The usual rhythm of midweek masses was interrupted for several days in May as all priests and deacons in the Diocese gathered for a conference on the Central Coast – the first of its kind in almost a decade.
The three-day event was originally planned as a get-together to kick-start discussion of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan. But the organisers quickly realised that after nine years since the last conference, with the interruption of the COVID pandemic and priests coming and going, it was more important for clergy to get to know each other.
The chairman of the organising committee of the conference, Fr John Hogan, parish priest at St Finbar’s Parish, Glenbrook, said there was a need for “a culture of encounter” where clergy could “get to know one another from the heart, and learn to rely on one another in our shared ministerial project”.
Once this was established, he said, it would be easier to begin discussing the Pastoral Plan.
The Bishop of Parramatta, Vincent Long OFM Conv, addresses the conference. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
“We don’t get a chance to properly encounter one another because we’re all in disparate parishes,” he said. “We may come together from time to time, but we don’t really get the opportunity to sit down and get to know one another and to share our hopes and aspirations.”
Over the course of the conference at Terrigal, between 20 and 23 May, more than 100 clergy heard talks about the history and the makeup of the Diocese, how to manage change and conflict, as well as taking part in discussions on topics such as “pastoral challenges and opportunities in contemporary ministry” and “clergy giftedness and mutual support”.
But for many, it was the informal catchups and discussions that they valued most.
“People were very, very grateful for the opportunity to come together and just be with one another,” Fr John said. “The main thing was just being together, meeting people we’ve never really met properly before.”
One of the priests at the conference, Fr Andrew Rooney, Assistant Priest at Mary, Queen of the Family Parish, Blacktown, said he met many “new faces” and was reacquainted with many others he hadn’t seen for a long time.
The conference was held over three days at Terrigal, on the Central Coast. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
He said that although the Diocese of Parramatta was blessed with many priests, relative to other dioceses, there had been a lack of opportunity to meet and share stories in this way “in order that we can better support and utilise the gifts and charisms for the benefit of our shared ministry”.
“The opportunity to strengthen the presbyteral fraternity allows us to better serve the people of God and direct our pastoral service in a more cohesive and consistent way,” he said.
“It was reassuring to see that we all experience similar challenges and struggles and that we can rely on and support each other through some of the complexities of ministering in the modern world.”
Fr Paul Roberts, Parish Priest at Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish, Greystanes, was another who felt the chance to spend time with fellow priests and deacons was important. But, he also got a lot out of the formal sessions.
Monsignor John Boyle gave a talk about the history of the Diocese, which was very popular with all clergy. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
In particular, Monsignor John Boyle’s session on the history of the Diocese of Parramatta was “excellent…I’m in my fourth decade of ministry here, but I still really benefited from it myself”. Another was by Dr Stephen Reid, from the Church’s National Centre for Pastoral Research, who looked at the makeup of the Diocese, such as the ages, ways of thinking and the mix of cultures. “I think that was a great example of the importance for us to do our research and to know who the people are…particularly those with whom we would hope to have further contact,” he said.
Fr John said that by priests and deacons forming closer ties with one another, the Diocese as a whole stood to benefit.
“It’s the actual presbyterate that’s important – that’s all the priests and deacons together that form the ministry within the Diocese,” he said.
“The clergy is part of that overall enterprise, in unity with the bishop. So, we have to move away from this idea that the parish is everything. No, it isn’t. It’s part of a greater whole, and each individual parish priest is part of a greater whole.”
Deacon Roderick Pirotta, in the checked shirt, listens to one of the speakers during the conference. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
As such, he and others at the conference, including Deacon Roderick Pirotta, the Pastoral Director of Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Druitt South, felt it was important to hold these conferences more regularly.
Deacon Roderick said a conference every two or three years would be ideal to keep the bonds strong and that fraternal energy going. “I call it a steroid injection,” he said.
For him, the conference was an opportunity for a timeout from the daily routine, and a recognition for all the hard work that clergy do in parishes.
“I really felt I was refreshed in many ways – mentally, physically and even spiritually.”
All the priests and deacons of the Diocese of Parramatta gathered for their first clergy conference in nine years. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
He said the conference was especially valuable for the deacons in the Diocese. At the suggestion of Bishop Vincent, they were able to bring their wives, who attended most of the sessions. And this involvement of all the deacons and their wives with the rest of the clergy felt like there was “that sense of history of being together” and understanding each other, he said.
The conversations around the table during the formal sessions were “definitely not superficial”.
“People really opened up and I was very surprised how people opened up…Whether it was part of religious life, being clergy, I think I saw the humanity of our experience and that touched me quite a lot,” he said.
But it was also an opportunity for the deacons to reaffirm their choice of ministry, in how they are used to working with their wives and families in a synodal way, and the importance of ‘supervision’ or discussion with others outside the ministry who can help resolve difficult decisions.
For many it was a chance rekindle old friendships. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
“It confirmed our vocation, that we want to be deacons and we’re definitely contributing to the church of today,” Deacon Roderick said.
The conference is an example of the Church in Parramatta working towards the Diocesan Pastoral Plan priorities of Prayer and Mission.
Click here to see more photos from the Diocese of Parramatta Clergy Conference.
More than 100 priests and deacons attended the conference on the Central Coast. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
