Archdiocesan Synod Process and Participation

“The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear” The first line we hear today from the prophet Isaiah calls to mind the first line of our Archdiocesan Pre-Synod Prayer, “Come Holy Spirit, make our ears to hear.” If you recall last weekend, our first reading and our Gospel made this point even more strongly. We hear about Jesus performing a miracle: making the deaf man hear. And in the first reading, taken from an earlier chapter of Isaiah, we hear the prophesy that when the Lord comes, the ears of the deaf will be cleared. Why is this important to us today? Because God still wants to open our ears to listen to his voice. In the example from the prophet Isaiah, where he describes the Suffering Servant - which we also understand to be a prophesy about Christ – we see that listening to the Lord’s voice may be difficult. But the reward is great. We hear twice, “The Lord God is my help.” God Himself helps us to hear his voice, and to do his will.

That’s what our local Church is striving to do now, through the Archdiocesan Synod. Synod is an ancient word meaning “journeying together.” We are all in the midst of journeying together in a three-year Synod process, which will help our shepherd, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, move our Archdiocese forward. When announcing the Synod, Archbishop Hebda reminded us of Pope Francis’ term, “The Listening Church.” The Synod process, for our parish and for all our Archdiocese, is about listening to one another and listening to the Holy Spirit. This fall, Archbishop Hebda has asked every parish to take six weeks to do just that, through a process called the Parish Consultation with Small Groups. For six weeks, at parishes across the Archdiocese, including Blessed Sacrament, Catholics will meet in small groups consider three focus areas for our Synod. These focus areas were discerned by Archbishop Hebda based on input received during the first year of our Synod process, at Prayer and Listening Events attended by more than 8,000 Catholics. These three focus areas are:

v  Forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call;

v  Forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization; and

v  Forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young.

In Synod Small Groups, you will pray, hear the Church’s wisdom on these focus areas, then discuss your ideas and experiences with one another through small groups. Then, you’ll have the opportunity to share written feedback on priorities for our parish and the Archdiocese as well as concisely give your best idea on the topic.

Why parishioners should participate:

Your experiences and feedback will help inform the next steps of the Synod process – and ultimately, help Archbishop Hebda lead our Archdiocese forward.  He is asking for your help.

This is an opportunity to talk about topics important to the life and mission of the parish and greater Church in a way that can make a difference. Important topics like:

o   How can our parish become more welcoming? 

o   What resources or experiences can parishes offer to help you and others to encounter Christ?

o   What can our parishes, in partnership with parents, do to help the young know and love Jesus?

You might wonder, why are we using this format: praying, learning and then discussing in small groups? Why aren’t we just sending you a survey? The Parish Consultation is designed so that feedback can be inspired by the Holy Spirit through prayer, as well as the experiences and perspectives shared within small groups. The process is intended to build unity through respectful listening and discussion; rather than just lobbing our own ideas out there. It’s also an opportunity to connect – or perhaps reconnect with your fellow parishioners and build up community. The pandemic has made it difficult to build, or even maintain, relationships – yet the relationships we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ are pivotal to our faith journeys. This is a wonderful opportunity to form relationships with others.

What it will be like:

We will host these Synod Small Groups right here at our parish on Wednesdays, from 9:00-11:00 AM and 6:00-8:00 PM, starting September 22nd through October 27th, 2021.

Ø  There are six sessions – two topics per session for a total of twelve topics over six weeks.

Ø  Each session is two hours, that time is spent in discussion with your group or giving feedback.

Ø  There’s no pre-work, and no homework.

Ø  You can come with a group of family or friends, or you can join a new small group with other parishioners.

I earnestly invite and encourage you all to participate by attending either in the morning or evening session on Wednesdays. If you are not able to attend all the six sessions, it is still fine. Come and attend as many sessions as possible. Each day, there will be different topics to discuss. Please mark your calendar and try attend.

I also strongly encourage you to participate in our “Homecoming Funfest” on September 19th, Sunday, from 12:00 noon through 4:30 PM.

 May God bless you!

Fr. Benny Mekkatt, CFIC