Synod on Synodality
Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the world to contribute to the Synod of Bishops by prayerfully considering its topic: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The Holy Father invites the whole Church into “an exercise of mutual listening.” “Let us walk together. Let us listen to the Lord and allow Him to guide us by the ‘breath’ of the Spirit.”
Diocese of Charlotte Synod: By the Numbers
Between January and early June 2022, more than 7,000 people across the Diocese of Charlotte participated in 400 listening sessions as part of the diocesan Synod, considering these questions:
- What are the most significant signs of the Lord’s presence in your life?
- What are the biggest challenges or questions you face in responding to the Lord’s call?
- What steps is the Holy Spirit suggesting to you and your community to respond more fully to the Christian vocation?
Most listening sessions (about 350) were held in person, involving about 6,000 people. More than 30 parishes and groups created and distributed online surveys to allow people who could not participate in one of the in-person listening sessions to contribute to the synod, involving 1,000 people. Synod sessions were held in English, Spanish, Tigrinya, Vietnamese and Korean.
Synod sessions were held by:
- More than 80% of our parishes and missions (76)
- Nearly all Diocese of Charlotte offices and ministries, including Catholic Charities, Family Life, Youth Ministry, Faith Formation, Hispanic Ministry, Vietnamese Ministry, and Korean Ministry
- Campus Ministry, for many of the college communities they serve
- Catholic Schools, with all of our diocesan schools
- Priests in at least 5 vicariates
- Permanent Deacons
- St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly
- 16 lay associations, apostolates and groups, plus more whose members participated in the synod process through their parishes
- 2 religious orders: the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
- Eritrean Catholics of Charlotte, an Eastern Rite Catholic community
Resources
Communication resources on the Vatican’s Synod website (including a social media toolkit, posters, flyers, powerpoint templates and more)
Synod resources from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (including sample Prayers of the Faithful, homily prompts, and more)
Latest news about the Synod
Final synod document is magisterial, must be accepted, pope says
Doubling down on the centrality of synodality in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said that it is now up to local churches to accept and implement proposals from the final document approved the Synod of Bishops on synodality.
Full coverage from the Synod on Synodality
Pope Francis
Synod work continues with focus on Church organization, how to better evangelize in today’s world
Church leaders are continuing to discuss issues of concern for Catholics today in a second series of listening sessions in the ongoing Synod on Synodality – this time, related to Church organization and structure.“The Synod is a time in which the whole Church comes together to look at the current circumstances and discern how the Holy Spirit is calling us to be credible witnesses of the Risen Lord.”
Bishop Michael T. Martin
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