Setting the scene
Synod
Draft papers have been developed on the five themes of the Adelaide Synod and will form the basis of discussions during Dialogue Week. The draft Synod papers are summarised below.
Becoming Missionary Disciples
We are all missionary disciples no matter where we come from
Pope Leo and Pope Francis underpin the challenge and the core of what it means to be a missionary disciple.
“How we look at others is what counts because it shows what is in our hearts,” says Pope Leo while a reflection from Pope Francis underpins the missionary purpose. He dreamed of a contemporary missionary impulse for “the evangelisation of today’s world rather than for her self preservation”.
The paper looks at how the Archdiocese of Adelaide which currently has a Catholic headcount of 253,871 (15.7 per cent of the population) might manage this.
Mass-goers are small at 22,607 but are rising and there are many examples of faith such as parish gatherings, Centacare and other social welfare organisations and agencies supported by Catholic Charities, the Archdiocesan charity.
Confirming that being a missionary disciple is not merely for a few people but is a vocation for all the baptised is made clear early on. A disciple is someone who has met Jesus – in many different ways – and responds by sharing his love with others. It’s about listening and being open and is very much a dynamic process, a journey and not a destination. The parable of the Good Samaritan is given as one example of being a missionary disciple.
The strength of the paper is in its listing of many ways to better equip everyone to become a missionary disciple and how to listen better to all voices. Forging partnerships to improve social and life issues (the ecological wisdom of Aboriginal people, Laudato Si’, and a disability inclusion plan for example) as well as renewing interfaith partnerships are a must do.
Formation for Mission and Leadership
Living in a permanent state of mission is a must-do for all Catholics
Faith formation and spiritual development – which includes formation for leadership and mission – has been the number one priority at the 2021, 2022 and 2024 Diocesan Assemblies.
Faith is an ongoing journey into the love of God revealed in Jesus and its importance was underlined by Pope Francis who urged the Catholic community to go to the margins of society and to be, at heart, a missionary community.
Such thrust is more timely than ever today as major cultural shifts in Australian religion over the past 60 years show people to be searching for religious faith as opposed to a more traditional and uniform integration with faith.
It is essential that Catholic communities find ways of living and expressing our faith in response to neighbours seeking their own faith, so they might be drawn further into God’s love as revealed in Jesus Christ.
The appearances of Jesus to the disciples after his death are the foundations of Christian faith and he sends them out, via his Spirit-inspired work, to the ends of the earth. Pope Francis said that by embracing that call the Church is a community of missionary disciples and joining in God’s transformation of the world.
The 2023 diocesan statement Drawn into the Joy of the Gospel is pivotal to ensuring Catholics live in a permanent state of mission and the paper recommends that every parish develops an all-encompassing formation strategy by 2028 to help achieve this.
More widely within the paper, recommendations are many and forceful, including the hope that the Synod makes a strong commitment to ministry and that the Archdiocese supports the ministry and leadership of women in the Church.
The Mission of Catholic Education and Being Church Together
Connecting better with students in a world where faith is not always seen as relevant
As the traditional face of the Catholic Church – the parish worshipping community – changes, many parents are drawn to schools that maintain the communal spirit and values found in the Gospel.
Arguably, because education by its nature is embedded in younger people and their communities, it offers a very accurate and pragmatic snapshot of contemporary attitudes to, and within, the Catholic Church.
The tenets of formation of mind, heart and spirit that enable schools to be much more than just learning centres remain but the landscape is markedly different to just a few generations ago.
More than 56,300 students (more than ever) are enrolled in Catholic education in South Australia but only 37 per cent are baptised Catholics with a further 16 per cent of other Christian faiths. The remainder are mostly designated by their parents as non-religious.
The local Catholic school remains a fundamental way of families connecting with the broader parish community. Schools, however, need to be responsive to changing social, Chruch and educational contexts and connect more intentionally with students in a world where faith can seem less relevant.
It is important to do so to show that Catholic education is much more than excellence in teaching and learning, but is about sharing our faith and teaching young people about Jesus. It is about building communities of hope.
Greater collaboration between worshipping communities is called for to help serve the world for the betterment of humanity, and should include improved ways to help teachers further support their students’ exploration of faith and spirituality.
To move forward, Catholic education needs to continue to reflect on contemporary culture and religion’s place within it to ensure traditional values are not lost but prosper in a very different context to previous generations.
Structures and Planning for Communion, Participation and Mission
Peeling away the administrative layers to help everyone
The paper is strong on confronting differing realities within the Archdiocese and acknowledges that many parishioners may not understand all the structures currently supporting communion, participation and mission.
It does not shy away from the desire for change and invokes Pope Francis’ thoughts in the 2021-24 Synod on Synodality where he emphasised that communion does not mean uniformity and that all members of the Church – with their varying gifts, vocations and backgrounds – are responsible for its life and mission.
While the challenges are many – with minimal financial and human resources, and substantial societal and demographic shifts often to the fore – the Archdiocese has committed to strengthening synodal practices via its recent Statement on Synodality. As such it will explore regional or cluster-based models to strip away unnecessary layers, thus allowing for decentralised collaboration. Such sharing of resources will help reduce administrative burden.
Encouraging a better integration of parish worshipping communities and schools focusing on mission and governance is highlighted.
Recommendations are pragmatic and focus heavily on explaining and improving current governance structures at diocesan and parish levels. They advocate, for example, for transition plans for incoming clergy and formal reviews of diocesan and parish leadership and accountability.
Better collaboration across the board is key, however, and the paper advocates for a new Diocesan and Parish Structures Review Focus Group to help ensure current structures supporting communion, participation and mission are met.
Communion in Grace – Sacrament to the World
Pulling together in every way in every Church community is the way ahead
The Church is for everyone. We need to recognise that the Church in the 21st century in our Archdiocese is made up of many new and diverse communities and must adapt accordingly.
As the Church, we must recognise the gifts and talents of all our members to contribute to God’s mission. We must also endeavour to be practical, upskilling clergy and lay people through improved, contemporary understanding of theology and show how it can stimulate wider understanding of baptism and mission. It needs to connect better with everyone. Better education around liturgy and the sacraments is a must.
Sixty years of change in society (including declining Mass numbers and less volunteers) means it is essential to ensure liturgies are reflections of our realities and relevant to everyone once more. We need to inspire people to seek a personal encounter with Christ, to find a mission and become missionaries.
The paper addresses current realities and reminds us of a purpose that has, perhaps, become clouded over time and makes some practical suggestions: welcome and inclusivity; rich liturgical celebrations; and baptism, participation and mission – to move forward once more in a diverse, but inclusive, manner.
Everyone within the Church needs to connect better and only by celebrating diversity and recognising and reflecting the realities of our communities and their lives, can we move forward.
