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For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission

11/3/2024

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“Every new step in the life of the Church is a return to the source. It is a renewed experience of the disciples’ encounter with the Risen One in the Upper Room on Easter evening.” These opening sentences are from the Final Document which concluded the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
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​Since returning to Calgary from the Synod, I have been asked by many about my experience over these past two years. It has definitely been a privilege, a learning experience, and at times, a challenge, but above all, I have come to see that my participation has been an act of obedience. It has been a call by the Holy Spirit to pray, reflect, listen, and to enter into dialogue about the nature, identity and mission of the Church from my experience as the bishop of Calgary and as a successor of the apostles. ​
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2024 Session of the Synod on Synodality. Photo credit: Synod.va
​The two sessions of the Synod brought together the Christifideles—lay women and men, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, ecumenical delegates, those from the Eastern and Orthodox Churches, and the Holy Father, Pope Francis—in a 'school of synodality.' The Holy Spirit, who is the protagonist of the Church was present, opening our hearts and minds to a conversion of relationships, processes, and bonds in the life of the Church in order to be formed as missionary disciples of Christ.

​It is important to note that there are questions and doubts in the minds of some Catholics about synodality. “In simple and concise terms, synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more participatory and missionary”. (Final Document no. 28)
It embraces three distinct aspects of the life of the Church. First, synodality is to express the Church’s ordinary way of living and working. This modus vivendi et operandi is experienced through the community listening to the Word and celebrating the Eucharist, the brotherhood of communion, and the co-responsibility and participation of the whole People of God in its life and mission. Secondly, from a theological and canonical point of view, synodality denotes the potential conversion of the structures and ecclesial processes of the Church at an institutional level: local, regional and universal. Thirdly, it designates synodal events that involve the whole People of God at the local, regional and universal levels, presided over by the bishops in collegial communion with the Bishop of Rome to discern the way forward on particular questions, and to take decisions and directions with the aim of fulfilling its evangelizing mission. (ITC 70.a.b.c)
Synodality is also a spiritual disposition that originates from the action of the Holy Spirit within the Church that allows us to listen attentively to the Word of God, and to contemplate in silence the call to conversion of heart. It requires asceticism and discipline, humility and patience, and to accept with gratitude the gifts that we see in others. The fruits of this spirituality in the Church will be marked by a harmony and unity that is both personal and communal. The renewal of the Church is possible only in acknowledging that this grace is needed first and foremost in the life of the Church and our parishes.

As Pope Francis has noted, synodality can be a prophetic path for the world given the growing isolation of people and the culture of individualism in our society.  Through our parish communities we need to see that the relationships of family and those of the parish promote the charisms, vocations, and ministries that witness to the mission of the Church.
In the Diocese of Calgary as we continue on our path of renewal, it will ultimately reflect the principles of synodality in our local Church. This renewal is both personal and communal. It invites a conversion of heart in knowing that each person is called, that they matter and belong. It is a returning to the source and encountering the Risen Lord. Let us pray that this will be the fruits of the Synod and of our own Diocesan Renewal as we move forward.  
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The Canadian Synod delegates. Photo credit: S+L Media
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Written by Most Rev.  William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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​Nov 4, 2024
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CCCB: Synthesis on Diocesan Reflections 2024

8/3/2024

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16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Participants. Photo: Vatican News.
In preparation for the second session of the Synod on Synodality which will take place in October 2025, dioceses in Canada were tasked with highlighting 2-3 themes from the 2023 Synod Synthesis Report, using prayerful discernment with the Holy Spirit to reflect and summarize their insights.
  • Please read the CCCB Synthesis on Diocesan Reflections (English | French) 

The CCCB's May 2024 synthesis report highlights eight key themes: the Church's mission, becoming a listening and accompanying Church, enhancing structures of participation, embracing diversity, recognizing women's roles in the Church, adopting a synodal approach to formation, focusing on Christian initiation, and acknowledging the role of people in poverty as protagonists in the Church’s journey.
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Report/updates from three priest delegates who participated in the international meeting titled, Parish Priests for the Synod: An international meeting are also available here:
  • From Fr. Fabio DeSouza (EN)
  • From Fr. Pierre Ducharme (EN)
  • From Fr. Pierre Ouellet (FR)

Read Fr. Fabio's article about the International Meeting of Parish Priests for the Synod.
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Delegates from Canada with Sister Nathalie Becquart of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
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A synodal Church needs its parish priests

5/12/2024

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"A synodal Church needs its parish priests," declares Pope Francis, emphasizing the critical role of parish priests in the Church's synodal process. He also elaborates on their importance by noting that priests "know from within the life of God’s people their joys and hardships, their resources and their needs."

The International Meeting 'Parish Priests for the Synod' was held in Rome from April 28 to May 2, 2024, bringing together approximately 200 priests from 100 countries. This event was particularly significant as it symbolized the Church's dedication to actively listen to the voices of parish priests, who are positioned at the forefront of the Church, deeply immersed in the daily lives of the parish communities, and intimately connected with the challenges, needs, and blessings of the people.

This worldwide meeting of listening, prayer, and discernment, promoted by the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Clergy, along with the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, was authentically representative of varied realities within the Church.

​Among the participating priests were individuals like Father Paul Crotty from Australia, who serves as the pastor of a rural community of indigenous people with 30 attendees on Sundays at their underground church — an underground church that was literally dug into the ground. Working alongside him was Father Pham from Hanoi, Vietnam, where 4000 people attend Sunday masses regularly. This diversity was also evident through the presence of priests from South Korea, Croatia, Kenya, Nigeria, Malta, the Philippines, India, as well as Australia and Vietnam, in our roundtable discussions.
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Delegates from Canada with Sister Nathalie Becquart, Under-Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
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During the audience with the Pope.
The daily schedule of the event was structured from 8 am to 9 pm. Sessions commenced with introductions to the day's theme, followed by dedicated time for meditation and personal prayer. Throughout the day, there were fostered synodal conversations within 18 language-divided working groups, each comprising about 12 priests. These groups engaged in deep discussions and discernment, sharing their insights and perspectives. The activities culminated in plenary presentations where groups shared their collaborative insights and discussions. Moreover, there were also the celebrations of the Eucharist, along with dialogues focusing on the Synod and Synodality. This structure provided us with a meaningful opportunity to engage and share enriching moments together, particularly through the 'conversation in the Spirit' methodology.
 
This method of conversation transformed the dialogues on the rounded table from mere debates into a genuine experience of communal discernment, facilitating deep discussions on the three themes proposed for the parish priests. The first theme, The Face of the Synodal Church, delved into the experiences and understanding of synodality in the life of parishes and dioceses. Shifting to the second theme, All Disciples All Missionaries. we explored the participation of different charisms, vocations, and ministries in the life of local churches. Finally, on the third theme, Teaching Ties, Building Communities, we focused on discernment dynamics for mission and the participation of various groups within parishes and dioceses.
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With Fr. Pierre from Vancouver and Fr. Raymond Lafontaine, from the Archdiocese of Montreal, one of the facilitators for the discussions in the working groups.
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With priests of my working group
The synodal meeting for priests concluded with a private audience and a moment of dialogue with the Holy Father in the Paul VI Hall, during which he gave three recommendations to the parish priests. Firstly, Pope Francis urged us to embrace our specific ministerial charism in ever greater service to the varied gifts that the Spirit bestows upon the People of God. Secondly, he encouraged the practice of communal discernment, using the method of 'conversation in the Spirit' for this purpose. Lastly, the Pope emphasized the importance of fraternity and collaboration among priests and with bishops. In his closing remarks, before personally greeting each priest, Pope Francis commissioned us to be missionaries of synodality in our parishes and dioceses.
 
The International Meeting for Parish Priests was truly unique experience. While the Church typically invites bishops, theologians, and experts to such events, this time the focus was on listening to parish priests, representing a remarkable shift. As Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, highlighted, “I normally underline that there is no synod without the bishop, but allow me to say today that there is no synod without the parish priest”.

Building on this sentiment, Cardinal Lazarus You, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, also emphasized that “this meeting does not involve many speeches but rather a lot of listening: mutual listening and shared listening to the Holy Spirit. This is the methodology of the Synod.” This change authentically reflects the spirit of synodality, providing a consistent path for engagement and meaningful exchanges, particularly through the Spirit-guided conversational approach.
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Father Paul from Australia celebrating Mass with his community.
This encounter allowed the parish priests, the frontline leaders who directly engage with all members of the People of God, to witness how each local experience contributes as a gift to the universal Church. Many participants expressed enthusiasm for the proposed synodal process, viewing it as an opportunity for growth and renewal in the Church.

​Clergy members from around the world emphasized the importance of actively participating in and promoting synodality within their communities. While challenges such as fear, skepticism, and reluctance to change hindering the acceptance of the synodal process were highlighted, there was also a clear sense of joy and appreciation for this global gathering, as well as for the recognition of the essential role played by parish priests in a synodal church, inviting pastors to embrace their calling as missionaries of synodality.
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Written by Fr. Fabio DeSouza for Faithfully. Fr. Fabio DeSouza is the pastor for Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Calgary, and a member of the Diocesan Renewal Leadership Team
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"Enlarge the Tent" - Accompaniment series

8/27/2023

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Back for a second series, Fr. Tim Boyle will speak on The Art of Accompaniment, picking up on the theme from the Synod preparation document "Enlarge the Tent."

2023/2024 Dates:
  • Monday, September 18, 2023 - "The big four issues the church will discuss in Rome.. and what does it mean to "Enlarge the Tent" 
  • Monday, October 16, 2023 - “A petrified Church..how did we get here? 
  • Monday, November 20, 2023 - “What unbelievers can teach us about mystery of God” 
  • Monday, January 22, 2024 - “Zacchaeus.. the first of Many Seekers.. and why they don’t want to join” 
  • Monday, February 19, 2024 - “Finding the Real Presence of God outside the church”
  • Monday, March 18, 2024 - “Mother Maria of Russia .. on uniting the Cross and the Sword”
  • Monday, April 15, 2024 - “Flourishing .. not just maintaining the Faith”..
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Invigorating the Universal Church

1/21/2022

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In 2021, Pope Francis invited the whole Church to a discussion of synodality. If the word takes you by surprise, you’re not alone. While the concept of synod, or church council, is not new, you won’t find synodality in a secular dictionary. The term was chosen by Pope Francis, whose papacy has often focused on evangelization. With synodality, the Pope is carefully placing evangelization into the hands of the Church’s people. From now until 2023, the pursuit of synodality calls Catholics to get together, to talk and listen, and to love and learn in a deliberate effort to move closer to Christ and the Church.
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On Tuesday, January 18, I was a humble participant in a synodal conversation with more than 90 clergy and lay leaders from parishes in one pastoral zone of the Catholic Diocese of Calgary. We met via Zoom to talk about Pope Francis’s vision and to meet the Diocesan team who spent months preparing for a host of virtual gatherings. After the pastoral zone meetings are done in early February, similar e-meets (and in-person whenever possible) will be held with lay Catholics. I plan to participate again.

Bishop William McGrattan is optimistic that all of these prayerful discussions will shape the Church’s mission of service and proclamation of the gospel. Based on my experience, and several conversations the next day, I think he has reason to be hopeful. Why? Because we can’t un-spill milk.
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Relationships require understanding
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Almost 30 years ago, my husband and I participated in a Marriage Encounter weekend. One of my biggest takeaways was the notion that healthy relationships require that we understand that it is impossible to un-spill milk. What’s happened matters. What happens next is even more important.

I take that same concept into discussions of my experience with the universal Church. I won’t discuss confidential information shared as part of the synodal conversation. (Organizers did a great job of breaking us out into smaller groups.) I will say that I think it matters that Catholics, including lay members, are being asked, “How have you experienced journeying together as the Church?”

For some of us, the question is fraught and the answers uncomfortable. But just like you cannot un-spill milk, I’m confident that a prayerful people, guided by the Holy Spirit, will not be able to unknow what they hear at meetings like these. Information changes people. It shapes new discussions. More than anything else, it demands care.

In addition to being asked about our personal experience of the journey “as Church,” synodal participants are being asked what steps the Holy Spirit is inviting “us to take in order to grow in our ‘journeying together?’” Again, I think that’s a valuable question as it puts action back into the hand of the Church’s people.

In addition to gathering information about these two questions, the very process strengthens the relationships fundamental to our parish communities. Several participants told me (or my editor) that they appreciated the opportunity to gather with people they know; an opportunity complicated by the global pandemic, yet aided by technology and, most obviously, the Holy Spirit.

More importantly, feedback to me implies people felt empowered by the prayers and the discussions. They are already talking about their synodal experiences with Catholic peers. They are encouraging others to take part. Like Bishop McGrattan, they are hopeful. I take comfort in that hope, fueled as it is by two other theological virtues, faith and love.


Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully. Joy Gregory is a writer, cradle Catholic, and long-time parishioner of St. Peter’s, Calgary, where she’s been active in preschool catechism programs, RCIA, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
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