‘Plenary’ from the Latin, ‘plenarius’ or ‘plenus’ means “full, filled, pregnant, abundant, abounding, complete”. This gathering of the Australian church is plentiful – rich in faith, abounding in hope and pregnant with possibility. While there is much about which to be anxious in our world, we choose to focus on the abundance of grace and opportunity of our times. We choose optimism over despair, co-responsibility over victimhood and joyful gratitude to the Lord who seeks to give us every good thing.
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Those Troublesome Teachings
I remember Bishop Robert Baron recounting in a podcast a conversation he had with a TV interviewer while they were waiting for the cameras to roll. The interviewer was a young, disaffected Catholic who had left the Church. He told Baron that the Church needed to change its teachings on sexuality if it wanted to keep his generation engaged. Baron posed a hypothetical: say the Church did change its
What a Week!
It was an intense week and I have to say it was a relief to get off the screen on Sunday. With NSW lifting lockdowns, our Sunday was enjoyed with our family gathering alfresco for lunch – something we have missed greatly. Here’s a few thoughts in no particular order. In retrospect, given that we were destined to gather online, it would have been better to spread out the
God’s Extravagant Mercy
Today was the special session reflecting on the suffering of those who have been hurt by the Church. I submitted a second intervention as a written contribution. I include it below. God’s Extravagant Mercy From any objective measure God’s moral code seems to be unreasonably demanding of us, even cruel. Trying to live up to the full invitation to which God calls us is darn hard, if not impossible.
Podcast Interview
Yesterday I was interviewed by Geraldine Doogue for her podcast: Plenary Matters. You can listen in below. Plenary Matters Podcast 5
Women priests? Don’t waste your breath!
Predictably perhaps, it did not take long for the talk at the plenary to start on about admitting women to the priesthood. Some women have spoken about how men, particularly clergy, are a so-called barrier to the ‘full participation’ and leadership of Catholic women. Putting aside the fact that it is not within the authority of this Council, or the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for that matter, to change
Empowering Marriage for Mission
First plenary session is now over and it's time for some sustenance, and a frantic reboot to reset my technology. Predictably gremlins got into it today so I have been using my phone hotspot to connect. Here is a copy of the intervention I made today. Praise be to God, my mike successfully unmuted and I could pull up the document! Empowering Marriage for Mission Marriage is the most
So it begins
Today was the official opening of the first Plenary Assembly. We began with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Tim Costello in Perth, live-streamed for the rest of the country. You can watch it here. This was followed by a 90min orientation session on MS Teams to go through final technology instructions and planning, including the agenda for Monday’s plenary (whole group) session. For those who are interested, it includes: Acknowledgement
What was I Thinking?!
We’ve all made bad decisions about which we’ve later wondered ‘what was I thinking?’ Usually we weren’t ‘thinking’ very well at all, we were feeling! We made an impulsive choice or allowed intense emotions to override our reason. When we have unresolved wounds or trauma, strong emotions and impaired rationality are normal. We know from functional brain research that when we are in an emotionally aroused state (called ‘flooding’),
Assembly Care Pack
My Plenary Care Pack arrived today. Prayer space resources, a headset, and snack boxes. It’s a thoughtful gesture and I am grateful for it. Conspicuous by its absence is a print copy of the Instrumentum Laboris – the principal document that will guide discussion. Although it has been digitally available for many months, had we met in-person I would have expected it to be part of the delegate materials.
Correcting Mission Drift
I was asked to respond to the question: The last Plenary Council was in 1937. Why do you think it is important we hold a Plenary Council at this time, and what are some things you would like to see the Plenary Council address? This is the long version of what was published in the Catholic Weekly. Correcting the Mission Drift One of the most compelling statements I heard among
Healing divisions, not creating them
Based on a number of heated monologues in various plenary-related events I have attended there are many Catholics with deep wounds and substantial grievances against various other groups or Catholic individuals. Sometimes these wounds are personal, and sometimes they are ‘adopted’ on behalf of someone we love who has been hurt. It’s natural to feel empathy for one who is wounded, to experience a ‘righteous rage’ on their behalf.
Women of Plenty
Some of the women’s groups have been hosting online gatherings of the female plenary delegates. In the second of these, I was invited to present a 3 minute reflection on the question: In the context of the plenary council, what does women’s equality and dignity mean to me? Thankfully, it was the feast of Edith Stein the day before and a half dozen quotes gave me a good foundation.
Let’s Look at What the Spirit is Doing
Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. This has been a foundational reference for all the plenary discussions. But is listening alone sufficient in this task? I was impressed by the argument of Dr Peter McGregor of the Catholic institute of Sydney in an article published on the Plenary Council in the Irish Theological Quarterly. In it, McGregor argues that we must do more than just listen to
Lockdown Tribulations
As we head into the first assembly, state borders are closed and NSW, Victoria and ACT are in lockdown. This has made gathering in person impossible in these states. Although I use MS Teams every day (the platform chosen to host the sessions), for many delegates, it is a whole new world. The lockdown in these major cities puts all sorts of stress on our leadership. Our bishops are
Discernment – It’s not about you… or me.
Discernment is a wonderful thing – essential to flourishing spirituality and desperately needed in our church communities. I have welcomed the emphasis on discernment in the plenary process and support the idea of normalising it as a modis operandi at all levels of decision-making in our faith communities. We’ve taught the principle to couples for several decades. One simplistic way of understanding it is as ‘decision-making in the context
About our contributors
Francine Pirola is a delegate for the Archdiocese of Sydney. She and her husband, Byron, have a global apostolate in marriage and family in which they have served for over three decades. Through their courses and online resources, accessed by thousands of couples, parents, clergy and catechists every year, they break open the richness of Catholic teaching with relatable insights and practical strategies. They have been married for 33 years, have 5 children and 2 grandchildren.
Would you like to contribute to Plentiful? Please contact us at [email protected]