Roundtables a forum for discernment and discussion
A series of Roundtable sessions will provide an opportunity for leaders and individuals across the Archdiocese to come together and prayerfully reflect and discern on where the Holy Spirit may be calling us to next, according to Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Evangelisation Animator Huw Warmenhoven.
“Each Roundtable centres on a theme, identified as particularly important to the life and mission of the Archdiocese,” he explained.
“Each Roundtable will include a time of gathering around some food, prayer, hearing and celebrating some leaders involved in that particular space before moving into a time of discussion and reflection in small groups.”
Grounded in core themes from the Plenary Council and broader topics of Synodal discernment, the Roundtables hope to identify existing initiatives and opportunities for collaboration amongst parishes, communities, movements and ministries.
These will also develop a foundation and inform both content and processes for the Archdiocesan Assembly in 2024.
“Our first two Roundtables are focused on Raising Up a New Generation through Youth and Young Adult Ministry and Celebrating the Gift of our Families,” Huw said.
“These are designed to listen to the reality of youth, young adults and families in the life of the Church that will be important to highlight in our Archdiocesan Assembly in 2024. They will also help to guide our pastoral efforts at both an Archdiocesan and Parish level into next year and beyond.”
The Roundtables are open to all, but specifically designed for anyone involved in the areas relevant to each session.
Huw said in the Year of the Holy Spirit, the Roundtables were an important forum to help discern ‘what seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us’ (Acts 15:19).
“We really want to gather as an Archdiocese, pray in a spirit of communion and genuinely look forward with hopeful anticipation as to how we might see the evangelisation of our region, the revitalisation of our Church and the transformation of society,” he said.
“These Roundtables genuinely are for everyone! The hopeful, doubtful, committed and questioning; we look forward to welcoming all to gather together, celebrate the great fruit already evident across the Archdiocese and to prayerfully discern where the Holy Spirit could be leading us next.”
Huw said he hoped the Roundtables would offer a clear picture of the reality across the whole Archdiocese.
“This includes those outside of Canberra as well as those on the ‘coal face’ of the life of the Church,” he said.
“From here, we will be able to enter more fully into the Year of the Holy Spirit, and approach the Archdiocesan Assembly, with greater confidence understanding the needs, challenges, hopes and desires of our Church community.”
More information is available on the website: cgevangelisation.org.au