Synod 2021-2024: Walking Together as Church
What is SYNODALITY*?
*DEFINITION of SYNODALITY: walking together, listening to one another, dialoguing, hearing the other, learning from the other; the three key pillars of Synodality are Communion, Participation, and Mission with no hierarchy between them. The Synod on Synodality is also known as the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops—but this time the Synod is historically very different.
INTRODUCTION: For a short video explaining the Synod on Synodality 2021-2024, click HERE.
Parish priests were missing in the October 2023 meeting in Rome. Now 300 parish priests have been invited to meet at the Vatican from April 28 to May 2. Read the news article HERE or see the picture entitled, "Parish Priests for the Synod" below. On March 27th, three priests from Canada (including one from Calgary!) were named to the group going to Rome; read the announcement HERE.
Dates have been set for the Second Session of the Synod: October 2 - 27, 2024. Read the news release HERE.
On October 29, 2023, at the end of the FIRST SESSION of the SYNOD ON SYNODALITY in Rome, the participants compiled "reflections and proposals on topics such as the role of women and the laity, the ministry of bishops, priesthood and the diaconate, the importance of the poor and migrants, digital mission, ecumenism, and abuse," a quote from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) website found HERE. These topics and others will be considered for October 2024 at the SECOND SESSION of the UNIVERSAL SYNOD.
The final SYNTHESIS REPORT from the First Session 2023 (41 pages—accessed HERE) now becomes the guide for local discussions through 2024 until May when the input from the People of God must be submitted to the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome in preparation for the October 2024 SECOND SESSION again in Rome.
What are we to do? STEPS were suggested by the Secretary General of the Synod for the People of God/the Church to take during the months between October 2023 and the SECOND SESSION of the SYNODAL ASSEMBLY in October 2024 in the document entitled, "Towards October 2024." Input is be to be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod by May 15, 2024. See also this news article, "Pope Francis will choose the 'big questions' for further Synod study, but the local Church has a role too," from The BC Catholic online news, December 13, 2023.
As of Wednesday, February 7, 2024 the Pope along with his Cardinal Advisors concluded their meeting on the topics of synodality, evangelization, and women's role in the church. Read the BNN Online News report about that meeting HERE. Insights about these topics will guide further discussion after Easter, in April 2024.
Parish priests were notably missing at the Synod in 2023. Now 300 will be invited to Rome at the end of April to "listen, pray, and discern" in preparation for meeting with Pope Francis on May 2 and to provide input for the Final Session of the Synod in October 2024. Read the news article HERE.
A view of the Synod on Synodality held in Rome in October 2023 in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.
Through the four weeks of October 2023 during round table discussions, the delegates listened and discussed the various modules of the working document, Instrumentum Laboris.
Below is a view of the seating at past Synods of the Bishops held at the Vatican.
Fall 2021 to Fall 2023: The Synod's Background
In REVIEW: so what has already transpired in the Synod on Synodality? Stages 1, 2, and most of Stage 3 as shown in the diagram above have been completed. The chronological order of events from 2021 to 2023 are listed in what follows next . . .
As you know, the Synod was announced by Pope Francis in the Fall of 2021 and the work of "synodality" began around the world in Spring 2022. In our own Diocese of Calgary during February through April 2022, the information gathered from the parishes during their Listening Sessions was submitted to the Office of Bishop McGrattan in May 2022.
On June 17, 2022, after synthesizing the results of the parish Listening Sessions, the Calgary Diocesan Report (below) was published. In appreciation of the participation and results of the Diocese of Calgary's many parish Listening Sessions, Bishop McGrattan, stated the following: "THANK YOU for your participation . . . during the synodal process. The fruits of our communal discernment remain with us . . . we consider the many emerging themes and realities relating to the Church’s pastoral life presented in the document as the Spirit’s call to further discernment and ultimately conversion in each of our parishes and communities."
Synod Synthesis_Diocese of Calgary_UPDJune17.pdfAt the same time (June 17, 2022) all the Diocesan Reports from across Western Canada were sent to the Western Conference of Catholic Bishops. These were synthesized together with those from the other regions in Canada into the National/Canadian Report (read it HERE).
On August 15, 2022, the Canadian Report joined other reports from around the world being sent to the Holy See in Rome.
Between August 2022 and January 2023 the Secretariat of the Synod in Rome produced a working document , the basis of study and discernment for the next stage, the CONTINENTAL STAGE of the SYNOD. The document was called "Enlarge the Space of Your Tent" (access HERE).
January through March 2023, witnessed the Continental Stage of the Synod where the seven continents —North America; Europe; Asia; Middle East; Latin America and Caribbean; Africa and Madagascar; and Oceania—met in their respective assemblies to discuss/process the working document ("Enlarge the Space of Your Tent") and gather their findings to return to the Secretariat in Rome by March 31, 2023. See FAQ regarding the North American Continental Stage (involving Canada and US) and the process followed HERE.
By June 2023, the seven documents produced in the seven continental assemblies were synthesized to become Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the Universal Synod FIRST SESSION slated for October 2023. You can access Instrumentum Laboris HERE.
In July 2023, DELEGATES representing Canada and the United States for the October Synod at the Vatican were announced. Click HERE for that announcement in the news. For the first time, lay delegates (including lay women and men) were added to the list of bishop, priests, and religious who would attend and vote at the Synod on Synodality.
September 21, 2023, excitement was building as the opening of the Synod on Synodality approached. For instance, see this news article: "The Biggest Thing in the Catholic Church since Vatican II," HERE.
September 30, 2023 began a three-day ECUMENICAL PRAYER VIGIL (see HERE) prior to the opening of the Synod on October 4th.
OCTOBER 4th to 29th, 2023: the FIRST STAGE/SESSION of the UNIVERSAL SYNOD took place at the Vatican in Rome. Assemblies were held in the Paul VI Hall (instead of the Vatican’s Synod Hall that had been used for previous synods) with delegates sitting at round tables of about 10 people each. The document discussed was the synthesized Intrumentum Laboris.
October 4 - 29, 2023: for a good overview (in pictures) of the proceedings of the 2023 Session of the Synod on Synodality, check out the report on the Vatican News site HERE.
October 26th, 2023, as the FIRST SESSION of the Synod was drawing to a close, the assembly of delegates produced a Letter to the People of God from the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops — read it HERE. This letter was the first of two documents expected to emerge from the synod gathering. The second—”the synthesis report [which] will specify the points of agreement we have reached, highlight the open questions, and indicate how our work will proceed”—was expected to be released upon completion on October 28-29, 2023.
Press briefings were being held every day of the Synod. See the video HERE of the Friday, October 27, 2023 Briefing.
Finally, at the close of the FIRST SESSION of the Synod, October 29, 2023, the FINAL SYNTHESIS REPORT (41-pages) was revealed— click HERE to read it. This report would provide the guide for discussions and decisions in the October 2024 SECOND SESSION of the SYNOD in Rome.
SO, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? November 2023 – October 2024: We, the People of God, lay people (women and men), religious orders (women and men), priests, and bishops are invited to provide input on issues for consideration as identified in the FINAL SYNTHESIS REPORT. Each Parish and/or Diocese around the world is asked to organize for discernment. You can read an article about "next steps" HERE.
Thanks to St. Mary's Synod Committee and Fr. Dennis, our parish hosted two listening sessions in 2022 —March 27 in-person and March 29 on Zoom.
St. Mary's Parish (Cochrane) Synodal Listening Sessions Spring of 2022
About sixty participants met and collaborated through reflection and prayer to answer Pope Francis' call to Catholics world-wide about their personal experiences journeying together as Church. Participants then discerned what steps the Holy Spirit is inviting all of us to take—as Church—to grow in "synodality". The Synodal Theme Song, "Listen, Let Us Listen" (presented in the video on the left) was part of our listening sessions.