The fifth Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia 

The NCCA joins our member churches in encouraging prayers for the Plenary Council, from Sunday 3 - Sunday 10 October 2021.

 "May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands."   Psalm 90:17 

In October 2021, the Catholic Church in Australia will gather for the first Assembly of the Plenary Council to be held since the second Vatican Council. In 2018, when the decision to hold a Plenary Council was announced, the entire People of God in Australia began preparing for this historic moment by listening to God and by listening to one another’s stories of faith.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first Assembly will be a mix of in-person and online delivery. See the up-to-date PLENARY COUNCIL JOURNEY 2020-2022. https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Plenary-Council-Journey-Landscape-2020.pdf

Responses to the discernment journey which began with the Listening and Dialogue Phase https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/resources/reports/  ,followed by the Listening and Discernment Phase can still be accessed for … consideration and reflection.

The six Thematic Discernment papers and Reflection Guide, prepared by several writing groups are also still available, by clicking here. 

“ …we are all called to continue our own journey of prayer and discernment as we look forward in hope to the renewal of the Catholic Church in Australia.”

Visit: the Plenary Council website for more information.

Pray with Us: - prayers for each day of the Plenary Council can be found on the Resources for Assembly page

UCA President calls for prayer support for the Plenary

Rev Sharon Hollis, President of Uniting Church in Australia Assembly, has written to Uniting Church congregations and ministers inviting them to pray for the Australian Catholic Church as it begins its historic Plenary Council.

“I encourage congregations to take time one Sunday in the lead up to the Plenary Council to pray for the Plenary Council and their local Catholic Parish and bless a symbol of that prayerful solidarity, which can be sent or taken to a local Catholic Parish,” writes Rev Hollis. 

Read the full UCA article: Invitation to prayerful solidarity for Plenary Council

Read: The UCA President's letter -