Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB spoke about the “See” “Judge” “Act” methodology of Belgian Cardinal Joseph Cardijn who founded Young Christian Workers during his recent closing speech for the Archdiocesan Assembly, Saturday 13 July.
Building on the experience of Bishop Don Sproxton, who gave an opening address for the Assembly, Archbishop Costelloe spoke about the Cardinal Cardijn methodology and its importance in the operation of the former Archdiocesan Diocesan Pastoral Council.
More than 100 delegates from parishes, agencies and offices across the Archdiocese gathered for the Assembly on 13 July, including nominated clergy, religious, and lay delegates.
Led by Vicar General and Episcopal Vicar for Education, the Very Rev Fr Vincent Glynn, the delegates of the Assembly were asked to reflect, listen and discern specific questions over three sessions, each lasting nearly an hour.
The 2024 Assembly, operating within the framework provided by Canon Law, focussed on investigating, considering, and formulating practical strategies for pastoral works and initiatives with the diocese – namely on establishing a Diocesan Pastoral Council that reflects the way of synodality as emphasised by Pope Francis.
“See, which is to acknowledge what the situation is, Judge and then Act,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“This morning, we didn’t start with the See. We started with prayer,” he said.
Drawing on his experience of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, Archbishop Costelloe recalled how some deeply challenging moments were overcome because organisers had decided to spend at least 20 minutes in a deep, contemplative and well-prepared prayer experience.
“…if we enter into the discernment process, through a deep prayerful experience, that will change, everything, it will change the way we see each other,” Archbishop Costelloe emphasised.
“It creates an atmosphere of respect and openness that otherwise isn’t necessarily there,” he said.
Continuing his speech, Archbishop Costelloe noted in the context of ‘Judge’, he prefers to use the word ‘Discerning’, particularly in light of the fact that we are all trying to read the signs of the times.
“Often people quote, Gaudium et Spes about discerning or scrutinising the signs of the times, and leave out the last part, ‘In the Light of the Gospel’.
“If we’re disciples of Jesus, our decisions about how we move forward and how we organise ourselves and what decisions we might make – if they’re not made in the light of the Gospel, then they’re not decisions of disciples.”
Looking at the method of ‘Act’, Archbishop Costelloe reflected on the feedback from the Listening and Discernment sessions, which included comments about mission.
“One of the challenges the Church faces is that it can so easily become self-referential,” Archbishop Costelloe expressed.
“We look to ourselves and become focused on how to maintain what we’ve got; the famous maintenance model of Church rather than the mission model of church,” he said.
“Pope Francis is very insistent on his belief that the Lord, at this stage in our history, is inviting us very consciously and very deliberately, to become a missionary-oriented church.
“A Church which looks outward to what we can do for others, rather than a Church that looks always inward to how we can sure up our falling numbers or something like that,” Archbishop Costelloe continued.
“And maybe, if we shift from a maintenance approach to the Church to a missionary approach to the church, the beauty of our faith in the attractiveness of the Christian gospel will become more obvious to more people. And all of a sudden, the Church will begin to grow in numbers,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
One of the next steps for the Assembly, Archbishop Costelloe explained, is for the information and feedback that was generated at the Assembly to be collated and will be presented to him so that decisions can be made on how to move forward.
Archbishop Costelloe noted he will be supported by a soon-to-be-formed Implementation Advisory Committee, which will help him to discern the kinds of questions the Assembly Delegates have been talking about in terms of the makeup of the Council, its membership and function.
“In other words, I’d like it to be a Synodal Discernment Council, rather than anything else,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“I hope we can continue what we’ve managed to do together here with the Diocesan Pastoral Council because I think that will serve the Church very well,” he said.
More to come in next week’s edition of The eRecord