2022 Roman Synod on Synodality
Process and Questions
Synodality is defined as “the specific modus vivendi et operandi [way of living and operating] of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelizing mission.” - International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, March 2, 2018.
Town Hall Meeting Dates
Sunday January 23, 2022 - Newman Center Parish Meeting
Tuesday January 25, 2002 - Deanery III Pastoral Council Meeting for Priests and Parish Lay Representatives
If anyone is not able to make a public meeting, they may still give feedback by fill out an online questionnaire.
Six Potential Questions to Consider at Public Meetings from Leadership Roundtable
How is this “journeying together” to announce the Gospel happening today in our local parish, campus ministry, university, religious congregation?
Who else do we need to reach out to, listen to and learn from, or to include in our synodal consultations and in our faith community? Whose voices are currently not being heard? Who is absent from these discussions?
What do you think would make our parish (or ecclesial community) better?
What can each of us do and what can we do collectively to make it better?
“Synodality” asks us to be energetic and involved ambassadors of our faith through conscientious listening and sharing of insights to advance Jesus’ mission in the world. How do we see our parishioners becoming more aware of how much their faith and insights count — and need to be heard?
What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our journeying together?
Fifteen Potential Questions from Diocese of Fargo
Is the mission of our parish a combined effort between the priest and people? Please explain.
Who are we missing in our Church? Who is left out? What will fix it?
What particular issue in the Church do we need to pay more attention to? What should we do?
What particular issue in the culture do we need to pay more attention to? What should we do?
Do you feel listened to when decisions are being made in our parish? Our diocese?
How would you describe the mission of your parish? The diocese?
What is needed to form laity in leadership roles to respond to the needs of the Church?
How do we foster a more consultative approach in the Parish council?
How do we better represent the different groups in our parish on our parish council?
What facilitates or inhibits priests from listening to the laity?
What is needed to form priests to help them to listen to their people and recognize their needs?
What facilitates or inhibits the laity from listening to the priests?
Does our parish have a goal? What is it? Are we achieving it?
What do we believe the Holy Spirit is asking of us?
Is there anything else you want to mention?
Ten Key Elements of Synodality (From Vatican “Vademacum”, Section 5.3)
Be companions to each other on the journey
Listening to the Spirit and each other
Speaking out
Celebrating together
Sharing responsibility for our common mission
Joining dialogue in Church and in wider society
Participating in ecumenism
Each claiming their proper authority and participation
Being part of discerning and deciding
Forming ourselves in synodality
Nine Pitfalls to Avoid in the Synod Process (From Vatican “Vademacum”, Section 2.4)
Reaching out through ecumenical and interreligious dialogue: To dream together and journey with one another throughout the entire human family.
As on any journey, we need to be aware of possible pitfalls that could hamper our progress during this time of synodality. The following are several pitfalls that must be avoided in order to promote the vitality and fruitfulness of the Synodal Process.
1 The temptation of wanting to lead ourselves instead of being led by God. Synodality is not a corporate strategic exercise. Rather it is a spiritual process that is led by the Holy Spirit. We can be tempted to forget that we are pilgrims and servants on the path marked out for us by God. Our humble efforts of organization and coordination are at the service of God who guides us on our way. We are clay in the hands of the divine Potter (Isaiah 64:8).
2) The temptation to focus on ourselves and our immediate concerns. The Synodal Process is an opportunity to open up, to look around us, to see things from other points of view, and to move out in missionary outreach to the peripheries. This requires us to think long-term. This also means broadening our perspectives to the dimensions of the entire Church and asking questions, such as: What is God’s plan for the Church here and now? How can we implement God’s dream for the Church on the local level?
3) The temptation to only see “problems.” The challenges, difficulties, and hardships facing our world and our Church are many. nevertheless, fixating on the problems will only lead us to be overwhelmed, discouraged, and cynical. We can miss the light if we focus only on the darkness. Instead of focusing only on what is not going well, let us appreciate where the Holy Spirit is generating life and see how we can let God work more fully.
4) The temptation of focusing only on structures. The Synodal Process will naturally call for a renewal of structures at various levels of the Church, in order to foster deeper communion, fuller participation, and more fruitful mission. At the same time, the experience of synodality should not focus first and foremost on structures, but on the experience of journeying together to discerning the path forward, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The conversion and renewal of structures will come about only through the on-going conversion and renewal of all the members of the Body of Christ.
5) The temptation not to look beyond the visible confines of the Church. In expressing the Gospel in our lives, lay women and men act as a leaven in the world in which we live and work. A Synodal Process is a time to dialogue with people from the worlds of economics and science, politics and culture, arts and sport, the media and social initiatives. It will be a time to reflect on ecology and peace, life issues and migration. We must keep the bigger picture in view to fulfil our mission in the world. It is also an opportunity to deepen the ecumenical journey with other Christian denominations and to deepen our understanding with other faith traditions.
6) The temptation to lose focus of the objectives of the Synodal Process. As we proceed along the journey of the Synod, we need to be careful that, while our discussions might be wide-ranging, the Synodal Process maintains the goal of discerning how God calls us to walk forward together. No one Synodal Process is going to resolve all our concerns and problems. Synodality is an attitude and an approach of moving forward in a co-responsible way that is open to welcoming God’s fruits together over time.
7) The temptation of conflict and division. “That they may all be one” (John 17:21). This is the ardent prayer of Jesus to the Father, asking for unity among his disciples. The Holy Spirit leads us deeper into communion with God and one another. The seeds of division bear no fruit. It is vain to try to impose one’s ideas on the whole Body through pressure or to discredit those who feel differently.
8) The temptation to treat the Synod as a kind of a parliament. This confuses synodality with a ‘political battle’ in which in order to govern one side must defeat the other. It is contrary to the spirit of synodality to antagonize others or to encourage divisive conflicts that threaten the unity and communion of the Church,
9) The temptation to listen only to those who are already involved in Church activities. This approach may be easier to manage, but it ultimately ignores a significant proportion of the People of God.