St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, 3 May 2026
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:1-7) begins with the Twelve calling a meeting of all the faithful. The Church had been expanding rapidly—more than 5,000 converts in the first few weeks, enough to scare the authorities (Acts 2:41,47; 4:4). More apostolic preaching plus persecution only added to their number (Acts 5:14,17-40).
But provoking opposition was not the only complication that comes with such rapid growth. No doubt the church carpark was overfull. But what people were grumbling about was that, when the believers sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to the Christians in need (Acts 4:32-5:11), the Jewish widows (and presumably orphans) were getting preference over the Hellenists. Yet the Hellenists were a particularly vulnerable group as they were foreigners, diaspora Jews returned to their ancestral homeland, often without local relatives to support them and speaking with strange accents if they had Hebrew at all. What to do?
The world would say the Twelve, or Peter alone, should have addressed this directly. Or they could have appointed an external consultant or a government inquiry, at great expense, to delay things a good while and then tell them what they probably already knew. But the Christian instinct was different. It was what’s been called in recent times ‘synodal’. Call the elders and the faithful together, or at least a good sample of them. Hear the issues and the possible responses. Decide together under God’s grace. Though many things could and would be decided by Peter alone or the Twelve, some matters required prayerful consultation with the elders or even the whole company of believers.[1]
Not only was this a strange way to resolve things by the standards of the ancient world, but these synods had more of the feel of a prayer meeting than a parliament, talking with God more than talkfests with each other. Pray and listen and contemplate. Pray again to know what to do and then choose. Pray even more and now act. These gatherings powerfully united prayer and practicality. The disciples considered the needs of their times and the mission response. Spiritual and corporal works of mercy—proclaiming the word and testifying through service—are complementary. And they flowed from the same source: love of God and neighbour, told in the priestly work of Word and Sacrament, and the diaconal service especially of the little ones. So, when the first disciples gathered to ask, “Who is being neglected among us and what does faithfulness to Christ mean we should do about it?” they were not an NGO engaged in a strategic planning exercise: they were the Church at prayer, hearing and obeying.
Thirdly, amidst the consultations, a longing emerged. Not just for more equitable or efficient distributions. But for more ministry. A group of men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” would attend to the Church’s corporal works of mercy (the Vinnies work), while the apostles focused on the spiritual works of mercy (word, sacraments and Church governance). And so began a whole new ‘holy order’ we call ‘the deacons’, ordained by the bishop’s prayer and laying on of hands.
Fourthly, Luke’s account of this early assembly tells us something about the KPIs—the hoped-for fruits of their decisions—for which they would be accountable. In this case they were dramatic: “The Word of God spread widely and the number of disciples increased rapidly, so that even Jewish priests converted to the faith.”
Forces in our world today pull in a rather different direction to the synodal instincts of our first reading and the Sydney Church gathering of the last four days. Modernity, for all its democratising talk, is often as tyrannical or at least top-down as were most of the ancients in decision-making. The strongest voice sways the culture, power is its own justification, whoever controls the room controls the truth. We see this in boardrooms, social media, government, the battlefield. From Herod’s palace to modern parliaments, ‘might is right’ logic has its champions.
Christian faith has always resisted brute force in favour of persuasion and communion. Jesus called Simon ‘Peter’ or ‘Rocky’, the solid foundation for His Church (Mt 16:18). In our epistle (1Pet 2:4-9), Peter returns the compliment, calling Jesus ‘the keystone’, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him. On that most solid of foundations, he said, God was building “a spiritual house” out of living, breathing, believing stones—His faithful people. And if Jesus was “the stone rejected by the builders”, Peter knew His faithful would also be persecuted; at the very least they would be different, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart,” called out of the darkness of this world to walk together in the wonderful light of Christ. For to be set apart is not to be conformed to this world or the fashions of the age, but to be faithful to one’s baptismal consecration, to the Gospel call to walk with Christ.
Over these past days, the Synod of Sydney has attempted to do what the disciples did in Jerusalem in the earliest days of the Church. To gather, pray, listen, and discern together what fidelity to the Gospel demands of the Church here and now. Against the temptation to trust in our own preferences, or to yield to the loudest voice, we have instead sought Him who alone is “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:1-12). He is the only Way forward. He is the real Truth about God and humanity. He is the Life of the Church of Sydney for the years ahead. Such has been the prayerfulness, positivity, wisdom, practicality, and fraternity of the Synod members these past few days that I am very confident we have heard the cries of the faithful of Sydney—for more prayerful liturgies and lives, for more Christ-centred parishes and communities, and for more missionary priests and people. What’s more, we have identified our best responses. And we can trust that in 21st century Sydney, as in first century Jerusalem, the Word of God will spread widely and the number of disciples increase rapidly as a result. “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you!” (Ps 33:22)
Remarks after Communion
And so, my friends, our Synod of Sydney winds to its close. Yesterday I announced that I will accept all of the recommendations made to me by the Synod: in particular that there be more liturgical formation, in view of but not limited to the International Eucharistic Congress; that our parishes and communities collaborate to offer more options for sacraments and prayer, longer opening hours, and active ministries of welcome and hospitality; and that there be more training for clergy and laity in different ways of evangelisation, including digital evangelisation. Today I promise to seek to enact those recommendations with your help. And so, while our Synod has in a sense completed a decade and more of archdiocesan consultations, of hearing the longings of our people, and of recommending actions going forward, it is not the beginning of the end so much as the end of the beginning today. There is still much for us to do…
I record my particular gratitude to the Bishop-elect of Rockhampton, Most Rev. Danny Meagher, who has coordinated the synod process from start to today’s finish before wandering off to parts unknown in the tropics; to Varun, our Synod Project Officer, and the members of the Synod Working Party; to Kym, Monica and the team of helpers; the MCs, facilitators, presenters and observers; and the synodallers themselves, busy people who generously gave their time, passion and energy to the preparatory process and these four days we’ve gathered.
You will have noticed the erection in the cathedral square of the spectacular venue for the forthcoming Sistine Revelations immersive experience. It will be a wonderful opportunity to unite sacred art and modern technology in service of telling the Christian story, and will run from 16 May to 19 July. I exhort you to book your tickets now and bring someone with you who might be inspired by the beauty of the Sistine Chapel. In that way you will be taking forward already one of our Synod’s recommendations about developing new ways of evangelising.
[1] Matters decided/led by Peter alone: Acts 1:15ff; 2:14ff; 3:1ff,11ff; 4:8ff,19ff; 5:29 etc. Matters decided/led by the Twelve: Acts 2:42f; 4:2,33-37; 5:12; 6:2,6; 8:14 etc. Matters decided/led with the elders or clergy: Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2ff,23; 16:4 etc. Matters decided with the whole company of believers: Acts 6:2; 15:22 etc.
INTRODUCTION TO MASS OF THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR A) +
CLOSING OF THE SYNOD OF SYDNEY
St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, 3 May 2026
Welcome to St Mary’s Basilica Sydney for the Solemn Mass of the fifth Sunday of Easter. Our celebration of the Eucharist this morning also marks the close of the Synod of Sydney which was celebrated over these past four days. Responding to the call of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia and the international Synod on Synodality to conduct such gatherings in each local church,[i] and in accordance with the Code of Canon Law, I summoned this assembly for our archdiocese.[ii] The Working Party drew upon more than a decade of local consultations—for Parish 2020, our mission plan Go Make Disciples, the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, the international synods, and this particular assembly—and identified three recurring longings that have emerged from the faithful of Sydney: to make our liturgies and lives more prayerful, our parishes and communities more Christ-centred, and our priests and people more missionary.
To all the organisers and participants in the Synod, a very warm welcome to this Closing Mass. Concelebrating with me are Bishop-elect of Rockhampton, Danny Meagher; Bishops Richard Umbers, Tony Percy and Terry Brady; Vicar General Sam Lynch; and several priest members of the Synod.
In our Introit the Church placed on our lips the words of the Psalmist: “O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders” (Psa 97:1-2). I think we can count the Synod just celebrated among the wonderful fruits of God’s grace among us. May it continue to bear fruit for the Church of Sydney as we see through the various proposals that have come forth from the Synod. For all this I offer this Mass with you in thanksgiving and hope.
[i] Light from the Southern Cross (2020) 56; Fifth Plenary Council of Australia (2022) Decree 7, para 5a; Synod on Synodality, For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission (2024) 103-108.
[ii] CIC can. 460-466; Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, Toward a More Prayerful, Christlike and Missionary Church (22 February 2025).
