The Archdiocesan Assembly is an expression of synodality, or ‘walking together’ on the pilgrim journey of the Church. This will include a time of open dialogue, communal discernment, and collaboration centred on topics of faith, life and mission within the Church. 

The Archdiocesan Assembly will give local expression to realising the aspirations of the Australian Plenary Council and the International Synod on Synodality in Rome.

People may look to ‘outcomes’ or ‘objectives’ resulting from an Archdiocesan Assembly. In many ways, the outcomes will be led by the Holy Spirit, as this is primarily a moment for discernment rather than a process of consultative decision making.

In saying that, at its heart, an Assembly seeks to promote a synodal approach to discerning the sensus fidei, or the faith that is held by the People of God. 

The Archdiocese hopes that a diverse gathering of voices will contribute to dialogue on topics that are relevant to the life and mission of the Church. Ultimately, an Archdiocesan Assembly will be a focal point for exploring encounter, discipleship and mission in the context of our Church.

The focus of the Archdiocesan Assembly will be on Evangelisation: Encounter, Discipleship and Mission. It will be the culmination of the Year of the Holy Spirit, where the Archdiocese has been discerning ‘what seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us’ (Acts 15:19). As a result, many of the themes covered in the Assembly will be discerned over the coming year.

The Assembly will have a particular emphasis on the themes identified through the Plenary Council, as well as those identified as priorities to the life and mission of the Archdiocese. Of note is the role of our Roundtable Series exploring some of these themes in the lead in to the Archdiocesan Assembly.

The Assembly will also provide an opportunity to explore the imperative of evangelisation, matters relevant to pastoral planning, leadership formation, prayerful discernment and identifying charisms for the building up of the life and mission of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn.

The Assembly will be held on 18 – 20 October, 2024.

The Archdiocesan Assembly will be offered in ‘Hubs’ across the Archdiocese.

Drawing on streamed content and a number of Assembly Teams, there will be a Hub run across the four deaneries as well as a central Hub in Canberra. In addition, particular components of the Assembly will be livestreamed to the whole Archdiocese. 

The Archdiocesan Assembly is open to all in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn. Representatives will include clergy, religious, educators, leaders from parishes, ministries, movements and communities as well as the broader lay faithful. 

There are three approaches to involvement in the Archdiocesan Assembly:

1. Invitation: To ensure representation from communities across the Archdiocese, a series of invitations will be made through the leaders of each Parish, school, community or organisation identified below. 

2. Nomination: In addition to those invited to attend, additional members of Parishes, schools, communities and organisations may be nominated or nominate themselves.  These nominations will be reviewed by the Archdiocesan Interim Discernment Group to ensure a balance of representation at the Archdiocesan Assembly.

3. Participation: All in the Archdiocese are able to participate through the online live stream of the Archdiocesan Assembly. This will also include an online portal for contributions discerned through the Conversation in the Spirit process incorporated into the Assembly program.

The representatives who will be invited into the Assembly will include, at least: 

• Representatives from each Parish;
• Representatives from each school;
• One representative from each university chaplaincy;
• Representatives from each community, ministry or movement;
• Representatives from each outreach, justice or service based organisation;
• Other nominees as discerned by the Archbishop and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Discernment Group.

Brilliant! Now complete the registration form available online at the link HERE.

The Archdiocese sees these Assemblies as a key expression of becoming more fully a Synodal Church. As such, they will continue to play an important role in discerning the work of the Spirit concerning the life and mission of the Church in the Archdiocese.

The Archbishop convenes the Assembly.

The Archdiocesan Assembly is being supported by a Planning Group. This is comprised of leaders from the Archbishop’s Office for Evangelisation as well as those engaged in our Parishes, communities, movements and ministries.

Of particular significance is the role that the Archdiocesan Interim Pastoral Discernment Group will have in the vision and direction of the Assembly. The Assembly will be animated by the Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Archdiocese.

Decisions concerning discernment of future directions for the Archdiocese will be made through a process of prayerful discussion, individual and group contribution, discernment by senior leaders including the Archdiocesan Pastoral Discernment Group, Council of Priests and, ultimately, the Archbishop. 

Communication methods will include official statements, reports, and updates shared through Archdiocesan publications (including the CatholicVoice), websites (cgevangelisation.org.au), and local parishes, schools and communities.

There will also be a livestream available to all in the Archdiocese to engage with the Assembly.

The Archdiocese seeks to have a diverse range of voices and experiences represented at the Assembly. As a result, differences in expectations, hopes, priorities and opportunities  to be explored are expected. 

We hope that respectful dialogue will provide a foundation for the Archbishop, and broader leadership represented at the Assembly, to adequately discern ‘what seems good to us and the Holy Spirit’ and resolve conflict throughout the Assembly process.

No. The Assembly costs are being covered by the Archdiocese to ensure finances are not a barrier to engaging in this process of synodal discernment.