Catholics around the world participated in the global Synod on Synodality, which just completed this fall at the Vatican. Archbishop Paul D. Etienne was one of the delegates reflecting on everything shared by the People of God. In this video, he shares his experience of the synodal process, highlights key elements in the final document and discusses what it means for each of us. ARCHBISHOP SYNOD VIDEO
The work of the Synod continues to move forward. Bishop and lay delegates will gather in Rome from September 30 - October 30, 2024
In October 2021 Pope Francis began preparation for the Synod of bishops, that will take place in October 2023, with the launch of an unprecedented global consultation process. The theme of the Synod is “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation, and mission.”
Pope Francis has said that the “purpose of the Synod, and therefore 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.<>St. Madeleine Sophie Parish conducted Listening Sessions in person during the month of March.
In our preparation, we reflected on the resources (noted to the left).
The Synod offers us an opportunity to listen deeply to each other about the aspirations we each have about being, together, disciples of Jesus in Bellevue, western Washington, the Pacific northwest, the United States and in the world. A Synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.The Synodal process offered by Pope Francis poses these two fundamental questions:
This coming October the delegates' discussions will be based on a working document (“Instrumentum Laboris”), which is a synthesis of and reflection on the listening and prayer that has happened around the world.