Communion, Participation, and Mission
The Synod on Synodality is a two-year process of listening and dialogue beginning with a solemn opening in Rome on October 9 and 10, 2021 with each individual diocese and church celebrating the following week on October 17. The synodal process will conclude in 2023.
Pope Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission: “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” This journey, which follows in the wake of the Church’s “renewal” proposed by the Second Vatican Council, is both a gift and a task: by journeying together and reflecting together on the journey that has been made, the Church will be able to learn through Her experience which processes can help Her to live communion, to achieve participation, to open Herself to mission.
Learn more about the synodal process by visiting the Vatican Synod website.
"The mission of the Church requires the entire People of God to be on a journey together, with each member playing his or her crucial role, united with each other." - Vademecum 1.2
What is the purpose of the Synod?
The purpose of the upcoming Synod of Bishops is to assist in reorienting the Church in a posture of accompaniment and journeying together. “By journeying together and reflecting together on the journey that has been made, the Church will be able to learn through Her experience which processes can help Her to live communion, achieve participation, and open Herself to the mission. Our ‘journeying together’ is, in fact, what most effectively enacts and manifests the nature of the Church as the pilgrim and missionary People of God” (PD).
What is the goal of the Diocesan Phase?
The goal of the Diocesan Phase of the synod is first to hear people’s experiences of how they have been accompanied by the Church and how they have “journeyed together” with their Church community. We also what to hear for ways that we can better journey together as a diocesan and parish community.
Who is Participating?
Following the Synod's General Secretariat guidelines, The Archdiocese of New Orleans Office of Strategic Planning is in the first stage of engaging religious communities, lay movements, associations of the faithful, and other ecclesial groups to participate in the Synodal Process. Joining our desire with the Holy Father's “to live a participative and inclusive ecclesial process that offers everyone—especially those who for various reasons find themselves on the margins—the opportunity to express themselves and to be heard in order to contribute to the edification of the People of God” (PD)
"The purpose of the Synod, and therefore of this consultation, is not to produce documents, but "to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to be nourished, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands." (PD, 32)
How can I participate in the Synod?
Parishes will be participating in a variety of ways at the discretion of the Pastor based on the needs and desires of their particular communities. Check with your parish to see how you can participate in this phase of the Synod.
Additionally, using the questions below as a prompt, you may email your thoughts to [email protected] or utilize the submission form on this page.
The deadline for submission is May 10th, 2022, Feast of Damien De Veuster.
This Synod poses the following fundamental question:
A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
Review, Reflect, Respond:
Ninth General Synod Priorities:
By offering in our correspondence The New Orleans Ninth General Synod Priorities and Resources, we are respecting the objectives of the Synod, “which decline synodality as the form, the style, and the structure of the Church: fostering the appreciation and appropriation of the fruits of recent synodal experiences on the universal, regional, national, and local levels”
Priority 1: Form Welcoming Communities Who Celebrate our Unity in Diversity
Priority 2 - Embrace Christ in Every Family, Parish and Ministry
Priority 3: Minister to Families, Youth, and Young Adults
Priority 4: Prepare Servant Leaders for the Church
Priority 5: Be a Voice and Witness for Catholic Social Teaching
In responding to this question, we are invited to:-Recall our experiences: What experiences of our local Church does this question call 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?
Thank you for participating in the Synodal process.