For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission
“For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.”
Pope Francis called the entire People of God to journey together in 2021! This included a process of praying, listening, dialoguing, and discerning together for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What does Synod mean?
A Synod is a journey of discernment, in which the people of God are called to pray and reflect upon the Holy Spirit’s will for the Church.
The Synod process began at the local level with the fundamental questions noted below. That process may still be used to encourage listening and reflecting upon the Holy Spirit. The first session of the Synod was held in Rome in October 2023. The second session of the Synod was held in October 2024. View the final document and synod resources below.
The Fundamental Questions
A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together:” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your particular Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
In order to respond, you are invited to reflect prayerfully on the following:
- Recall our experiences: What experiences in our particular Church does this fundamental question bring to mind?
- Re-read these experiences in greater depth: What joys did they bring? What difficulties and obstacles have they encountered? What wounds did they reveal? What insights have they elicited?
- Gather the fruits to share: Where, in these experiences, does the voice of the Holy Spirit resound? What is the Holy Spirit asking of us? What are the points to be confirmed, the prospects for change, the steps to be taken? Where do we register consensus? What paths are opening up for our local Church?