The months between the first and second general assemblies of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia are a time for “prayer, reflection, maturation and development”, according to a concluding statement from the first assembly.

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has reflected on a week that had been “inspiring, challenging and sometimes unsettling” following closure of the formal proceedings of the First General Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia on Saturday 9 October.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Brisbane Archbishop Coleridge drew on the Gospel for Sunday’s First Assembly Closing Mass to see how the protagonist had similarities with the Council’s members.

Perth Plenary Council Members gathered with friends and family in St Michael The Archangel Chapel after the closing Mass of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia. Photo: Michelle Tan. Plenary Council President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB spoke from the heart as he delivered his homily at the Perth Closing Mass of the First Assembly on Sunday 10 October, drawing on the richne...

Perth Plenary Council Members were graced with the ability of gathering at the offices of Catholic Education in Leederville during the First Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia. Here are some of the highlights. Eva Skira AO from the Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons listens in on Day one of the First Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Counci...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjK3xTkvg7w An impassioned call for “a prayer for the future of our common home, a Gospel for the home of our future generations” was made during the final reporting back on small group discernment by Plenary Council members on Saturday 9 October. The presenters’ comprehensive reports on the 16 agenda questions included proposals and requests for furthe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nstq0Sxk__A Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB gave the following Closing Address for the First Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council on Saturday 9 October “As we come to the conclusion of this First General Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia I would like to call us back to the words of Pope Francis which shaped the d...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1NmBx9RHJ4 The Homily of Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB for the Perth Closing Mass of the First Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council on Sunday 10 October. Video: Max Hoh. Plenary Council President Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, spoke from the heart as he delivered his homily at the Perth Closing Mass of the First Assembly on Sunday 10 October, s...

Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli has said the Council’s task is to reveal the face of Christ – a face that blends cultures, languages, ethnicities and histories. Image: Adobe In today’s Mass for the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli has said the Council’s task is to reveal the face of Christ – a face that blends cultures, languages, ethnicities...

The Journey so Far As we conclude the First General Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, the process of discernment continues. From the opening Mass to the closing of the Assembly, our prayer has been ‘Come, Holy Spirit.’ The call to hear afresh the Good News of Jesus Christ through a spiritual posture of ‘deep listening’ has been a central element of the preparation of t...