SYNOD ON SYNODALITY: WHAT IS A SYNOD? ‘Synod’ is an ancient word in the Tradition of the Church. The concept of ‘synod’ is evident from the earliest days of the Catholic Church, for example the Jerusalem ‘Council’ described in Acts 15. For the first time, Pope Francis is inviting all baptised people to participate in a synod on synodality, called For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. Over the coming months, you will hear the words ‘synod’ and ‘synodality’ regularly. Essentially, a synod is a meeting or assembly of the Church to prayerfully contemplate and discern the path forward, guided by the Holy Spirit. Synodality means journeying together in a prayerful way.
31st October 2021:
WHAT IS A SYNODAL CHURCH? Pope Francis has described it this way: “A synodal church is a listening church, aware that listening is more than hearing. It is a reciprocal listening in which each one has something to learn”. The first phase of the current synod is a diocesan phase, where all the faithful will be invited to speak out boldly about their hopes for the Church, and to listen without prejudice to people in their communities whose opinions are different to their own. The responses will be compiled and will shape a diocesan report, which will be considered by the Bishops of Scotland along with reports from every other diocese to form a national report. Perhaps more importantly, the process will open up new ways of walking together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and will help local parishes to become synodal—in other words, communities that journey together prayerfully—in their normal activities.
7th November 2021:
FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION: This is the theme of the synod. The three dimensions of the theme—Communion, Participation and Mission—exist like ‘pillars’ for a synodal church. It helps to think of them like the legs of a three-legged stool—if one is in any way defective, the whole stool is not properly supported and cannot bear the weight it was built for. Communion refers to how we live and worship together as the People of God. Participation refers to how we serve one another using our natural and supernatural gifts and talents. Mission refers to our living witness as People of God. So during this synod on synodality, we will journey together through a series of encounters to explore how we are currently journeying together in Communion, Participation and Mission; and how the Holy Spirit might be inviting us to grow together in these areas.
14th November 2021:
SYNOD TOPIC ONE – COMPANIONS ON THE JOURNEY: The Acts of the Apostles tells us how the first disciples worked together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to build the early Church. Pope Francis invites every baptised person to work – or ‘walk’ – together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to build today’s Church. You are invited to consider the following questions: How are we already working/walking together? How can we do this better? Who is getting left behind and why? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available at https://youtu.be/N_
21st November 2021:
SYNOD TOPIC TWO – LISTENING: The first step in walking together is to really listen to one another, without prejudice or personal agenda. When we can listen like this, we may hear God’s voice speaking to us through other people. You are invited to consider the following questions: How well do we listen, especially to people who have different views than our own? How can we better listen to young people, women and minority groups? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available at gallowaydiocese.org.uk/synod-
28th November 2021:
SYNOD TOPIC THREE – SPEAKING OUT: We are invited to speak out boldly and responsibly. What helps us to do this? What prevents us from doing this? How does the relationship with local media work (not only Catholic media)? How well do we choose the people who speak on our behalf to the wider community? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available on the diocesan webpage gallowaydiocese.org.uk/synod-
5th December 2021:
SYNOD TOPIC FOUR – CELEBRATION: The celebration of the Eucharist – i.e. Mass – is at the centre of our Catholic communities, and forms the basis for our ‘walking together’. How well do communal prayer and liturgical celebrations inspire and guide our sense of community? How well do we allow and enable every member of the faithful to participate? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available on the diocesan webpage gallowaydiocese.org.
12th December 2021:
SYNOD TOPIC FIVE – SHARING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR COMMON MISSION: Every baptised person is called to use their natural and supernatural gifts and talents to participate in the life and missionary service of the Church. Do we understand what this means? What stops us from giving our gifts and talents to the Church? How does the Church community support its members who serve society in various ways (social and political involvement, scientific research, education, promoting social justice, protecting human rights, caring for the environment, etc.)? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available on the diocesan webpage gallowaydiocese.org.
19th December 2021:
SYNOD TOPIC SIX – DIALOGUE IN CHURCH AND SOCIETY: Dialogue requires perseverance and patience, but it also enables mutual understanding. To what extent do diverse peoples in our community come together for dialogue? How can we improve dialogue between our own communities, i.e. between parishes/deaneries and with lay ministries? What particular issues (in the Church or in society) do we need to pay more attention to? How well do we dialogue with and learn from other areas of society, such as politics, culture, diverse groups; how can we improve? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available on the diocesan webpage gallowaydiocese.org.uk/synod-news, and at https://youtu.be/XvPSqfqgLmY to help you consider these questions. The diocesan team will be pleased to receive all feedback on these questions at synod@gallowaydiocese.org.uk, which will also be addressed during parish synod encounters in the coming weeks.
26th December 2021:
Synod Topic Seven – Ecumenism: The dialogue between different Christian groups has a special place in the synodal journey. What relationships do we have with members of other Christian traditions or denominations? What are the benefits and difficulties? How can we take the next step in walking forward with each other? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available on the diocesan webpage gallowaydiocese.org.uk/synod-news, and at https://youtu.be/ACs7pa69sh4 to help you consider these questions. The diocesan team will be pleased to receive all feedback on these questions at synod@gallowaydiocese.org.uk, which will also be addressed during parish synod encounters in the coming weeks.
2nd January 2022
Synod Topic Eight – Authority And Participation: A synodal Church is a Church where everyone participates and everyone shares responsibility. How well do we identify our goals and how to reach them? What good examples do we have of governance, teamwork and shared responsibility? How do we promote lay ministries and the responsibility of lay people? What fruitful experiences can we share of lay leadership? How can we develop fruitful participation and leadership? Fr. Stephen Latham has created a short video reflection, which is available on the diocesan webpage gallowaydiocese.org.uk/synod-news, and at https://youtu.be/Toun6STImPg to help you consider these questions. The diocesan team will be pleased to receive all feedback on these questions at synod@gallowaydiocese.org.uk, which will also be addressed during parish synod encounters in the coming weeks.