Living out Synodality in Our Parish

As we continue to navigate a time of renewal in our parish, I invite every single person to reflect deeply on who we are—our identity as individual Catholics and as one Body—and where we are going as a community of faith. This invitation to reflection has been instigated by my attendance at the recent Archdiocese of Brisbane Clergy and Principals’ Forum. The forum was led by Suzanne Pascoe, a key Australian participant in both sessions of the global Synod on Synodality in 2023/24. Suzanne’s experience and wisdom helped those present grasp the concept of Synodality more clearly—a journey of becoming a more listening, discerning, and mission-driven Church.

Our parish’s mission is clear: to be a vibrant community that actively accompanies people to encounter Jesus. This is not a slogan; it is a summons. It is a call to each of us—not just clergy or leadership—to be people of presence, welcome, and witness in a rapidly changing Church and world. We know this is not without difficulty. In the past 10 months, we have experienced significant pastoral change and challenge ourselves, and while these changes have not been easy, we are being invited into something deeper. As the Synod documents spell out and remind us, “this is a time not just for management, but for missionary creativity.” A time to move from maintenance to mission. A time to listen, discern, and act together.

At the heart of the Synod’s vision is a call to formation in ecclesial (church) discernment. Formation is essential—not simply to maintain programs or schedules, but to foster a shared spiritual attentiveness to what God is doing in our midst. This is why it is also crucial that we continue to be intentional around raising up and forming lay leaders: people equipped to help lead prayerful listening, dialogue, and discernment at every level of parish life.

Our parish is uniquely diverse—spanning urban and rural communities, young families and older parishioners, newcomers and long-established locals. While this diversity is a gift, it also presents a challenge: to resist the pull of individualism or the desire to cling to what was. The invitation now is to seek unity, not uniformity—to grow into one body with many members, all centred in Christ.

The Synod documents also speak to the evolving nature of parish boundaries and traditional structures. As territorial bonds shift and fade, the Church must work to “rebuild community life, to put a face to faceless entities, and to strengthen relationships.” This is especially true for those on the peripheries, who require deliberate pastoral care. We cannot become vibrant if some among us feel left behind. Every change and challenge we experience, however, is a spiritual opportunity—an opportunity to encounter someone new, to hear a different story, and to forge bonds across old lines. It is a chance to become one parish in truth, not just in name.

I am especially pleased to share that our parish will soon be offered opportunities to gather and actively discern how we might implement the actions and priorities that emerged from the Archdiocesan Synod. This will be a chance for us to not only reflect, but to prayerfully participate in shaping the future direction of our parish in light of what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church in our Archdiocese at this time.

So let us move forward with hope, not hesitation. Let us become a school of discipleship, where faith formation is ongoing, and every person—young or old—knows they are valued, heard, and called. Let us create a parish culture where leaders are nurtured and decisions flow from prayerful listening to the Holy Spirit. Above all, let us not retreat into separate identities. Let us step toward each other—across communities, across Mass times, and across change. Unity is not achieved by accident; it is built by choosing communion over comfort, discernment over reaction, and mission over nostalgia.

If we embrace this journey, we will not only survive this season of change, we will be transformed by it. By becoming more deeply who we are called to be, we will lead others into the joy of encountering Jesus. May the Spirit guide us; may Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, intercede for us; and may Jesus, alive in His Church, be the centre of all we are and do.

With prayer and hope, Fr Josh.