BRISBANE Catholic Sam Hodge says the journey to SYNOD24 has been a chance to reflect on what has been and a time to focus on “making things new”.
Mr Hodge is one of about 140 members called to participate in the two sessions of the Brisbane Archdiocesan Synod.
He was a member of Synod 2003 where the focus was “Jesus, Communion and Mission”.
“In Jesus, Communion and Mission, we are called to make things new,” he said.
“The focus for the Church in the Archdiocese of Brisbane since then has been to fill people’s hearts with Jesus’ mission and how we can incorporate His mission in the life of the church and welcoming people into the body of Christ.
“On the journey to SYNOD24, I feel it is time to reflect on what has been and time to focus on ‘making things new’ going forward, so (that) people are welcome and the Church is constantly transformed.”
Synod executive officer Steph Unger said she was excited for the first weekend of the synod, which was only a couple weeks away.
“There’s just this outpouring of joy from so many people,” she said.
She said when it came time to discern who to invite as Synod Members, there had been a strong focus on including voices that authentically represents the diversity of the Archdiocese.
She said each round table at the Synod would have eight Synod Members most of which would include:
- Two or three members of the clergy and/or religious
- A multicultural community representative or First Nations representative
- A young person
- A representative with a social justice, healthcare or education background
- An Executive Director, Director or Manager from an Archdiocesan Agency
- A Parish representative
In total, the Synod Members include 78 men and 60 women.
About half the men are clergy and half laity.
The clergy include the Bishops, representatives from the Council of Priests, Deans, a number of Parish Priests and Deacons.
The laity included people with backgrounds in parishes, multicultural communities, those who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, people with disabilities, young people, as well as those working in social justice and outreach, healthcare, Centacare, Brisbane Catholic Education and ministries across Brisbane.
Both the September 6 and 7 Session and the October 11 and 12 Session will have a focus on “Conversations in the Spirit”, which are prayerful round-table discussions designed to unpack complex and sensitive topics. These Spirit-led conversations will help the Synod Members discern and vote on the proposed actions.
The topics of discussion are three to five actions for each of the 8 Decrees voted on at the Australian Plenary Council.
The Synod also includes an Engagement and a Writing team, both of which will be heavily involved in the sessions.
The synod will be held at Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary in Banyo.
The opening Mass on September 6 is open to the public, held at Australian Catholic University’s Holy Spirit Chapel at 9am.
To find out more about SYNOD24, please head to: http://aobsynod2024.com/
