The Spirit of Things by Fr. Bob - Parish Synod (and Survey) Results
This past March, we held three parish synod sessions, one at St. Francis and two at St. Benedict. If you recall, the pope wanted to survey parishes around the world for input to various questions. The parishes were to submit the results from their synod sessions by April to the diocese. The diocese is to compile all parish results and submit to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by August. The USCCB forwards the American results to the Vatican, where they will be compiled with responses from around the world and make up the content of the world-wide synod to be held in Rome, in October 2023.
People who participated in the synod generally liked the format, whereby participants were in small groups of six to eight and led by a table leader. The participants were to listen to one another’s responses and then had the opportunity to comment thoughtfully after everyone had a chance to respond. Since it was successful, it’s a format that we might use in the future to dialogue with parishioners on various topics.
I want to thank Jane Sarra, who organized our parish sessions, compiled the responses and sent our parish’s report to the diocese. Jane is also the moderator the parish Pastoral Council and added some comments at the end about our parish survey from last Fall. The Pastoral Council has been considering your feedback from both last Fall’s survey and this Spring’s synod sessions. The council is currently making a roadmap so that we can implement your feedback in action in all the various aspects of parish life at St. John XXIII Parish in 2022 and beyond.