14 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2023 Our diocesan synodal journey has reached some significant milestones in 2023. In January the Final Report on the Preparation and Consultation for the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council was published, with strong and consistent themes emerging from the fifty-two meetings conducted across the Diocese in the second half of 2022. The themes were: “authentic listening and dialogue”, “inclusion and openness”, “communication”, “a bias for action” and “hope in the face of cynicism and hurt”. The themes were presented at the Diocesan Assembly and have helped inform the establishment, operations and workplan of the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council. As expected, a strong alignment emerged between these themes and the diocesan Synthesis for the Synod on Synodality and the decrees of 5th Plenary Council of Australia. On 15 February three hundred and twenty-seven members of our diocesan community assembled in Kialla: priests, parish pastoral and finance council members, pastoral associates, parish volunteers, parishioners, school principals, students, Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd (CESL) staff and Chancery staff. A makeshift venue was transformed by a hardworking team from the Chancery and CESL, coordinated by Project Support Officer, Leslie Cooper. The artistic gifts of Ruth Lawlor (Sandhurst Youth Ministry Coordinator) contributed to the look, feel and sound of the venue and the program. The team created a working ‘synodal’ space for participants in the assembly to pray, sing, reflect, learn, listen, speak, and make concrete proposals for action to Bishop Shane for the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council. At the conclusion of the Assembly, Bishop Shane called for expressions of interest from priests and the lay faithful from the Diocese to join the Council. After a process of discernment, the members of the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council were appointed in late March. At the annual Mass of Oils on 4 April, three priests and eleven lay people from each of the Deaneries were commissioned by Bishop Shane to join him and Fr Joe Taylor VG on the Council. The Council has met four times during 2023 and following prayerful reflection on the themes from the Final Report and the two hundred and fifty-two proposals from the Assembly, four strategic directions “What the Lord is asking of us is already in some sense present in the very word ‘synod’. Journeying together — laity, pastors, Bishops — is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice.” Pope Francis, 17 October 2015 DR CHRIS COTTER From Director of Mission and Pastoral Life
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