Synod 2021-2023

The IHM Synod Report will be posted here this fall! Check back soon

An Invitation to Conversation

Pope Francis wants to hear from you about what is happening in our parishes and what you think we should be doing to advance our mission in the third millennium. To get everyone’s input, he is calling the entire Church to participate in a “Synod,” a process of consultation and listening rooted in the ancient tradition of the Church. This is a big deal—an historic undertaking—and we don’t want to let this opportunity pass us by. IHM will be conducting several Listening Sessions next month as the first phase of this synod process.
 
Input from parishes and groups all over the world will be synthesized first at the diocesan level, then at the national and regional levels, and ultimately by the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023. An implementation phase will follow.
 
There is a “place at the table” for everyone in this effort. We need your participation—and your invitations to others, especially those who might feel estranged from the Church. Please come, invite others, share bravely, and listen with an open heart. We trust that the Spirit will lead the way.
 

What is the Synod about?

A synod is a gathering to discuss topics relevant to the theology and life of the Church. Through the 2021-2023 synod, Pope Francis has invited the whole People of God to participate in conversations about the journey of the Church in our time. This Synod is focused on “synodality,” which means it is about how we can all take part in listening to and following the voice of the Holy Spirit today. We are especially called to listen to the voice of God among those who are most marginalized. Synodality is a style of being Church, one in which every voice can speak, in which each person listens to what is being said, and in which we discern together where the Spirit is calling the Church.
 
The goal of this Synod, as Pope Francis has said, is “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).
 
The hope is that the Synod will be only the beginning of an ongoing process of becoming a more synodal Church, one that values the voice and participation of all in proclaiming the Gospel. Let your voice and dreams be heard by joining one of IHM’s Synod Listening Sessions.
 

The fundamental question

A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.” How is this “journeying together” happening today in our parish? How is the Holy Spirit inviting our parish to grow in “journeying together?”
 

• What does “journeying together” mean to you? What experiences come to mind?
• What joys have you experienced in our parish? What difficulties and obstacles to journeying together, or to active and vibrant participation in the life of the parish, have you encountered?
•  Where in these experiences do you hear the Holy Spirit inviting growth?