Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB is inviting the Catholic community to attend the closing Mass of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia – the culmination of a four-year journey of renewal for the Church.

The second and final assembly of the Plenary Council will be held in Sydney from July 3-9. The final Mass, to be held at St Mary’s Cathedral at 10.30am on Saturday, July 9, is open to the public.

“While its origins date back the best part of two decades, the journey of the Plenary Council since 2018 has been one for the whole Church in Australia,” said Archbishop Costelloe, the Council’s president.

“It is therefore fitting that the whole Church can gather for our final step in the celebration phase of the Council for our closing Mass.”

Archbishop Costelloe said there will be around 270 Members who will undertake a particular task during the second assembly, but there is an awareness that they are acting with a national vision for the Church.

“We, the Members of the Council, have been surrounded by the prayers of so many during these years and we humbly ask for that prayer to continue over these coming weeks,” he said.

“When we gather around the altar on July 9, we will unite our voices with the hundreds in the cathedral but the much larger group of Catholics around the country who have been following this journey fill of hope for our shared future.”

The closing Mass will also be livestreamed through the Plenary Council’s website.

The full schedule for the livestream of Masses and sessions during the second assembly will be released next week.

Learn more about the Plenary Council at: www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au