Community members of the Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese have expressed curiosity and hope about the objectives and potential outcomes of this month’s Archdiocese Assembly. Source: Catholic Voice.
“There have been questions about what’s going to happen and what the outcomes are going to be,” the archdiocese’s chancellor, Patrick McArdle, said.
“Well, I don’t know, the Archbishop doesn’t know, and none of the members from the organising team knows. Why? Because this really is in the hands of the Holy Spirit.”
The assembly will take place from October 18-20 and will explore the theme “Come Holy Spirit”.
Acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the assembly, Dr McArdle emphasised the responsibility of organising such a significant event.
“Those of us organising the assembly also need to be accountable. We guarantee that by the 4th of November – just over two weeks after the assembly – we will issue a synthesis report.”
This forthcoming synthesis report aims to encapsulate the feedback gathered during the assembly, categorising insights under key themes: “encounter, discipleship, and mission.”
“Our commitment is to present everything we learn, regardless of whether the feedback is favourable or not,” Dr McArdle said. “This is what we heard; this is the feedback from the people.”
The report’s mission is to explore convergences and divergences across the archdiocese.
“After the assembly, the organisers will distribute the synthesis report to each parish, every participant, and ministry involved,” Dr McArdle said.
“We will then ask participants to respond by mid-December. We must do it by then because, as Australians, we are committed to our summer holidays. We need to get this done before then.”
“The focus for next year will shift toward local engagement. While this year has been primarily driven by the archdiocese, next year will be largely driven by parishes. Next year is where we want to find out what works and what doesn’t for parishes, groups, and movements across the Archdiocese,” Dr McArdle said.
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Chancellor promises feedback report Post-Assembly (Catholic Voice)
