This week in Synod news – a letter from Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, and Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung sik, Prefect for the Congregation of the Clergy was published to all their brother priests regarding our Synodal journey.
The letter reminded clergy of the rich tradition and habit of Synodality our Church shared in the first millennium. It reminded clergy of our deep need for fraternity and encounters with Christ through mutual listening.
The Bishops highlighted distinct risks in “formalism, which reduces the Synod to an empty slogan; intellectualism, which makes the Synod a theoretically reflection on problems; and immobilism, nailing us to the security of our habits so that nothing changes”. In other words, we can’t make this process too formal, too results based and intellectual, and we definitely have to engage in it! Please scroll down to read this important letter in its entirety. (A copy of the letter can also be downloaded here.)
Our Synod committee meets weekly to grapple with the challenges of gathering the wealth of experiences and learning a lived synodality. We are exploring many ways we can reach people in multifaceted ways to hear the fruits of their own prayer and experience in the Church. We encourage everyone if they haven’t had a chance to read the Synod on Synodality Preparatory Document and Vademecum which are both available on the Synod page of our website, along with a host of additional Synod information and resources.
In the Easter Season we’ll be offering many ways to engage in the process of Synodality at St. John – St. Paul Collaborative.
(A copy of the letter can also be downloaded here.)