As part of the great worldwide Synod on Synodality that Pope Francis summoned all members to take part in beginning in 2021, members of Holy Family have formed a leadership team to create a series of listening/sharing sessions for anyone (inside the community and beyond) who wants to participate, particularly those who feel unheard or even unvalued by the church. The word “synod” refers to people walking together in a process of visioning the church’s future identity and direction. This is a bold departure from past councils where the bishops would gather with minimal consultation of the laity.
Our four sessions will have a theme that mirrors what is known as the “Paschal Mystery” which is the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. As such, our hope is that participants would journey together for all of the four weeks so we might prayerfully reflect and share together; seeing the process as one that grows and develops. We will commence during the final weeks of Lent by sharing our experiences of having been a member of the church before spending time expressing what has been difficult or even demeaning. After Easter, we’ll pick up again and share what is life-giving, hopeful and positive in terms of a future for the church. Together we’ll vision how we can live into what the Holy Spirit is calling us towards!
If there is a desire to continue, the leadership team will take this under consideration, especially since Pope Francis is challenging all members of the church to make synodality a way of life from here onward. After the sessions, our intent is to synthesize what participants have shared before drafting a 10-page report that will be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome. We will also be sending copies to Cardinal Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago along with Bishop T.J. Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield.
The dates for the initial four weeks are March 30, April 6, 20 & 27 (all Wednesdays) at 7 PM C.S.T. via Zoom. We do require that people register which anyone can do via Facebook by joining the Synodality in Central Illinois group or by sending an email to: synodalityci@gmail.com.