Statement of Conclusions – Twenty Years on: Recovering the Mystical Heart of Catholicism

This paper expands on Father Michael’s talk to a Catalyst Dinner held on 13 March 2020 at Hunters Hill in Sydney. The Statement of Conclusions was presented to the Australian Bishops following an Ad Limina visit to Rome in 1998. In response, Catalyst for Renewal convened a forum in the Sydney Town Hall on 22 April 1999 at which Michael was one of several speakers. Such was the concern of ordinary catholics at the time that 2,000 people attended. Twenty years later, we ask: What was happening then? What is happening now? What might we learn from asking such questions?
Fr Michael is currently the Parish Priest of St Patrick’s, Church Hill, Sydney. He is a Marist priest, ordained in 1972. He gained his PhD under Adrian van Kaam in 1984 and is the former Head of the Sydney College of Divinity and former Principal of the Catholic Theological Union in Sydney.
He has published four books and a number of articles in his field of spirituality. Michael believes the renewal of the Church must include a grassroots recovery of the mystical dimension of our faith. He is committed to assisting adults to become contemplative in and through their daily lives.

Where to from here?

Where to from here? Francis Sullivan Francis Sullivan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council which was established to coordinate the Catholic Church’s response to […]