National Synodal Assembly this Saturday: Preparing Together, Looking Ahead
Saturday 17 October 2026 | Gormanston, Co. Meath
This Saturday, almost 300 nominated delegates from across Ireland will gather in CityNorth Hotel, Gormanston, Co. Meath for the National Synodal Assembly, marking an important moment in the journey of the Irish Synodal Pathway.
After five years of prayer, listening, dialogue and discernment, the Assembly offers an opportunity to reflect on what has emerged from this journey and to consider together the proposals that seek to respond to the question at the heart of the Irish Synodal Pathway:
“What does God want from the Church in Ireland at this time?”
As we approach this significant gathering, we invite you to explore the, learn more about what will happen at the Assembly, get to know those who will participate, and reflect on what this journey means for the future of our Church.
Working Document for the National Synodal Assembly 2026 Published
Understanding the Working Document and the National Synodal Assembly
Watch: Julieann Moran in conversation with Fr Declan Hurley
What vision for the Church in Ireland has emerged from five years of listening and discernment? What will happen when delegates gather in Gormanston this Saturday? And how can those who are not attending the Assembly remain part of the journey?
In this insightful conversation, Julieann Moran speaks with Fr Declan Hurley, Chairperson of the National Synodal Team, and the preparations for the National Synodal Assembly.
Working Document for the National Synodal Assembly 2026 Published
Together, they explore the five pathways that have emerged as a vision for the Church in Ireland:
The Church that Proclaims the Gospel
The Church as a Community of Belonging
The Church as a Place of Healing
The Church that Accompanies
The Church that Empowers for Ministry and Co-Responsibility
They also discuss how the 35 proposals contained in the Working Document will be considered by delegates through prayer and conversation, and how their recommendations will help inform the next steps.
Importantly, they remind us that the National Synodal Assembly is not simply about those who gather in Gormanston. It is part of a journey that belongs to the whole People of God.
Revisit the Working Document
“Is not this what God asks of you?”
The Working Document for the National Synodal Assembly brings together the fruits of five years of listening, prayer and discernment along the Irish Synodal Pathway. Its 5 pathways and 35 proposals offer a vision that can inspire reflection, conversation and action in parishes, dioceses, religious communities and other Church settings.
While nominated delegates have been invited to prepare prayerfully with the document ahead of Saturday, we warmly encourage everyone to engage with it. Whether you are involved in a parish pastoral council, a faith community, a Church organisation, or are simply interested in the future of the Church in Ireland, the Working Document offers an opportunity to reflect on the kind of Church we are being called to become.
We invite you to read it, pray with it and consider how its vision might find expression in your own community.
Working Document for the National Synodal Assembly 2026 Published
Meet the Nominated Delegates
The list of nominated delegates to the National Synodal Assembly has now been published.
Almost 300 delegates, nominated from dioceses, religious congregations, movements and associations across Ireland, will gather in Gormanston on Saturday 17 October. They bring with them the experiences, hopes and reflections of their local communities, and the responsibility of participating in a process of prayerful discernment about the future of the Church in Ireland.
The publication of the delegates list offers an opportunity to see who will be participating in this important gathering and to accompany them in prayer as they prepare for the Assembly. We invite you to remember the delegates in your prayers this week, asking that they be guided by the Holy Spirit, listen openly to one another and discern faithfully what God is asking of the Church in Ireland at this time.
Accompany the Assembly in Prayer
As delegates make their final preparations to gather in Gormanston, we invite everyone across the Church in Ireland to accompany them in prayer. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide their conversations and discernment, that they will listen with open hearts, speak with courage and recognise the gifts and experiences that each person brings. Above all, may this Assembly help us to continue growing as a Church that proclaims the Gospel, welcomes and accompanies one another, acknowledges its own need for healing while seeking to be a place of healing for others, and recognises the shared responsibility of all the baptised for its life and mission.
Looking Beyond the Assembly: Changing to Be Faithful
Watch: Fr Eamonn Conway in conversation with Fr Bill Kemmy
As we prepare for Saturday’s National Synodal Assembly, it is important to remember that synodality is not simply about one gathering, one document or one set of proposals. It is about the continuing renewal of the life and mission of the Church.
In a thought-provoking conversation, Fr Eamonn Conway joins Fr Bill to explore his new book, Changing to Be Faithful: Living Tradition in a Synodal Church, published by Messenger Publications. Their discussion invites us to consider a question that is particularly relevant at this moment in the Irish Synodal Pathway: How can the Church change while remaining faithful to the Gospel and its living tradition?
The conversation explores how we can move beyond simply managing decline towards rediscovering our mission, recognising the gifts and responsibilities of all the baptised, and discerning together where the Holy Spirit is leading us. Drawing on the Second Vatican Council, the experience of the universal Synod and the importance of listening to the whole People of God, Fr Eamonn reflects on why synodality represents much more than another programme of Church renewal. It also acknowledges the hopes, concerns and uncertainties that accompany change, inviting us to approach the future with openness, prayerfulness and trust.
As we look beyond 17 October, this conversation offers a valuable perspective on why the work of becoming a more synodal Church must continue long after the Assembly concludes.
Interview with Fr.Eamonn Conway on looking Beyond the Assembly and Changing to be faithful
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