BRISBANE Assembly brought together Catholics from across the archdiocese and beyond to listen and discern together on the issues of the Church today.
This is what some participants said about the event, which marks the journey towards the Plenary Council 2020.
“Impressive. It hasn’t disappointed (me) at all. You wonder how it can be sustained in the face of the universal Church. Some will suffer because they’re hindered from taking some of this along. And some are being asked to move out from what’s been with them all their lives.” – Jean Gormley, Chermside parish.
“I’ve come out very hope-filled – just to hear that we have to listen to everyone. People see numbers in their parishes declining, young people not being listened to. I hope this really inspires people and turns them around to something that’s really special. And we know that the Church is special. It’s just getting people to understand that.” – Thomas Warren, Albany Creek parish.
“I’m valued. And the fact that I was invited to participate in this open forum is a great way … and to see that what I say is not ignored, I feel is very good. It’s about preparing something wonderful that the Spirit is doing. We’ll suffer in different ways.” – Vincenzo Ferraioli, Jubilee parish.
“Really the difficulty is getting the parish interested. I think the idea of the plenary council is important. People’s fear is that the bishops didn’t listen before – will they listen now? People have to see a change. We have to have prayers for the 21st century, and we have to go back to scripture. There’s a lot of work to do, but we are on a good journey here.” – Peter Jones, Kedron parish.
