North West Regional Listening Session

North-West Tasmania

Saturday 31 October, 2026 | 10am - 4pm (doors open at 9:30am)
St Brendan Shaw College, Genesis Centre

Archbishop Anthony Ireland warmly invites you to join him for the Regional Listening Sessions for the Archdiocese of Hobart Synod 2027.

The Regional Listening Sessions will be a one day gathering to be held in Devonport, Launceston and Hobart.

The Regional Listening Sessions will provide an opportunity for clergy, religious, and lay people to contribute their voices, share experiences, and help identify the future mission and ministry needs of the Church in Tasmania.

The day will bring an intentional prayer space focused on communal discernment rather than debate where everyone is heard and where the wisdom of the Holy Spirit can emerge. In listening together, and praying together, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit to journey together on a path that Christ is calling us to walk.

The Regional Listening sessions will rely on "Conversations in the Spirit" methodology. This methodology invites each person to speak from the heart, listen deeply to others, and reflect in silence before sharing again.

The trained facilitators will guide the small group process, using the three steps of the Conversation in the Spirit format:

The group begins with silence or Scripture.

Round 1 (Sharing from Experience): Each person speaks in turn without interruption, sharing the fruits of their prayer and personal reflection on the guiding question. This is followed by a period of silent reflection.

Round 2 (Reflection on What Was Heard): Participants share what touched, surprised, or resonated with them during the first round and the subsequent silence.

Round 3 (Discernment and Action): The group reflects together on emerging patterns, common themes, and where they sense the Holy Spirit is leading them toward concrete action or consensus.

Plenary & Synthesis:

Assemble the entire room. Invite table scribes or facilitators to share a high-level summary of the major themes that emerged from their tables.

Post-Event Reporting:

Consolidate all insights from table scribes into a unified regional report and submit it to the Archdiocesan Synod Team.

"Being Synodal is the way of being Church today according to the will of God, in a dynamic of discerning and listening together to the voice of the Holy Spirit."

Pope Francis, February 2022

Registrations close on Sunday 11 October 2026.

More information: synod@aohtas.org.au

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