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 unique opportunity for Archbishop Costelloe to invite those present to ask a fundamental question; Who is this God, whom Jesus makes known, and what is this God calling us to do and to be?
Archbishop Costelloe explained that, in simple terms a Plenary Council is a solemn gathering of all the Catholic bishops of a region – in our case of the whole of Australia – to prayerfully discern what we believe God is asking of us all.
“Over the next 12 months there will be opportunities for all of us who care about the Church to share our hopes and dreams together,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
Archbishop Costelloe blesses the representatives from parishes and agencies who received candles to take back to their local communities. Photo: Ron Tan.
“It is this sharing of hopes and dreams, based on our prayerful listening to the voice of God’s Spirit speaking in our lives and in our hearts, which will guide the bishops as they seek to be the humble servants and shepherds of God’s Church,” he said.
The celebration of the Holy Trinity, said Archbishop Costelloe, is an especially appropriate time to launch this major event here in our Archdiocese because it is in this feast that we discover the very heart of our faith.
“Believing what we do about Jesus as the Son of God, we know that Jesus in his humanity unveils the hidden mystery of God to us in a way that we can at least to some extent understand,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
The launch of the 2020 Plenary Council journey was a unique opportunity for Archbishop Costelloe to invite those present to ask a fundamental question; Who is this God, whom Jesus makes known, and what is this God calling us to do and to be? Photo: Ron Tan.
“In doing so, Jesus also reveals the nature of our human and Christian vocation, for we are all called to be together the signs and bearers of God’s love for others, just as he was,” he said.
More than 500 representatives from parishes, agencies, groups and lay faithful gathered for the Mass, which was con-celebrated by Vicar General Fr Peter Whitely, Acting Cathedral Dean Fr Don Kettle, Assistant Parish Priests Fr Stephen Gorddard, Fr Jeffey Casabuena and Fr Conor Steadman as MC, along with Redemptoris Mater Seminary Rector Fr Michael Moore SM.
Several other priests from across the Archdiocese were also present for the occasion.
Archdiocesan Plenary Council Co-ordinator Tony Giglia helps distribute the candles at the Perth launch of the 2020 Plenary Council journey. Photo: Ron Tan.
At the commencement of the Mass, Archbishop Costelloe blessed and lit the Plenary Council candle, recognising the call to the urgent, challenging but Spirit-led task of trying to discern exactly what God, at this moment in our history, is asking of us.
“In a very real sense today’s feast already provides us with the answer,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“God is asking us, as His Church, to become in practice what we are in our deepest and truest identity: a living, powerful, unmistakable and convincing sign and bearer of God’s love made known to us in Jesus,” he said.
Smaller versions of the candle were also blessed by Archbishop Costelloe and received by the representatives, with the encouragement to conduct their own Plenary Council launch with their local parish community.