Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has accepted a series of key proposals from the Sydney Synod, setting new pastoral priorities for the archdiocese focused on more prayerful liturgies, Christ-centred communities and renewed missionary outreach.
The decisions – aimed at strengthening sacramental life, evangelisation, and formation – came at the conclusion of the four-day synod, which closed with Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on May 3 after more than a decade of consultation and discernment.
Requested by the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia and the universal Synod on Synodality, the synod was also the result of more than a decade of consultations, including three regional consultations held across Sydney in 2025 which drew almost 1000 participants.
These yielded 500 submissions, compiled into 18 ideas for synod members to discern, and grouped under three “longings” of Sydney Catholics: that liturgies be more prayerful; that parish and other church communities be more Christ-centred; and that they be more mission-oriented.
“In these last four days, the Synod of Sydney has attempted to do what the disciples did in Jerusalem in the earliest days of the church,” Archbishop Fisher said in his closing homily.
“To gather, pray, listen, and discern together what fidelity to the Gospel demands of the church in Sydney in our time. Against the temptation to trust in our own preferences, or to listen to the loudest voice, we have instead sought him who is the way, the truth and the life.”
The synod opened with 170 synod members and observers joining Archbishop Fisher at the cathedral for an evening Mass and informal reception on April 30.
Then followed two days of speeches, discussions and voting on which ideas should be implemented in the archdiocese, concluding with Mass and a BBQ for synod members.
Archbishop Fisher invited members to embrace the occasion with “candour, humility, gratitude and hope.”
“To engage in synoding as Pope Francis described it is to stop, encourage the other, listen with the ear of the heart. Then to discuss and discern so as to come closer to Christ and one another,” he said. “It’s a style of ecclesial living, marked by prayer above all.”
St Mary’s Cathedral College Hall was transformed into a carpeted room with a stage, large screens and round tables to allow for smaller “conversations in the Spirit” between members, input to the whole assembly from speakers and table facilitators, and a transparent voting process.
“This is a very grassroots synod,” Bishop Daniel Meagher, vice chair of the synod working party, told the assembly. “Ultimately it’s all about mission – being truly, fully catholic – in drawing all people to Christ.”
He asked them to think and speak clearly, so as to bring forth the most practical, potentially fruitful and implementable ideas for the archbishop to consider.
“Relax, enjoy it. We don’t have any idea what the outcomes will be, but most importantly, may God’s will be done,” he added.
Observers representing other dioceses and other Christian traditions included Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli, Bishop of Parramatta Vincent Long OFM Cap, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, and National Council of Churches Australia President John Gilmore.
After initial guidance offered by synod working party members Daniel Ang and Sr Anastasia Reeves OP about the process, the first morning concluded with speeches by Philippa Manley, Natalie Limbers and Alison De Sousa.
Each of the women offered guidance and insights from their own experience relating to the three longings.
“I’ve seen what a Christ-centred community can be,” said Mrs Manley. “I’ve seen what it does to individuals, to families, and how it forms disciples.
“How good would it be if every parish across Sydney radiated that same warmth, that same welcome and sense of Christ alive amidst his people?”
Liturgy was the afternoon’s topic. Fr Bijoy Joseph STL, a member of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission and a lecturer in liturgy at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, addressed the gathering to explain the role of liturgy, drawing upon the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the six ideas under consideration, briefly outlining possible benefits and challenges relating to their implementation.
“The primary liturgy is in heaven and what we do on earth aims to participate in that one heavenly liturgy,” he explained.
“I would wager, based on this synodal longing, that most people’s general experience of liturgy has been far from prayerful.
“Instead of experiencing heaven on earth, they experience something that is simply earthly, that drags them down rather than lifting them to heaven.”
Time was allowed for table discussion and summaries of these to be shared with the whole assembly, as well as suggestions identified by members as especially valuable, before a short vote on the six ideas closed the day.
Day two began with Dr Kevin Wagner and Mrs Helen Wagner, leaders in the Emmanuel Community, presenting their testimony and explanation of the ideas relating to fostering Christ-centred communities.
“We need to be deliberate and intentional about strengthening our communities and making sure they are Christ-centred. They don’t just come about. Just because people are attending church on Sunday doesn’t mean there’s a community there,” said Mrs Wagner.
“It’s important to remember, as Pope Benedict wrote in Spe Salvi, no one lives alone, no one sins alone, no one is saved alone.”
Synod observer from the Diocese of Broken Bay and its evangelisation director, Patti Beattie, told The Catholic Weekly it was “a beautiful moment to walk into the room this morning and find a sense of joy and connectedness, a real presence of the Holy Spirit alive within people as they are working and journeying together.”
In the afternoon, Fr Chris Ryan MGL, Director of the Areté Centre for Missionary Leadership, addressed mission and the priority he places on evangelisation, including through the use of Alpha.
“We will become a missionary church to the degree that we ourselves have fallen in love with Jesus Christ,” he said, also warning that “if we wait until everything is perfect before we begin to evangelise, we will never begin.”
“We are living in a privileged moment experiencing a fresh wave of faith particularly among young adults searching for meaning, happiness and a life truly worth living and increasingly open to finding that in God.
“The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelisation, but we are called and are privileged to participate in this mission.”
Following the final voting session, Archbishop Fisher and Bishop Meagher each thanked synod organisers and participants, and St Mary’s Cathedral College for accommodating the gathering.
“The prayerfulness, positivity, wisdom, practicality and sheer fraternity in this synod hall have been most uplifting,” Archbishop Fisher told the assembly.
“You have advised that ongoing liturgy formation in view of but not limited to the IEC 2028 should be a priority, recommended that parishes and communities collaborate to offer more options for sacraments and prayer, longer opening hours and active ministries of welcome and hospitality, and proposed there be more training for clergy and laity in different ways of evangelisation, including digital evangelisation.
“I’m pleased to announce that I readily accept all of these recommendations from the synod and will make these pastoral priorities for the archdiocese going forward.”
Synod member and CEO of Catholic Schools NSW Dallas McInerney told The Catholic Weekly, “it was very collegial, very collaborative, very supportive.”
“I’ve been impressed by the variety of ideas and voices that have been heard, and now it’s up to all of us to work to convert these good ideas into action,” he said.
Synod assistant and family educator at Mt Prichard Primary School, Bonnyrigg, Jamilie Nicolas, told The Catholic Weekly she had been particularly encouraged by Fr Ryan’s speech to deepen her own formation and training, so as to better serve the families in her community.
“But the spirit of everyone, being so faith-filled and respectful of each other, was amazing,” she said. “It was a blessing even to be in the room with everybody.”
During the closing Mass, Archbishop Fisher expressed great confidence in the Synod’s discernment.
“We may trust that in 21st century Sydney as in first century Jerusalem, the word of God will spread widely, and the number of disciples increase rapidly as a result.
“Lord let your mercy be on us, for we place our trust in you.”
