The Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC) met in Shepparton for the second time last month. After weeks of personal formation and preparation, members were well prepared for the meeting. After group discernment and “spiritual conversation” the Council recommended a Chair, a member to attend Diocesan Finance Council meetings and two lay representatives to attend meetings of the College of Consultors. The Council also started to focus on the strategic direction of the Diocese, considering the recommendations made during the Diocesan Assembly in February this year. Dr Chris Cotter reports:
By Chris Cotter
The second meeting of the newly formed Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC) was conducted in Shepparton at St Brendan’s Parish on 14 and 15 July 2023. Members of the Council came well prepared having completed two important “homework” tasks following the inaugural meeting on 27 and 28 April. The first task invited the Members to reflect prayerfully on the requirements of three diocesan leadership positions:
• two lay people (Members of the Council or not) to attend meetings of the College of Consultors;
• one Member of the Council to attend meetings of the Diocesan Finance Council; and,
• the position of Chair of the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC).
At the commencement of the Council meeting on Friday 14 July, Bishop Shane announced Mrs Christine Sebire (Member of the Council) and Mr Brendan Lindsay (St Brendan's Parish, Shepparton) as appointments to attend the College of Consultors, and Mr Mick Chalkley as an appointment to the Diocesan Finance Council. After a period of group discernment and “Spiritual Conversation”, Members of the Council made recommendations to Bishop Shane for the Chair of the SMPC. On Saturday morning, it was announced that Mrs Gabrielle Downey would be Chair of the Council.
The second “homework” task required Members to prayerfully reflect on the recommendation to the SMPC for concrete action from the Diocesan Assembly held on 15 February 2023 in Kialla. You can read the transcribed, collated and thematically organised recommendations in this edition of the Sandpiper e-News. Informed by these recommendations from the Assembly and in light of the Strategic Directions described on page 29 of the Final Report of the Preparation and Consultation for the SMPC, the Members of the Council have now begun to work in three strategic ‘interest groups’. Each of these groups will bring to the August meeting of the SMPC a set of activities that could be further refined and eventually implemented to operationalise the Strategic Directions in the Final Report. In the meantime, the SMPC Executive (Bishop Shane, Mrs Gabrielle Downey and Dr Chris Cotter) will meet to prepare for the next meeting of the Council.
Mr Dean Mason facilitated our first two meetings, and with great care and expertise assisted the Council in its initial formation and gradual development into a body that is truly committed to listening, discernment and action on behalf of the whole Diocese and in service of the mission.
Please continue to pray for the Council and look for updates via Sandpiper e-News.
default Read the report in full. (1.27 MB)
Dr Chris Cotter
(SMPC Executive Officer)
Director of Mission and Pastoral Life
