Background: What Is the Synod?
In October 2021, His Holiness Pope Francis extended an extraordinary invitation to the worldwide Catholic community. Through the Synod on Synodality, a global listening process opened to everyone, aimed at renewing our ability to live our Catholic mission and build union in our respective communities.
A synod is a gathering of the faithful with their clergy to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church. Synodality is a style in which we, clergy and laity, journey together according to our roles and spiritual gifts, even beyond a designated synod period. Traditionally, the term synod has referred to an assembly of the Church’s bishops gathering with the Pope. However, the Synod on Synodality is unique in that it is the longest and broadest consultation of the faithful ever undertaken in the Catholic Church.
Both the baptized faithful and our larger communities have been asked to engage in an exercise of listening, discerning and walking together, including those who disagree or think differently from those within our faith community. Those who have left the practice of the faith and non-Catholics are also part of the synodal process the entire Church is undertaking. Each person’s voice and experience is vital to the path we are asked to walk together along this process.
With Pope Francis’ vision in mind, the St. Paul’s Synod Committee launched a parish-level listening process designed to be inclusive to those within our parish, as well as inactive and former Catholics. Our participation in this Synod on Synodality was guided by the timeline and resources offered through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
