Synod For a Synodal Church
Thank you to all those who participated in our Synod Listening Sessions. The work will continue by synthesizing the notes taken at the listening sessions, and a summary report will be produced and submitted to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Synthesis Report will be available to the parish community at a future date.
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The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has given us an extraordinary opportunity to participate in a worldwide synod.
He wants to hear from every part of the Church throughout the world - those committed to the Church, those who have left the Church, never been part of the Church, and feel unwelcome.
He wants to hear from every part of the Church throughout the world - those committed to the Church, those who have left the Church, never been part of the Church, and feel unwelcome.
We journey as a Church together, all of us - Pope, bishops, clergy, parishes, schools, Catholic organizations, and with those on the margins. Christ's mission can only be accomplished by all of us collaborating to make the Gospel heard in our time.
What is a Synod and Introduction to the Synod for a Synodal Church
On October 10, 2021, His Holiness Pope Francis opened a worldwide synod process with a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In the language of the Church, a synod is an assembly, principally of bishops, that gathers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discuss and decide on matters in the Church's life and mission. The biblical foundation of synods can be found in the Acts of the Apostles: Peter and about one hundred and twenty disciples gathered to discern and choose a successor for Judas (Acts 1:15-26), and the Apostles and presbyters assembled in Jerusalem to decide on whether some provisions of the law of Moses apply to Gentiles (Acts 15:1-29).
In 1965, Pope St. Paul VI established the Synod of Bishops as a consultative body of bishops that gathers at regular intervals to advise the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. The themes of recent assemblies of the Synod of Bishops have included the New Evangelization (2012), the family (2015), and young people (2018).
The theme for the synod underway is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” This synod is unique because the Holy Father has summoned the whole Church to participate in a three-year process.
The Greek word synodos is a fusion of two words: syn, meaning “together,” and hodos, meaning “road,” which basically translates as “on the road together.” Synodality is a style or mode of being Church, in which we journey together, both clergy and laity, each according to our roles and spiritual gifts.
During this phase of the synod, listening sessions will occur in parishes and communities throughout our local Church. Reports from listening sessions will be submitted online to the Archdiocese. Next, teams in each of the five pastoral regions of the Archdiocese will synthesize the reports from the sessions hosted in their respective regions. Then an Archdiocesan team will synthesize the regional reports in one report to be submitted to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
This diocesan phase of the synod will close with a Mass at the cathedral on the Solemnity of Pentecost on Sunday, June 5, 2022. A continental phase of the synod will follow the diocesan phase, with North America represented by the United States and Canada. Finally, the synod process will culminate with an assembly of bishops in Rome in October 2023.
In the face of global crises, the synod offers the Church a moment of grace by which to pray and reflect on a synodal way forward in her life and mission. This synod process will unfold amid the “Forward in Mission” Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, celebrating 250 years of Catholic faith. Participation in the synod can be a source of renewal in our parishes and communities as we aim to raise up a new generation of missionary disciples of Jesus Christ for our time.