Synod 2021-2023
Be part of the Synod at St. John the Evangelist
Do you have hopes and dreams for the Church? We want to hear them. You (yes, YOU!) are invited to take part in an upcoming Listening Session at St. John the Evangelist. All ages and backgrounds are invited to participate and share in these conversations in person and online! Sign-up, or just show up.
Parish-wide Conversations:
March 5 & 6 after all weekend Masses.
To be held in the Auditorium.
With the button below, invite a friend or two to a Synod Listening Session. Click on the button, replace the email address with your friend’s, and add the date and time for the session you will be attending. And don’t forget to sign it so they know it’s from you.
There will be a number of opportunities for listening sessions via Zoom.
Details are forthcoming.
Focus Question
1) What are your experiences of community in the Church and what are your hopes and dreams for its future?
2) Having listened to one another’s experiences, hopes, and dreams, what resonates with you?
What joys, surprises, insights, challenges, obstacles, or wounds have come to light in our conversation?
3) Having shared some examples of our diverse experiences, gifts, struggles, and dreams for our faith, where do we notice commonalities in our journeys?
What common goals and purposes unite us?
What first steps do I sense the Holy Spirit inviting me to deepen or broaden my relationship with God as a part of my local church?
Archdiocese of Baltimore
The biggest listening and discussion event the Church has ever undertaken is happening in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and across the globe. It is called Synod 2021-2023. Pope Francis and Archbishop William Lori are inviting all Catholics, all people of other faith traditions and people of good will to participate, pray, reflect and share thoughts and ideas.
Synod discussion and listening sessions are being conducted in every local Catholic Church. Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore are holding prayerful listening sessions where the feedback will be compiled and delivered to Pope Francis. The local phase of the Synod began in October 2021 and will close by Easter 2022. The larger regional and global process then begins. The goal of the Synod is to make sure people are heard and to discern the ways that we are all journeying together as a Church.
What is a Synod?
“Synod” is a Greek word meaning “journeying together.” The Catholic Church exists to assist people in their journey toward Jesus Christ. It’s an opportunity for people of faith to gather to talk and listen to one another. This isn’t just in our parish or the Archdiocese of Baltimore, but everyone in the universal Church is invited! Pope Francis has called the global Catholic Church to conduct the biggest listening session in world history to get direct feedback and hear from the people who make up the church communities, including those who may no longer be connected to the Catholic Church. This Synod process will take place in our parish during Lent 2022.
What is the aim of this Synod?
Ultimately, this process seeks to achieve three major goals:
Communion - We hope to become more united in the Catholic Church by journeying and walking this path of faith together.
Participation - We seek to encourage greater participation in the life of the church, especially in the decision-making processes.
Mission - We need to ask ourselves: Are we doing a good job? Is our mission effective? Are we meeting the signs of the times and meeting the needs of people? Our goal is to build a foundation where committing to mission and fulfilling a relevant mission is encouraged and possible.
We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son,
forever and ever. Amen.
Learn More About the Synod:
St. John’s in the Catholic Review, “Young adults talk Synod around a bonfire”
Pope Francis, Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops
International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church
The Priest, “Synodality: A Call to Journey Together in Faith”