SYNOD
FINAL
DOCUMENT
SYNOD
DECREES & DECLARATIONS
ADELAIDE
SYNOD
2026
The Archdiocesan Synod in 2026 is the next step in the ongoing process of Church renewal.
The Synod provides assistance to the Archbishop in his ministry and leadership for the good of the whole Archdiocesan community. This is achieved by the participation of representatives of the faithful, lay and ordained, of the Archdiocese of Adelaide in ecclesial discernment of communion, participation and mission, to progress the pastoral priorities identified in recent Diocesan Assemblies.
The requirement for a Diocesan Synod was a decree of the Plenary Council that all diocese hold a synod within 5 years of the close of the Plenary Council.
Upcoming events
Check out the latest events, formation sessions and gatherings.
LATEST NEWS
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Finally… the 2026 Synod agreement is signed
Friday | August 21, 2026
A little over 14 months since the Adelaide Diocesan Synod first came into the public spotlight, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan last night put pen to paper to ensure its findings and agreements, now become canon law.
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Other sides of the Synod
Friday | July 31, 2026
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All go as the Synod passes with flying colours
Monday | June 29, 2026
Saturday 27 June was a momentous occasion for the 100 or so Synod members of the Archdiocese of Adelaide.
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Together, with Mary, on the Way
Friday | June 05, 2026
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, each year, one of the interesting tasks that befalls to the organising committee of the Marian Procession is to find an image of the Blessed Virgin. Look at the image that our talented Chancery Office team have created for today, its world-wide debut.
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A seamless first session of the Archdiocese of Adelaide Synod
Sunday | May 31, 2026
Finally, after months in the planning, 100 members of the Synod got together on Saturday 30 May for the first of two plenary sessions to discuss the future direction of the Archdiocese of Adelaide.
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An inside guide to the 2026 Archdiocese of Adelaide Synod
Thursday | May 28, 2026
About 100 lay women and men, clergy and religious, will attend the first plenary session of the Archdiocese of Adelaide 2026 Synod on Saturday 30 May. After much listening, discussion and communal discernment on the Synod’s five core themes, the time to make decisions that will last long into the future, has come. RICHARD EVANS put three questions to some of the lay people who will contribute on the day and at the second, and concluding, Synod session on 27 June.
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Synodality and becoming part of the family
Monday | May 04, 2026
Qwayne Guevara, who will host a Synod formation session in Adelaide on the topic of Communion and Co-Responsibility in a Fragmented World on Wednesday 6 May, is quite brilliant on organisation.
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Lessons for life and not just the Synod
Friday | April 10, 2026
Dr Christina Kheng is a renowned lay theologian based in Singapore and was a key member of the 2021 Synod on Synodality. She was a guest of the Archdiocese of Adelaide at Dialogue Week, which ran here in late February, and was an exercise in getting as many Catholics as possible to listen to what others had to say about their view of the future of their Church.
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Youngsters share vision of Church
Friday | February 27, 2026
Age is no barrier when it comes to having a say on the future of the local Church, as students at St Bernadette’s School in St Mary’s discovered when they participated in a pre-Dialogue Week session recently.
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Setting the scene
Friday | January 30, 2026
Draft papers have been developed on the five themes of the Adelaide Synod and will form the basis of discussions during Dialogue Week. The draft Synod papers are summarised below.
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Wide consultation key to successful Synod
Friday | January 30, 2026
While mountains of work have been going on in the background to prepare for the Synod to be held in Adelaide in May and June this year, February offers the first real chance for the public to perhaps get an idea of its scope and to play a direct part themselves.
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Many voices one mission
Friday | January 30, 2026
The whole Archdiocese is invited to be involved with our Synod this year. The key stages of the process are Dialogue Week, beginning on February 22; the members’ retreat on March 14; the opening Synod Mass at the Cathedral on May 29; the First Session on May 30 and then Second Session on June 27.
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Adelaide to host renowned theologian
Thursday | December 18, 2025
When Pope Francis died earlier this year, the American television network CNN ran an interview with Dr Christina Kheng to talk about the pontiff’s legacy and hopes for the incoming Pope Leo XIV.
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Shaping the future
Friday | December 19, 2025
Thousands of Catholics across South Australia are gearing up to take part in a groundbreaking event that will help shape the outlook and agenda of the Archdiocese of Adelaide for generations to come.
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Schools having a say in local Church’s future
Friday | October 31, 2025
Working out how to collect the thoughts of tens of thousands of students on the future direction of the Church in South Australia was at the fore of a meeting late last month of Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) principals from across the state.
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Be flexible and don’t be afraid to change
Friday | October 31, 2025
Placing social justice and action at the heart of the 2026 Synod was the key theme of an open forum held at Sophia Centre in Cumberland Park last month.
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Come to church and watch a video
Thursday | October 02, 2025
The last two weekends in September were an unusual occasion for Archbishop Patrick O’Regan who was seen and heard, simultaneously, in the majority of parishes across the Archdiocese of Adelaide.
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Listening to lived experience of people with disability
Thursday | August 28, 2025
Finding out directly how the Church community can do more to help people with disabilities and close the gap between action and words was the aim of a Listening Day hosted by the Disability Projects Office (DPO) in Adelaide recently.
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Finding time to participate in the synodal journey
Tuesday | August 05, 2025
Preparations are underway for the 2026 Synod to be held in Adelaide and it was one of the first topics addressed at the Star of the Sea School’s annual reflection day last month.
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Preparatory Commission under way
Friday | July 04, 2025
The first meeting of a newly formed Preparatory Commission was held on June 5 in preparation for the Diocesan Synod to be held in Adelaide next year.
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2026 Diocesan Synod dates announced
Thursday | May 08, 2025
‘Becoming a synodal church on mission’ will be the overarching theme of the upcoming Diocesan Synod to be held in Adelaide in May and June 2026.
