The mission that Jesus entrusted to the Church – to "Go and make disciples …" (Matthew 28:19–20) – remains unchanged, yet it is lived today in a cultural landscape very different from even a few generations ago. This raises important questions about how parish communities understand their identity and how they are called to bear fruit in the world to which they are sent.
This is the focus of the first keynote at the Sandhurst Formation Institute (SFI) in August. Exploring these questions will be Fr Richard Rosse and Ann O'Brien, keynote speakers from St Catherine of Siena Parish, Caroline Springs in Melbourne's west, a parish that has become recognised for its intentional approach to missionary discipleship and growing communities of mission.
When Bishop René Ramirez RCJ, then Auxiliary Bishop for the Northern Region of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, was approached by the Mission and Pastoral Life Team at the Chancery about a Keynote for the Sandhurst Formation Institute, he recommended St Catherine of Siena Caroline Springs Parish as a tangible and relatable example of a parish creating missionary disciples.
Caroline Springs Parish is known for fostering a parish culture centred on encounter with Christ, active lay leadership, and forming parishioners as missionary disciples. Built in one of Melbourne's fastest-growing and most culturally diverse suburbs, the parish has intentionally developed a community where faith, family, parish and school life are deeply connected. Its experience offers valuable insights into renewing parish life and growing communities of mission.
The parish's story began in 2003 when the first Mass for the emerging community was celebrated in a school hall. In 2006, St Catherine of Siena, Caroline Springs was formally established as a parish by the Archdiocese of Melbourne to serve the rapidly expanding Caroline Springs area. By the time the parish church was opened and dedicated in 2013, a vibrant faith community had already been gathering, worshipping and growing together for a decade.
Fr Richard Rosse has been Parish Priest of St Catherine of Siena since 2017. Inspired by a desire to help parishioners embrace their baptismal call and grow as missionary disciples, he has accompanied the parish community on a journey of missionary renewal. Together with parishioners, he has fostered a renewed focus on formation, evangelisation and leadership development, drawing on wider Church initiatives to help the parish grow as a community of mission.
Originally from Mauritius, Fr Richard moved to Australia for tertiary studies in 1998. While attending World Youth Day in 2002, he experienced a “significant moment of discernment” on his vocational journey and entered the seminary soon after. He was ordained in 2010.
Ann O’Brien brings a very different but complementary journey. After a career in the corporate world, she encountered Christ in a life-changing way in 2019, an experience that reshaped her direction and deepened her desire to help others encounter Jesus personally. In St Catherine of Siena Parish, she began serving on the evangelisation team, later became Evangelisation Coordinator, and now serves on the Parish Leadership Team, supporting the community in its movement from maintenance to mission.
Her focus is on raising up leaders, fostering encounter, and helping others discover a living relationship with Christ. She draws inspiration from St Catherine of Siena’s words: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Together, in two differnte keynotes, one on Friday and one on Saturday, Fr Richard and Ann will share insights from a parish that continues to grow as a community of belonging and mission at two different keynotes, one on Friday and one on Saturday. They will also lead four different Seminars across both days of the Sandhurst Formation Institute.
For those interested in parish renewal, their stories offer a grounded and hopeful perspective on how communities can take shape around encounter with Christ, formation in discipleship, and a shared commitment to mission in today’s world.
Bishop René Ramirez RCJ will give an opening reflection and make closing remarks at the Sandhurst Formation Institute.
There will also be a variety of other seminars to choose from.
To find out more about the Keynotes, Seminars and Speakers, the program, and to register, go to our website: https://sandhurst.catholic.org.au/item/3078-sandhurst-formation-institute-2026.
Or check out the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1516480673445444.