So, what will be discussed at the 2020 Plenary Council? The honest answer to this question is that we do not know.

Plenary Council Animators Michael and Lucy Chan believe that contributing their time, talents, experiences, skills and added knowledge in languages has made them rely and trust in God and one another more than ever.

“If by now you haven’t heard that the Church in this country is preparing for its first Plenary Council since the 1930s, you may not have been paying attention.

Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge spoke on the topic of “Leaders that Listen: Synodality in Practice”. Photo: Sourced. Landmark discussions were recently held to look at the future vision and direction for the Catholic Church in Australia. The video conference, titled “Synodality in Practice: Listening to the Spirit and Leading Change”, was filmed at the Caroline Chisholm Centre in Sydn...

By Peter Wilkinson This is the fourth in a series of articles looking at the particular (provincial and plenary) Councils of the Catholic Church held in Australia between 1844 and 1937. It examines the 1885 First Australasian Plenary Council, held between November 14 and 29, which officially brought together the Churches in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. In the period fro...

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe lights the special plenary council candle during the official Perth Launch of the 2020 Plenary Council on Saturday 26 May 2018. Photo: Ron Tan. Thousands of people from across Australia have taken time in the two months since the Plenary Council 2020 officially launched at Pentecost to consider the future of the Catholic Church. In May, the Listening and D...

Brisbane singer-songwriter Peter Pellicaan in the music video for Listen, a new song for the Plenary Council 2020. Photo: Plenary Council/YouTube. The first screening of a new music video for the Plenary Council 2020 was witnessed by hundreds who gathered in Brisbane for the 2018 PROCLAIM Conference on 15 July. PROCLAIM, the biennial national evangelisation conference, this year has a...

Archbishop Costelloe blesses the Plenary Council candles at the Perth launch on 26 May. Photo: Jamie O’Brien. By Jamie O’Brien Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has now launched the 2020 Plenary Council journey for the Archdiocese of Perth. The launch of the 2020 Plenary Council journey – which took place at the Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Trinity, Saturday 26 May at St Mary’s Cathe...

Archbishop Polding, Bishops Willson and Murphy, and other clergy at the 1st Australian Provincial Council, Sydney, 10-12 September 1844. There are 46 persons in the photo. Photo: Sourced. By Dr Peter Wilkinson Dr Peter Wilkinson writes the first of several articles examining the seven previous particular councils held in Australia between 1844 and 1937. An understanding of these counci...

Archbishop Costelloe lights the Plenary Council candle at the Perth launch on 26 May. Photo: Ron Tan. By Jamie O’Brien Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has now launched the 2020 Plenary Council journey for the Archdiocese of Perth. The launch of the 2020 Plenary Council journey - which took place at the Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Trinity, Saturday 26 May at St Mary’s Cathedral – was a...