‘Evangelise Plus’ and ‘The Bridge’ featured our very own Dr Chris Cotter, Sandhurst’s Director of Mission and Pastoral Life! Chris shares insights on the synodal process to establish the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC).

Sandhurst’s Synodal Journey to establish the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council  (Published in “The Bridge” on 2 October 2024, republished with permission).

Catholics in the Victorian Diocese of Sandhurst have been actively engaged in a synodal process of listening and discernment over the past few years, culminating in the establishment of the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC) in 2023.

The journey began in April 2022 on the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel (April 27), the patroness of the Diocese. At that time, Bishop Shane Mackinlay announced a year of preparation and consultation for the diocesan mission and pastoral council.

During the year of preparation, the Mission and Pastoral Life team visited every parish and most Catholic schools in the Diocese, as well as other peak bodies. The in-person meetings provided those present with information about the diocesan mission and pastoral council and invited them to ask questions and provide feedback.

After collating the feedback and input from the meetings, the Diocese published a final report in January 2023, which formed the basis of the February 15, 2023 Diocesan Assembly’s agenda.
More than 300 representatives from parishes, schools and Catholic entities in the Diocese gathered for the Assembly in Shepparton, where the major themes and conclusions from the consultation process were shared and discussed.

“The sense from those table conversations, the listening and dialogue that we facilitated, was a real affirmation of the themes and the conclusions,” Dr Chris Cotter, Director of Mission and Pastoral Life for the Diocese of Sandhurst, said.

“The Assembly was an important stepping-stone towards establishing the Council. The fact that, during the Assembly, we were able to give back to the people of God what we had heard from them, and to have that then endorsed and affirmed and some really concrete actions given to the newly forming Council, made it a really powerful day.”

After receiving Expressions of Interest, the 16-member Council was commissioned in April 2023, and has since been considering the 250-odd proposals for action which emerged from the Diocesan Assembly.

Bishop Shane will soon be launching a set of ten goals developed by the council. The goals are organised under three strategic areas, and will guide, encourage and inform pastoral initiatives and activities in the Diocese.

Find out more about the Diocese of Sandhurst’s journey towards a Mission and Pastoral Council in the interview with Dr Chris Cotter at Evangelise Plus.

Read the original story online in ‘The Bridge’ the newsletter of the National Centre for Evangelisation.