Synod

Pope Francis launched a 2-year worldwide Synod process on 10th October 2021 entitled:

For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. 

Pope Francis wants to hear from the whole Church about what is happening in local parishes. He and the bishops would like to know what individuals think we should all be doing to help make our parishes better. The way he has proposed doing this is a synodal process. Synod means “journeying together” and it involves listening to the Holy Spirit and to each other. The synod “is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission.” Eventually this, in turn, will contribute to reports which will be sent to the Vatican in 2023. The Pope and Bishops of the world will then meet in Synod to discuss their findings. This whole process is teaching us how to be a ‘synodal’ Church, a Church which discerns the Holy Spirit’s voice in and through the People of God.

Questions posed by Pope Francis:

• What has your faith meant to you these past 18 months living with COVID 19?
• What do you think of the Catholic Church as it is today?
• What is my mission?
• What is God’s dream for me?
• How did you talk to God during lockdown? Do you think he listened to and helped you? How?
• Do you go to church? When did you go to church? Why? What did you like? What did you not like
• What brings you joy in church?

How will our school community be invited to respond?

• Whole school assembly for children to introduce the synod process
• Dedicated time in class to explore and participate in the Diocesan synodal process by answering the questionnaire.
• All staff invited to participate in the synodal process through a dedicated ‘listening’ activity.

Click here to watch as Bishop Declan welcomes the Synod process