Journeying together requires great commitment to listen to the voices of all who make up the People of God, but especially those who have often been marginalized, and the openness to discern the path forward that prophetically renews and enlivens.

Synod 2021-2023

A two-year 'synodal' process is taking place in the Catholic Church from October 2021 that will culminate in the final Synod Gathering in Rome in October 2023. The synodal journey is of great significance for the good of both the universal and local Church. During this process, we invite all the People of God to listen to each other, without exception, and with particular care to involve also those who are further away and are perhaps sometimes not included or marginalized.

We Are listening - The Process

The synodal journey is a process of listening to one another to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. First and foremost, this process is a spiritual process.
It is a period of discernment where we listen to each other, to our faith tradition, and to the signs of the times in order to discern what God is saying to all of us.
This kind of discernment is not only a one-time exercise but ultimately a way of life, grounded in Christ, following the lead of the Holy Spirit and guided by the teachings of Christ Himself.

The purpose of this Synod is NOT to produce more documents. Rather, it is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make peoples hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relations to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission. The journey together will call on us to renew our mentalities and our ecclesial (Church) structures to live out God’s call for the Church amid the present signs of the times. Listening to the entire People of God will help the Church to make pastoral decisions that correspond as closely as possible to God’s will. 

The three synod themes are communion, participation, and mission. These themes are profoundly connected.

Communion: God gathers us together as diverse peoples of one faith, through Christ who unites us with each in the Holy Spirit. Together we are inspired by listening to the Word of God, grounded in the faith that we share. We all have a role to play in the discerning and living out God’s call for His people by listening to one another and “journeying together” in our faith.

Participation: The Synod calls all of us (laity, consecrated and ordained) to be engaged in this deep and respectful listening to one another. The free and rich diversity of its members called together to pray, to listen, to analyze, to dialogue, to discern, and to offer advice on making pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God’s will - all the faithful are qualified. Genuine efforts must be made to ensure the inclusion of all - the poor, the marginalized, the vulnerable, and the excluded – and those who feel they don’t belong.

Mission: The Church exists to evangelize. Our mission is to witness to the love of God amid the whole human family. The Synodal process is to enable the Church to better witness the Gospel to those who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographic, and existential peripheries of our world.

Here at St. Luke's we have started this Synod experience with a series of meetings and interviews and we will continue along this journey with open minds and open hearts to hear the Holy Spirit working through all of Go'd's Children!

The Church on the way.  Pray for the Synod