Pope Francis has invited the whole church to reflect on the path of synodality, which is both the way of life and the fundamental action of the church. “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the church of the third millennium,” he says.
On 12 March Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP announced that a Sydney archdiocesan synod will take place from 30 April to 3 May 2026. Synod consultations open this year at Holy Family Menai on 30 August from 9am-12pm; followed by St Mary’s Cathedral on 14 October from 6-9 pm and All Saints Liverpool on 16 October from 6–9 pm.
These are opportunities for the people of God in Sydney to renew and deepen their commitment to the church. It will also remind all the baptised of their call to serve as missionary disciples, using their gifts to reach out to the world for the “building up of the church”.
The importance of shared ministry can be seen all through the Scriptures. Indeed, entrusting God’s mission to a single person, Jesus forms a community of disciples to continue his work in the world (Lk 6:12-16). He calls the twelve to go out two by two (Mk 6:7), and later he calls the seventy to do the same (Lk 10:1).
In sending them out in pairs, we can see that the church has been synodal from the very start. Collaboration and mutual support have always been essential in evangelisation.
A study of St Paul’s letters tells us that he is also a man of collaboration, and his pastoral style is one of participatory teamwork. According to Paul, it is not in doing things alone, but by actively involving others, that the skills and talents of a good minister are revealed.
Paul always worked closely with other Christian missionaries in spreading the Gospel. He had many collaborators, both men and women, and youth and adults. These included Barnabas, Mark, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Luke, Aquila, Epaphroditus, Apollos, Epaphras, Tychius, Aristarchus, Demas and Sylvanus. And among the women were Damaris, Lydia, Priscilla, Phoebe, Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Nymphe, Euodia and Syntyche. They all understood the importance of working together.
Mission and ministry must always be collaborative, for the church is a communion of the people of God. St Paul speaks of the ‘Body of Christ,’ in which we together use our special gifts in different roles for the Gospel of Jesus.
The concept of synodality has been part of the church’s mission since its earliest days, but it still needs to be embedded in the consciousness of the wider church today.
It needs to become a lively feature of our Catholic community in Sydney, so that our church can bring the light, joy and hope of the Gospel to many more people in this third millennium.
Rev Dr Biju Jose OSH is the parish priest at Ku-Ring-Gai Chase Catholic parish in the Diocese of Broken Bay.