Plenary Council 

In October 2021, the Catholic Church in Australia gathered for the first Assembly of the Plenary Council to be held since the second Vatican Council.

In 2018, when the decision to hold a Plenary Council was announced, the entire People of God in Australia began preparing for this historic moment by listening to God and by listening to one another’s stories of faith.

Responses to the discernment journey which began with the Listening and Dialogue Phase, followed by the Listening and Discernment Phase can still be accessed for your consideration and reflection. The six Thematic Discernment papers and Reflection Guide, prepared by several writing groups are also still available, by clicking here.

The members (formerly called delegates) were commissioned and participated in formation sessions in preparation towards fulfilling their role as members. At the same time, we were all called to continue our own journeys of prayer and discernment as we look forward in hope to the renewal of the Catholic Church in Australia.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first Assembly was a mix of in-person and online delivery. Access agenda, key documents and Masses and livestreams from the First Assembly.

On December 8, 2021, the document First Assembly Proposals from Small Groups and Individual Members was published, gathering together the fruits of the first of two Plenary Council assemblies. Click here to access the document (updated December 15, 2021).

The second assembly will be held in Sydney in July 2022.