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By Amanda Murthy
The newly-formed Archdiocese of Perth Plenary Council Strategy and Engagement Group, responsible for contributing their thoughts on developing local strategies for further engaging the Archdiocesan community with the next stage of the Plenary Council, scheduled for 2021 – have last month convened for the first time.
The first meeting, held at Newman Siena Centre on Tuesday 22 September, was an opportunity for the group to begin to consider how to engage the wider community in a deeper engagement in the Plenary Council journey and to share some words of reflection, prayer and discussion.
Responsible for the vital role of undertaking the strategic development of critical aspects of the Plenary Council, the group will provide strategic guidance for the development of a variety of engagement strategies relevant to the Plenary Council journey within the Archdiocese of Perth, working with Archdiocesan Plenary Council Coordinator Tony Giglia on emerging recommendations.
Among the discussions at the first meeting were, finding ways to engage the community, some outcomes to the Plenary’s First Assembly for the Archdiocese of Perth and the contribution of delegates in developing the next stages of the Plenary Council.
The group then spent some time reflecting on Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB’s recently published paper on discernment and strategies for engaging young people, before receiving an update from Centre for Faith Enrichment Director Dr Marco Ceccarelli on the PC-inspired workshops being offered at the agency.
Members of the Plenary Council SEG include Applecross Parish Priest Father Nelson Po as clergy representative, St John of God Health Care Group Manager Mission Integration West Tara Peters, Catholic Education WA Director of Religious Education Dr Chris Cotter, Applecross Parish youth coordinator and PC delegate Emily Hardbottle, Iona Presentation College Dean of Mission and Catholic Identity Gemma Thomson, Centre for Faith Enrichment Director and PC delegate Dr Marco Ceccarelli, Director of the Office of the Archbishop Daniel Lynch, University of Notre Dame Executive Director Admissions & Student Services Rommie Masarei, and CEWA Catechist Services Consultant Catherine Nguyen.