Diocesan respondents to the Plenary Council and our Synod Listening and Dialogue emphasised the hope that we as a diocesan Church would be recognised not as a powerful institution, but as a community of Jesus’ missionary disciples, prioritising mission over maintenance, reflecting the gospel values of justice, compassion, forgiveness, peace, equality, and freedom.

Respondents recognised the need for all of us to build relationships with God, others, self, and creation, to honour and value each person and their gifts, respect our differences, face our prejudices, and value others without judgment.

We need to explore new models of community, open to the needs of all: the elderly, the poor, young people, newcomers, singles, those with a disability, the marginalised, the vulnerable and those at risk, single parents, divorced/remarried people, refugees and asylum seekers, those of other cultures, of different faiths, survivors of sexual abuse, those of different sexual orientation, the disconnected, the disillusioned, the confused and those with whom we disagree.

On the day of Pentecost three thousand became disciples of Jesus, evangelised by the few on whom the Holy Spirit first descended.

They remained faithful to the apostles’ teaching, to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. The whole group was united, heart and soul, gladly and generously sharing all.

They grew and developed beyond their Jewish roots, assuming a separate identity as ‘the Way’ and as ‘Christians’. “See how these Christians love one another!”

The early Christian community gathered around those whom Jesus had gathered around himself.

They ‘remembered’ what Jesus said and did, passing on their treasured encounters with the God-man who had invited them to think, speak, and act like him in relating to God and to one another.

By word and example Jesus had taught them to be lovers always, motivated by the love of God.

They were to be known for loving enemies, turning the other cheek, endlessly forgiving!

Such radical, counter-intuitive behaviour identified a community as founded by Christ. Animated by Christ’s continuing presence through the Holy Spirit it was destined to flourish.

Today, the Church of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is the local gathering of the global Catholic Church in the Hunter-Manning. It is our church where we are at home.

Here we encounter Christ as his beloved friends and disciples and seek to grow our relationship.

It is the community from which we reach out to share the good news of God’s saving love to all and to serve the coming of God’s reign in the world.

We are Catholic Christians, belonging to the community of word and sacrament in continuity with the first Christians, including strong women of influence like Mary, Priscilla and Lydia.

We share with the first disciples the essential elements which defined them. We are faithful to the legacy of the Apostles, handed on under the leadership of their successor, our Bishop.

We seek equality and unity as children in God’s family. We seek to love God faithfully, and to love others in practical service. We seek justice, mercy and love, especially for the poor and marginalised.

We are called to be a community of ‘intentional disciples’ who know the Lord well and warmly, who seek to follow him out of love and make him known and loved by others.

As humans we are imperfect in our attempts to be united heart and soul, to live together in harmony and to share our resources. To the extent that we succeed we identify ourselves as Christ followers.

It is important that we as a diocese, all of us, remember  the criminal conduct, the terrible things that were done here and the failures that allowed them to go on. But there are ways of remembering, ways of caring for survivors and ways of ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable people, which help keep us committed, from which we get better as a church through which we contribute to a better society.

We are a people of faith, ‘intentional disciples’ of Jesus, entrusted with a mission by God – the mission of proclaiming the Good News of God’s love.

The church comes to be as the church engages in mission − as it realizes that its mission is the very mission of God: to go into the world and be God’s saving, healing, challenging presence…. The church is not about the church. It is about what Jesus called the reign of God   (Stephen Bevans SVD, The Mission has a Church) 

Take…a handful of Christians who, in the midst of their own community,  show their capacity for understanding and acceptance, their sharing of life and destiny with other people, their solidarity with the efforts of all for whatever is noble and good.   Why are they like this? Why do they live in this way?… Such a witness is already a silent proclamation of the Good News and a very powerful and effective one   (Pope Paul VI Proclaiming the Gospel, 21)      

We are called to be a welcoming, listening church for all, attending to wounds of hurt and rejection, poor with the poor.

Love is our foundation and our destiny. It is where we come from and where we’re headed. (Richard Rohr OFM)

Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven  (Pope Francis June 2013)

[Christians should welcome others] without classifying them on the basis of social condition, language, race, culture, religion….mercy is that way of acting, that style, with which we try to include others in our life, avoiding closing up into ourselves and into our selfish securities (Pope Francis on Twitter, Nov 2016)

There is a sense that we are still coming to terms with the depth of the hurt and trauma of the victims and survivors of sexual abuse, along with the distressing shock that ripples throughout the whole Church. There is a great demand to acknowledge this pain and trauma, own the consequences of this dark chapter in our story and respond with courage, humility and tenderness. (Plenary Council Thematic Paper 2019)

We are a people who respect and support the diversity of roles and functions in the community, while maintaining the equality of each individual before God. 

Diversity is valuing difference because it makes a difference:   we see more when there are more of us seeing    (Margaret J Wheatley Who do we choose to be. 2017)  

I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security     (Pope Francis The Joy of the Gospel 49)

 …the Church as a community of faith can never outgrow its need for conversion to greater authenticity in its faith and action.   (The Light from the Southern Cross Report 2020, p 25)  

RELATIONSHIPS

IC 1.1 That with Jesus Christ at the heart of everything, we prioritise and support whatever enables
people to grow in their relationship with God, self, each other, and creation.
IC 1.2 That we strengthen our parishes and organisations so they become centres of prayer, joy,
hope and service to their own members and the wider community.

COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES
IC 2.1 That priority in our Diocese be given to building life-giving communities that reflect God’s love
for us and the words of Jesus: “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.”
IC 2.2 That as Catholics we grow in our identity as missionary disciples.
IC 2.3 That families be affirmed, honoured, and supported in their role in society and in the Church.

WELCOMING
IC 3.1 That in our parishes and organisations we review our culture, behaviour, and attitudes, to
create places of inclusivity and welcome that resonate with our Australian context.

LISTENING
IC 4.1 That in this time of a change of an era, we all endeavour to listen and discern with the ear of
the heart, open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through scripture, prayer, and story.
IC 4.2 That we seek to be open to listening and responding to the voice of those outside our
experience and culture without bias or agenda, even when it is unsettling and requires us to reach out.

DIVERSITY OF GIFTS
IC 5.1 That we embrace and celebrate the diversity of God’s gifts within our communities.
IC 5.2 That we endeavour to build a “discernment of gifts” culture by encouraging all adults and
children to explore and discern their gifts and utilise them for the good of the whole community.

SMALL COMMUNITIES
IC 6.1 That parish communities be encouraged to develop a renewed vision of parish as a
community of communities.
IC 6.2 That we encourage our Church communities to support the creation of small groups of faith
and life.
IC 6.3 That we investigate and learn from the experiences of our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.