PARISH SYNOD
Synod : Together on the way
The Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021, is a consultation and reflective process aimed at making the Catholic Church more participatory and missionary, involving all members in the life and mission of the Church.
"Synodality" refers to the involvement and participation of the entire People of God in the life and mission of the Church. It signifies "a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform to make the Church more participatory and missionary".
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For anyone who wants to learn more about the Synod on Synodality and the final report, the School for Synodality ran an online book club to unpack the meaning and mission. The webinars are available on YouTube.
Aims of the synod:
- to help the Church become more participatory, missionary, and rooted in communion.
- to create a Church that is more inclusive, where all members can participate and contribute to the mission of the Church.
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Pope Francis emphasizes that the synodal process is not just a momentary event but a continuous journey of listening, discernment, and transformation.
The synod emphasized the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit and discerning the path forward together.
What does this mean for us?
With the recent changes in the Diocese and Deanery (reflecting the realities of falling congregation numbers, fewer priests and economic challenges) and acknowledging that Fr Greg has now passed the important ‘first six months’ of no change, we have the opportunity to reflect on the nature and culture of our Church ... our parish here in Helensburgh.
It is a time to review and refresh our vision and mission: what kind of church do we want to be? How do we build joyful, supportive, faith communities? How do we move towards a shared responsibility, a collaborative ministry? To explore this we held a Parish Synod in June, bringing parishioners together to build a vision and mission.
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We are grateful to all those who contributed their thoughts and reflections in advance and to those who joined us on the day. Your care for our Church and parish community is evident in all the contributions.
We have produced a short report from the Synod, summarising the contributions, emerging themes and ideas on the practical steps we can take to respond to what we heard.
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Key themes emerging are:
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the foundation of our parish community
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the desire to encourage the hearts of families and young people
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the need for more active involvement
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the importance of prayer and spiritual life
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the power of music to invigorate our worship
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the hope for new growth.
Next Steps
Reflecting on the priorities identified during the synod our short-term aim is to undertake one action under each key theme between now and Christmas.
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Young People – celebrate Christ the King (November 23rd), also the feast on which we mark World Youth Day, with a Youth Mass, inviting the active participation and leadership of our young people.
Music – learn three new pieces of music/songs of praise for use in our liturgy.
Prayer – come together to pray the Rosary one evening each week during October.
Community – using one of our coffee mornings as an opportunity to get to know each other more, creating a ‘family tree’ of our parish.
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If you would like to get involved in any of these actions or have other ideas, please speak to Fr. Greg or Karen Morris.
We continue to pray: that the Holy Spirit will guide and inspire us, that He will move the hearts of people to be open to new ways of building and strengthening our community.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created and you will renew the face of the earth.