BackAustralasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform (ACCCR) and Garratt Publishing presented
THE WHOLE PEOPLE OF GOD
AS ACTIVE SUBJECTS OF GOD’S MISSION
Webinar
Thursday 5 February 2026
Just as early Christian communities needed to interpret the Gospel to apply it in the various local churches that gradually emerged, we of today are challenged to express and promote the Gospel in our socio-cultural contexts. Affirming the faithful as the People of God, the constitutive feature of the Church, was a major achievement of Vatican II in that direction.
In today’s Church, theological competence is not reserved to priests and bishops. Lay faithful everywhere hunger for participation, equal access, and agency. The Pope, bishops and priests on their own cannot fully awaken or actualise the vision of Jesus – all Catholics have roles to play. Synodality is offered as a way to make this a reality.
Baptismal ecclesiology begins with what is shared by Christians – our faith and love. Using our personal charisms, the particular gifts that the Holy Spirit has given uniquely to each person, is increasingly seen as a primary feature in making us People of God.
Current theological thinking is also leading to the broader understanding that all humans are People of God, people to whom God is reaching out in love. Synodality and the heritage of Vatican II call us to invite everyone to discover God’s unrestricted love, whatever their circumstances. This means opportunities for everyone to exercise their gifts and callings fully and freely as subjects of God’s mission.
Fr Ormond Rush was joined by Francis Sullivan who discussed this and related issues.
The presentation was recorded and can be viewed below.
SPEAKERS
Ormond Rush
Ormond is a priest of the Diocese of Townsville, Australia and holds a Doctorate in Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He taught Theology at the former Pius XII Provincial Seminary in Banyo, Australia (1991 – 2000), was Dean of the Ecumenical Consortium at the Brisbane College of Theology (1998 – 2001), and President of St Paul’s Theological College, Banyo (2001 – 2006). For three terms (2007 – 2010), Ormond served as President of the Australian Catholic Theological Association. He currently lectures in Theology at the Brisbane campus of ACU. Ormond delivered a highly regarded presentation on Tradition and Synodality to the full assembly at the 2023 session of the Synod on Synodality
MODERATOR
Francis Sullivan AO
Francis is the chair of Jesuit Social Services. He has held numerous executive positions in Catholic organisations, including Chief Executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, and Catholic Health Australia. He previously chaired the Mater group of hospitals and Catholic Social Services Australia. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Catholic University.
