The Congress 2023+ gathering in Sydney in October 2023 brought together 202 Society representatives to explore transformation, renewal and revitalisation of the Society’s mission in contemporary Australia.

The Congress delegates agreed on a framework comprising 15 priority areas under three core pillars:

• Growth and revitalisation
• Diverse, flexible Conferences for impact
• Getting ready for change

Following Congress, approximately 85 delegates joined Project Teams to progress these priorities, meeting regularly over the last two years to share ideas, review documents and prepare recommendations for implementation. Supported by the National Membership, Mission & Spirituality Standing Committee (NMM&SSC) and the National Council Secretariat (NCS), this member-driven approach has drawn on the Vincentian principles of subsidiarity to listen carefully and consult widely.

Key Achievements and Outputs

Participating in the six-weekly Congress Workstream Leaders’ meeting has been one of the great highlights of the last year for me. The enthusiasm of the project teams reviewing and delivering their work has generated a fantastic energy that can be felt across the Australian Society. This strengthening of relationships across the States and Territories has fostered collaboration and consistency in approaches to how we serve, how we relate to each other, and how we want to lead and attract new people to the Society. The Congress 2023+ workstreams have provided opportunities for Members to share ideas, learn alternative ways of serving companions, and access resources from other States and Territories.

The opportunity to lead and participate in workstreams has also identified future leaders, helping to build skills for potential local and national leadership roles.

Practical outputs delivered by Congress 2023+ workstreams

• Several resources have been developed to support Conferences and Members, including:
• Conference President handover template
• Generic Position Description for Conference Presidents
• Our Shared Story, a guide to explaining the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia
• Leadership Development Guide
• New Conference Starter Resource
• Mentoring Guide
• Best Practice Guides for welcoming new Members and sharing resources.

These outputs aim to revitalise membership and enhance the Member experience and are available via the Congress Project Tracker which has been shared with State and Territory Councils and their Membership and Mission teams to implement, taking into consideration local factors.

What has been achieved since Congress 2023+ is very much aligned with National Council’s strategic goals:

• Vincentian Spirituality: There has been a strengthening of Member collaboration and a shared mission focus that will enable the values Blessed Frédéric spoke about – creativity, innovation, with a bias to action.
• Our People: Congress 2023+ and the project workstreams have seen teams working together with new leaders ready to get involved in Society works.
• Our Good Works: The review of existing documents, practices and tools has led to practical tools and guides for Conferences.
• Governance and Sustainability: The Member-driven approach has fostered ownership and accountability for how things are done and aims for a consistent approach across Australia.

While significant progress has been made, more work is needed to improve communication to Members to remedy an inconsistent approach to sharing information evident across the country. Addressing this challenge will remain a focus for the NMM&SSC after the Congress 2023+ workstreams end this year.

Two workstreams need more resources and coordination to be fully implemented. 

A national working group has been formed to develop a national advertising campaign based on the recommendations from the “A diverse base for recruitment” workstream. 

Similarly, the NMM&SSC will continue to work with State and Territory Mission and Membership teams to progress the “Identifying and encouraging new leaders” and “Leadership skills” workstreams, which were merged in 2025. 

Building to Congress 2028+ 

In 2026, the NMM&SSC will continue a dialogue with National and State and Territory Councils to ensure the great work delivered by the Congress 2023+ project teams are realised at the Conference level.
 
I thank all the participants of Congress 2023+ workstreams for their dedication and enthusiasm in delivering a comprehensive body of work. A special thank you to Julie G, Cass and the NCS team for their professionalism and persistence in making sure Members in project teams from across Australia (and Mike from New Zealand) could meet and access resources.

Work will begin in 2026 for Congress 2028. In preparation, the final Congress 2023+ workstream to be delivered, “Readiness for change” will evaluate what has been achieved, and where the Society in Australia might look to better deliver its “Good Works”. I look forward to updating Members later in 2026.