Listening Session
Communion | Participation | Mission
The Holy Father has called for a World Synod of Bishops to be held in Rome in October 2023 and has asked all diocesan bishops to consult with the People of God in their diocese in preparation. This is the first time that the entire people of God have been invited to speak to their bishops of their hopes and dreams for their parish, their diocese, and the world in such a formal manner.
Bishop Lucia has invited all the People of God in the Diocese of Syracuse to participate in a Listening Session in order to share with him your hopes and dreams for your parish and for the Church of the Diocese of Syracuse.
Join us!
Bishop Lucia will hold a Listening Session in our area as part of his response to the Holy Father’s call. All are invited to join together on November 3, 2021, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, at Blessed Sacrament Church located at 3127 James Street in Syracuse. No registration is required. This is your chance to speak from your heart to our bishop, who is eager and anxious to listen.
What is a Synod?
Pope Francis has called for a World Synod of Bishops on “Synodality,” to be held at the Vatican in October 2023. In response to this call, and in conjunction with preparation for that World Synod of Bishops, the Diocese of Syracuse will hold a Diocesan Synod in the Spring of 2024. The word “synod” means “a gathering”, but it is much more than a single meeting. The Holy Father has indicated that a synod is a process, not a single event. Another way of defining he word “synod” is “a process of journeying together to seek the will of the Holy Spirit for the Church.” He has indicated that he wishes the entire People of God to be engaged in this process, to be consulted.
The Preparatory Document for the World Synod on Synodality quotes Pope Francis in an address he presented in 2018 at the opening of the Synod of Bishops on Young People: “…the purpose of the Synod…is not to produce documents, but ‘to plant dreams draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.’”
Synodality is thus a way of being Church, a way of journeying together in communion, through
participation, in mission to live the good news of Christ.
Learn more at the Diocese of Syracuse