14 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2025 Mick Chalkley Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council In this Jubilee Year for the Universal Church, “Pilgrims of Hope”, the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council (SMPC) gathered in Shepparton for meetings in February and May. The members of the Council also gathered for a day of formation in August and the meeting scheduled for November was cancelled, due to the appointment of Bishop Shane as the Archbishop of Brisbane. Our work plan for the year included: providing advice in the elaboration of plans relating to the Strategic Mission and Pastoral Goals, which included contributing to the development of a Diocesan Formation Support Plan; ongoing listening and learning about the structures; safeguarding practices and the Diocesan commitment to redress for victims of abuse; and the general financial situation of the Diocese, as well as providing advice regarding the development of programs, events and the exercise of various diocesan ministries, especially with young people through our schools and parishes. In terms of SMPC membership, a casual vacancy was created by Fr Jackson Saunders’ appointment as Assistant Priest to the Cathedral Cluster of Parishes in Bendigo in January 2025. At the February meeting, Fr Jackson was farewelled and thanked via video call and Bishop Shane invited Fr Ronald Masilang RCJ (Shepparton South) to attend the February and May meetings of the Council as a member of the clergy from the Goulburn Valley Deanery. The Council’s February meeting was largely dedicated to a series of activities facilitated by Mr Geoff Gowdie, the Sandhurst Assistant Director of Mission and Pastoral Life. These activities invited members of the Council to advise and recommend the steps for a plan to operationalise Strategic Direction 3 of the Mission and Pastoral Goals, “Life Giving and Empowering Formation” and the goals in the other two Strategic Directions. After seeking feedback from the Council of Priests, Geoff presented the draft of a Diocesan Formation Support Plan at the May meeting, which was endorsed by the Council and released by Bishop Shane in June. Personally, I was pleased to be one of the 127 attendees at the Diocesan Formation Gathering at Notre Dame College on 11 October, which was Project 4 of the Formation Support Plan. It was a great day of hope and encouragement for our diocesan community. Ongoing formation has been a feature of the Council’s meetings this year. Members have continued to draw on the teachings of the XVIth Ordinary Synod for a Synodal Church. We have spent time reflecting on the Final Document of the Synod, as well as Bishop Shane’s first-hand experience as a member of the Synod, and through videos of the retreat talks given in October 2024 by Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, Cardinal of the Church and spiritual advisor to the Synod. I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Mission One Heart Many Voices Conference in Sydney in early May, along with four other members of the Council, Bishop Shane, members of the Mission and Pastoral Life Team and Fr Boniface Kumulgeya PP (White Hills). The Conference itself was excellent, and to share the experience with others from the Diocese made it even more impactful. Fr Richard Lennan was one of the keynote speakers and one of his observations, “Pilgrims on a journey don’t need to be perfect”, has really stayed with me. Fr Richard also quoted the Final Synod Document par.141: “Unless accompanied by focused formational processes, the Synodal Church will remain unrealised.” This gives me hope that the SMPC and our “Ongoing formation has been a feature of the Council’s meetings this year. Members have continued to draw on the teachings of the XVIth Ordinary Synod for a Synodal Church.”
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