Two of the Divine Word Missionaries who will be taking part in the upcoming Second Assembly of the  Plenary Council say that while aware of the challenges, they remain filled with hope that a Spirit-led discernment will bear fruit for the Church in Australia.

The Second and final Assembly of the Plenary Council will meet in Sydney from July 3-9, where a range of motions concerning the future of the Church in Australia will be considered and voted on.

SVD Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass, says he entered the discernment process for the Plenary Council with a grateful heart.

“It’s a privilege and a massive responsibility to be part of a discerning Church for today and the future,” he says.

“I’m sure there are hundreds of Catholics who’d like to be part of it.

“I also entered the process with a strong sense of hope. I’m hopeful that the Spirit will surprise everybody.

“So, I’m entering into the Second Assembly with a strong spirit of hope, despite the burden of canonical processes and procedures and the complexity of trying to remain faithful to the spirit of Canon Law, Tradition and holding the story of Jesus, aware of the challenge of maintaining that story alive without being burdened by canonical complexity.”

Fr Rass says the Church, just like a family, will have internal struggles from time to time, and the Plenary Council will be no exception.

“I would expect tension and robust debate over matters that are important to the faith,” he says.

“So, I sense that tension, but also appreciate that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for major reform in the Church. Our task is to stay attuned to whatever the Spirit is trying to tell us.”

Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs, Fr Prakash Menezes SVD will be attending the Plenary Council as part of the Diocese of Darwin delegation and he says he is also filled with hope.

“One of the things that I think we’re all looking forward to this time is that the Assembly will be held face-to-face, rather than online,” he says.

“I think there’s a general feeling that we’ll be able to share and discuss things better and just have a better opportunity to get to know each other better.”

He says the online coffee conversations among members in the lead-up to the Assembly have helped to set the scene.

“It’s been a time to bring us down to the foundations and get really focused on where we are going,” he says.

“We’re going into a very technical part of the Plenary Council with motions to consider, which are already in place and have already been circulated, giving us a clear direction of our path forward.”

He says his hope for the success of the Plenary Council rests in an openness to the workings of the Holy Spirit.

“The Holy Spirit is sometimes the forgotten one in the Trinity,” he says. “But here, we are becoming more aware of the Spirit and being invited to open our hearts and minds to the Spirit’s workings among us.”

Also among the SVDs present at the Second Assembly will be Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane, Bishop Tim Norton SVD.

As with the First Assembly, some parts of the Second Assembly will be streamed online for all to be a part of. The final Mass, to be held at St Mary’s Cathedral at 10.30am on Saturday, July 9, is also open to the public.

“While its origins date back the best part of two decades, the journey of the Plenary Council since 2018 has been one for the whole Church in Australia,” said Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, the Council’s president.

“It is therefore fitting that the whole Church can gather for our final step in the celebration phase of the Council for our closing Mass.”

Archbishop Costelloe said there will be around 270 Members who will undertake a particular task during the second assembly, but there is an awareness that they are acting with a national vision for the Church.

“We, the Members of the Council, have been surrounded by the prayers of so many during these years and we humbly ask for that prayer to continue over these coming weeks,” he said.

“When we gather around the altar on July 9, we will unite our voices with the hundreds in the cathedral but the much larger group of Catholics around the country who have been following this journey fill of hope for our shared future.”

The closing Mass will also be livestreamed through the Plenary Council’s website.

For more information about the Plenary Council, including the Framework for Motions to be considered, visit : www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au