The Divine Word Missionaries and Holy Spirit Sisters were well-represented at the Mission One Heart Many Voices conference in Sydney this month, with participants exploring the theme: Choosing Hope. Trust yourself to its leading.

Among the presenters at the conference was Bishop Tim Norton SVD, who led a workshop exploring the idea of being ‘Pilgrims of Hope in communities of diversity’, as well as being chief celebrant at the conference Mass and a panellist for a discussion forum.

The conference, hosted by Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia, attracted more than 300 participants from across Australia.

The opening ceremony began with a powerful Welcome to Country led by Isaac Bamblett, a Bundjalung and Wiradjuri man.

Keynote presenters included Estela Padilla from the Philippines, Theologian and Member of the Synod on Synodality. Her address, titled “Searching your hope, trusting to its leading – Why be a Pilgrim of Hope?” explored the spiritual and practical dimensions of hope.

Estela reflected on the synodal journey between local communities and the Universal Church, and how hope emerges through personal, communal, and global experiences, describing hope as something that can take many forms including a rock and a bridge.

“My first description of hope is light inside of you … this light goes through your cracks of darkness, this light pushed me to breaking free,” said Estela.

Anna Cody, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, addressed the conference on the theme of Choosing. She spoke candidly about the ongoing reality of sexual abuse in Australia, particularly among marginalised groups such as migrants and LGBTQI+ individuals, and emphasised how creating safe spaces for people in distress can spark real change and build a safer future for all.

Fr Richard Lennan, a priest of the Maitland-Newcastle diocese and a theologian based in Boston, delivered his presentation by video-link on the possibilities for formation in a Synodal Church. And youth leader Madeline Forde from South Australia led a discussion with fellow youth ministry leaders about how we can listen to what young people are seeking in their faith journey and embrace and encourage the gifts they are offering to the whole Church.

On the final day, those attending the Conference Breakfast were inspired by hearing from students who had been part of Catholic Mission’s Interfaith Encounter inter-school program, which was followed by a panel discussion.

Workshops covered a wide range of topic areas, all reflecting the overall theme of Hope.

In his workshop, Bishop Tim, who is the Bishop of Broome, emphasised the importance of inclusivity and participation in the Church, highlighting the Synod on Synodality's role in renewing structures and processes to support a more inclusive and participatory faith community at both the global and local level.

Sharing some of his personal experiences from the Archdiocese of Brisbane’s Synod last year, along with other personal anecdotes from his life, missionary experience in Mexico, and his new ministry in the Kimberley, Bishop Tim spoke about the journey towards synodality as being a pilgrimage.

“Synod is walking together. It’s about the nature of Church as the people of God on pilgrimage through history,” he said.

“What has become very clear for us is that baptism has become groovy again. Our baptism is important. Now, we all sort of knew this one way or another, but this whole synodal journey and the work that's been done on synod and in synod is highlighting the fact that we are all equal. We are all one in our baptism.

“And a number of people who've been to the synod in Rome made the point that everybody sat at tables together and everybody had their say, and it was an equal say.

“So, it is a way of being Church according to the will of God, in a dynamic of discerning and listening together, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and listening individually and listening together as Church. And it is probably something we need to practice a lot.”

Bishop Tim also highlighted the significance of pilgrimage in various cultural and religious contexts, such as the Hajj and Christian traditions and reflected on the importance of cultural exchange, intentionality in belonging, and the role of geography in shaping identity, urging those participating in the workshop to embrace interculturality and take risks to grow as pilgrims of hope.

He encouraged participants to spend time talking at their table and sharing experiences of recognising their own cultural heritage and also remembering a time when they were asked to enter into a different cultural situation and “venture into the world of the other”.

This kind of listening, sharing and entering into cultural dialogue was crucial to being pilgrims together on the path of synodality, Bishop Tim said.

“And we do have setbacks, difficult situations, but that only helps us open our eyes more and see the world and people in it with new eyes,” he said.

“I think we need this, as people on pilgrimage, people of hope, Christian people in this multicultural world. We need this cultural variation. We need to be expressing ourselves, learning about ourselves by stepping out into what is other into what is new, taking risks with our community, taking risks, with the Spirit, to really be Pilgrims of Hope.”

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: The SVD and SSpS contingent at the Mission One Heart Many Voices conference in Sydney.

MIDDLE LEFT: Keynote speaker Estela Padilla gives her address at the conference.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Bishop Tim Norton SVD delivered a workshop on 'Pilgrims of Hope in communities of diversity'.