Journeying as One Stories, reflections and updates on our Synodal journey. Accompanying one another in the life and mission of the Church.
#1 July 2026
NEWsletter! This NEWsletter is a new initiative, designed to support and accompany clergy across the Diocese by sharing updates, reflections, resources, and stories from our ongoing synodal journey. Each monthly edition aims to keep clergy and parish staff informed about initiatives taking place within local parish communities, diocesan developments, and key events and insights from the wider Church. Through listening, learning, and sharing experiences, it is hoped that this newsletter will strengthen our sense of communion, foster mutual encouragement, and support our shared mission of walking together as the People of God. This NEWsletter is also intended to provide a space where parishes can learn from one another’s experiences, celebrating the many ways the Holy Spirit is at work across our local Church of Broken Bay. Patti Beattie Head of Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment Broken Bay
News and Updates
Supports and Resources
Sharing our journey
Keeping clergy connected to important developments, events, news, and updates across both the Diocese and the wider Church.
Providing resources and practical support to assist clergy in nurturing a culture of listening, discernment, and mission.
This section will particularly highlight news and updates related to our Diocesan Journey towards the Universal Church’s Celebration of the Ecclesial Assembly in the Vatican October 2028.
Check out this section to learn of different tools and resources that will assist your parish during this Implementation Phase of the Synod on Synodality.
Celebrating stories, experiences, and insights from our parish communities as we continue to grow together in a synodal way of being Church. Share your synodal journey and parish initiatives by emailing; PDA@bbcatholic.org.au
‘
This month we feature;
the Parish of Lindfield-Killara.
We want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close above all to those who are suffering. Pope Leo XIV. “ First Blessing ‘Urbi et Orbi,’ ” The Holy See, 8 May 2025
News and Updates Where are we on the Journey? PHASE THREE The Implementation for a Synodal Church 2025-2026 Implementation paths in local Churches and their groupings
The Church has entered the implementation phase of the
Synod on Synodality. Following the publication of the Final Document of the Synod, the focus shifts from consultation and discernment to living out the insights, invitations, and priorities that emerged through the synodal journey. This phase is not about introducing a new program or completing a series of tasks; rather, it is about fostering a culture in which listening, dialogue, discernment, participation, and shared responsibility become a natural part of the life and mission of every parish, community, and ministry. For parishes, the implementation phase is an invitation to prayerfully reflect on the Final Document and consider how its themes can take root within local communities. This involves asking how we can strengthen communion, encourage broader participation, support formation, renew leadership practices, and deepen our missionary outreach. The implementation phase recognises that each parish has its own context, gifts, and challenges. Therefore, the journey forward will look different in every community, guided by the Holy Spirit and shaped by local discernment about where God is calling the parish at this time. Parishes are invited to reflect; “Where is the Holy Spirit leading us?”
2024
The Final Document
This period of implementation will continue throughout the universal Church and culminate in a Celebration of the Ecclesial Assembly to be held in the Vatican in October 2028. The years leading to this gathering provide an opportunity for parishes to reflect on their experiences, share learnings, celebrate signs of growth, and identify areas where further conversion and renewal are needed. The Ecclesial Assembly will be a moment for the Church to come together and reflect on how the vision of a synodal Church has been received and lived across the world, helping to shape the next steps of this ongoing journey of renewal and mission.
2025-26
2027
2028
Implementation Phase
Local Evaluation Assemblies. National then Continental
Celebration Ecclesial Gathering in the Vatican October 2028
Supports and Resources The Final Document For A Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission The Final Document of the Synod on Synodality is the fruit of the Church’s worldwide journey of listening, dialogue, prayer, and discernment. It gathers the insights, hopes, and priorities that emerged throughout the synodal process and offers guidance for how the Church can continue to grow as a more synodal community of communion, participation, and mission.
SCAN HERE to download the Final Document
As we enter the implementation phase, parishes are invited to prayerfully reflect on the Final Document and discern how its themes and recommendations might be lived out within their own local context. Through listening to the Holy Spirit and one another, communities can identify practical ways to strengthen participation, communion and mission.
What is Synodality? The School for Synodality has created this short animation video exploring the synodal way, explaining it not as a one-off listening exercise but rather as an invitation towards an ongoing call to conversion, reshaping how we attend to all things, guided by the working of the Holy Spirit. WATCH HERE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lckg8GSzvc8
BOOK CLUB: The School for Synodality The Reading the Final Document Book Club, offered by the School for Synodality, provides a guided opportunity for individuals and communities to prayerfully explore the Final Document of the Synod, deepen their understanding of its key themes, and discern how its insights can be implemented within their local context. Visit: www.schoolforsynodality.org.uk/our-resources/final-document-book-club-2025
How do we nurture a culture of being a synodal Church? Accompaniment Guide Developed by Patti Beattie, Head of Pastoral Discernment and Accompaniment Broken Bay, this Accompaniment Guide draws on the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary Assembly Synod of Bishops, Synod on Synodality (2024), translating its proposed actions into a practical framework for local application. The Accompaniment Guide is designed for use in parishes, ministry groups, and community groups to support shared reflection, dialogue and planning as we continue to nurture a culture of being a synodal Church. Should you wish to explore the Guide further, discuss its application within your parish, or seek support in facilitating conversations, please contact Patti;
PDA@bbcatholic.org.au
Accompaniment Guide
Sharing our journey Sharing Our Journey is a space to celebrate and learn from the many ways parishes across our Diocese are living out the call to be a synodal Church.
A Synodal Reflection ~ Parish of Lindfield-Killara Reflection prepared by Clement Tsang
We embarked on this journey in 2024 with a sense that the foundations of our faith practices and community spirit were recovering from the maelstrom of the covid disruption. Whilst our situation was not perceived as significantly impacted due to the robustness of our people, work and connections, there were signs that some links were fraying as parishioners continued their journey and life stage. The synodal practice offered us a moment to consciously recognise and actively listen for concerns, considering them thoughtfully before taking deliberate action, to re-nurture these links. Some of the elements of action that the synodal practice has generated include: Inclusion & Participation Welcomers to Mass -wearing name tags, with the Parish Council members consciously playing an active role in working with the Welcoming team to identify visitors and new faces, and making an effort to follow through by inviting them to the morning tea activities after the service. Offertory procession -selecting Mass attendees for this role was one task that easily fell into habitual patterns. The synodal journey instilled self-awareness, prompting the invitation of less regular participants to share an experience of belonging.
This activity connects the youth with our senior parishioners, enabling a deeper connection by learning about each other through storytelling, and adding colour and depth about those we do not often have the opportunity to talk to at Mass. Educating New Families - the recent cohort of RCIA newly initiated Catholics, and insights from our synodal practice, highlighted the need to continue catechising older parishioners, specifically parents of young children. Part of this learning involved offering information in mandarin to make complex concepts more accessible especially given the limited exposure to judeo-christian ideas. In 2026, a group of recent RCIA families will test how the Alpha Program in Mandarin can help address the outreach to these new families. Service & Outreach Prayer intention book included in Prayers of the faithful We considered existing practices and needs that the Parish Council could frame so that individual balls of yarn would combine into a tapestry. Parishioners regularly use the Prayer intention book, and we understood that asking our community to pray for each other is an important and powerful tool. So we introduced those entries as inclusions in Mass as prayers of the faithful, to connect everyone. Senior Social Group Initiated by a flock of parishioners, Father Colin consistently promotes their Friday gatherings in Mass and in the Bulletin, and it has blossomed wonderfully.
Relationships Parish & School-as a vital link to maintaining a vibrant community, we recently established a series of student-led interviews with notable parishioners for the creation of stories to be published in the bulletin.
‘
We acknowledge that there is more to do, but agree that the synodal practice has been valuable. It provides a framework intended to focus our ability to actively listen and present actions with purpose.