a majority view, but to seek together what God may be asking of us and how we are being called to respond.

The Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment webpage brings together resources, stories, reports and opportunities to engage with the Diocese's synodal journey. The Journeying as One newsletter also provides regular reflections, practical resources and stories from across the Diocese.