Synod 2023
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"The goal is to ensure the participation of the greatest number possible, in order to listen to the living voice of the entire People of God.
This is not possible unless we make special efforts to actively reach out to people where they’re at, especially those who are often excluded or who are not involved in the life of the Church.
There must be a clear focus on the participation of the poor, marginalized, vulnerable, and excluded, in order to listen to their voices and experiences.
The Synodal Process must be simple, accessible, and welcoming for all."
THE SYNOD RESPONSES
On Thursday 20th January 2022 there was an Open Deanery Meeting, to bring together the ideas and thoughts of the parishes
The report from the meeting is here
Tuesday 22nd February (Feast of Chair of Saint Peter) – a special Diocesan Meeting was convoked, including Evening prayer, in Saint Barnabas Cathedral (with streaming facility), at which the fruits of the Diocesan phase of the Synod journey were presented to the clergy, laity and religious from parishes, schools, chaplaincies and any other groups. This event provided an important opportunity to share and celebrate parish, school and deanery actions.
Monday 7th March – Bishop Patrick and the Vicars General host a Roadshow for the Nottingham Deanery, in Saint Barnabas Cathedral , to outline and explain the changes to parishes in the Deanery, to explore how we can make these work, and to outline the next steps
Nottingham Deanery Roadshow 7 March 2022
Loughborough Deanery Roadshow 10 March 2022
What Happens Next?
Lent – Pentecost - Each parish, school and chaplaincy is asked to make use of this period to begin implementing the two actions it decided to take forward; each deanery is asked to do the same
Derby Deanery Roadshow (7 April 2022)
8th April 2022 - The Diocese sends its submission
22th June 2022 - The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales issues the National Synthesis Document, combining input from all Diocese
What is the Synod For?
The title of the 2023 Synod of Bishops is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission” with the stated aim of the Holy Father that the Church in today’s world should have a vision of missionary communion orientated to evangelisation.
The Synod is concerned mainly with how Church teaching can be lived and applied in the changing contexts of our time.” The Synodal Process is not about a democratic debate or political battle. It is place of respectful mutual listening and experiencing the call of the Holy Spirit to move in new ways. What it will do is embed at all levels of the Church a new way of listening and hearing, of discernment and action which remains faithful to the truths received but expresses them in the context of a particular time.
The process begins in the Particular (or Local) Church and then moves to the level of the Bishops’ Conference. From there, discernment takes place in the Regional Area before moving to the Universal Church with the final Synod Gathering of Bishops in 2023, sub et cum Petro.
Each local Church is a fundamental part of the Universal Church, so what happens in each local Church contributes to the whole. Each is involved in the synod process which is one of “journeying together” towards Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life who calls his people into a unity of purpose.
Every member of the Church has the right to speak, and the obligation to allow those charged with the work of discernment the freedom to do so. It involves everyone. Schools, young people, hospital chaplaincies, university chaplaincies, prison chaplaincies, the religious and consecrated communities, and the societies of apostolic life.
Extracted from the letter from the Bishops’ Conference, the full text of which is here.
Pope Francis has called everyone in the Church to embark on a journey of listening to the Spirit and to one another, to discern how God is calling us to be as disciples of Jesus and the Church.
This is about
communion: our belonging together as the Body of Christ;
participation: how we play an active role in the life of the Church and the community; and
mission: how we share the Good News of Jesus Christ, living among us.