Archdiocese of Perth Archdiocese of Perth

The important role that joy, hope and service play in a  mission-focused Australian Catholic Church that responds to God’s call  of love – was explored at the sixth and final Plenary Council thematic  paper seminar, held at Newman Siena Centre on Thursday, 29 July.

The Perth Catholic community spent the afternoon in prayer, dialogue, and discernment, answering the question, ‘How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia that is a joyful, hope-filled and servant community?’

St John of God Health Care Group Manager of Mission Integration WA Tara Peters, who led the seminar, began by highlighting key points that drew from resources including the PC thematic papers, Scripture, Instrumentum Laboris – Mrs Peters began by providing her personal reflection and offered three key points which she says emerged from this theme of the PC.

“The three reflections which I would like to share with you today are: A posture of listening and dialogue, a vision of being moved by the reality around us, and a dare to embrace service as an encounter with God.”

http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/News__Events-News-2021-August-Week_1-Plenary_Council_A_Joyful_hopefilled_servant_church_wraps_up_thematic_paper_face_to_face.htm?latest_news=yes

The Archdiocese of Perth Centre for Faith Enrichment held its fifth successful seminar on 24 June, as part of its mission to encourage continuous discernment and prayer, as the first Plenary Council (PC) Assembly approaches this October.

The latest seminar held at Newman Siena Centre, led by Catholic Education Western Australia Director of Religious Education Dr Chris Cotter explored one of six Plenary Council themes, “Discovering A Christ-centred Church that is Open to Conversion, Renewal and Reform.”

Dr Cotter began by explaining the need, expressed by the Church through the Plenary Council, ‘to promote a culture of reform through renewed governance structure and procedures, to strengthen faith communities for the mission of the Gospel through faith formation, participation in parish life and the support of young people, and a willingness to embed the Gospel mission in the soil of the people and conditions of Australia.’

http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/News__Events-News-2021-July-Week_2-Plenary_Council_Being_open_to_conversion_renewal_and_reform_requires_repentance_Dr_Chris_Cotter.htm?latest_news=yes

Discovering a Christ-centred Church that is Inclusive, Participatory  and Synodal was at the heart of conversation and reflection on Thursday  19 November at Newman Siena Centre.

This is the third of six seminars addressing the six discernment  themes of the Plenary Council and is an on-going effort by the  Archdiocesan Centre for Faith Enrichment (CFE), to create avenues where  the faithful can gather in person to reflect, discern and share their  faith experiences based on the published thematic discernment papers.

Delivering the seminar were West Australian Catholic Migrant & Refugee Office (WACMRO) Director, Deacon Gregory Lowe and Aboriginal Catholic Ministry (ACM) Director Donella Brown, who began by explaining some of the valuable contributions that people from the Indigenous communities and migrants play in our country.

The Plenary Council is a “mission of love”, said Mercy Sister Kerry Willison RSM, Director of the Archdiocesan Centre for Liturgy as a  keynote speaker during one of the six Plenary Council seminars held  recently on 5 November at Newman Siena Centre.

Reflecting on the question: “How is God calling us to be a  Christ-centred Church in Australia that is ‘Prayerful and  Eucharistic’?”, the seminar explored ways for the Church to be prayerful  and Eucharistic through complete participation, inclusion and  celebrations of the Sacraments within the community across the six  Plenary Council papers.

https://therecord.com.au/news/news/plenary-council-being-prayerful-and-eucharistic-needs-complete-participation-and-inclusion/

A Perth lay Plenary Council Member (formerly referred to as Delegate) has last month unearthed what it means to be a humble, healing, and merciful Church in lead-up to the first assembly this October.

In December 2020, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB named Gemma Thomson, Iona Presentation College’s Dean of Mission and Catholic Identity, among the 15 additional nationwide Members for the Church of Australia’s Fifth Plenary Council.

Ms Thomson is also a member of the Perth Archdiocese’s Plenary Council Strategy and Engagement Group, a member of the Perth Archdiocese’s Vocations Committee, a member of the Perth Archdiocese’s Centre for Faith Enrichment Committee of Management and is the Justice Contact for the Presentation Sisters of Western Australia.

Based on the six Thematic Discernment Papers, a series of local Plenary talks have been conducted ahead of the now multi-modal approach for the first assembly, which will be held from 3 to 10 October 2021.

This latest presentation, titled “Towards Plenary 2021 – Discovering a Christ-centered Church that is Humble, Healing and Merciful”, was hosted by the Centre for Faith Enrichment on 25 March at Newman Siena Centre.

Ms Thomson spoke in detail about the behaviours a mission-focused Catholic Church should encompass if it is to move forward in a humble, healing, and merciful manner. 

The importance of the need to be an evangelising Church in Australia was emphasised at a recent free Plenary Council seminar, titled “Towards the Plenary Council 2020: Understanding a Missionary and Evangelising Church.”

Hosted by the Centre for Faith Enrichment (CFE) at the Newman Siena Centre on Thursday, 27 August, some 30 lay people gathered to hear from Archdiocese of Perth’s Episcopal Vicar for Education and Faith Formation Fr Vincent Glynn, who addressed the question ‘How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia, that is missionary and evangelising?’

https://therecord.com.au/news/local/plenary-council-proclamation-of-the-gospel-is-about-leading-people-to-experience-the-knowledge-of-gods-love/