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As part of the local diocesan phase of the 2021 to 2023 Synod on Synodality, the Diocese of Saginaw announces members of its Diocesan Synodal Team along with a roadmap with timing of the Diocesan phase of the Synod.
The recently formed Diocesan Synodal Team will oversee a time of listening, reflecting and discerning on the local level in preparation for the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October of 2023. The team will also help with training and working with parishes and other groups in the community.
During his homily at the Opening Mass for the Synod, Bishop Robert Gruss shared... how, “Especially, the Holy Father wants to hear from those on the periphery and on the margins, who are often excluded and forgotten. That’s why he’s aiming at the widest participation possible. So, every one of us are encouraged to participate in this process. As we unfold this process in our own Diocese, I would encourage everyone to participate.”
“This Synod is special in that Pope Francis is asking that the whole Church participate, said Don Buchalski, Vicariate Liaison and Coordinator of Evangelization. “It’s an exciting time. Our parishes will have a unique opportunity to connect with parishioners and to listen to the Holy Spirit and the hopes, concerns, sorrows and joys of one another. This local phase of the Synod is also an opportunity to invite people back to parish life.”
The Synod is not about changing Church teaching but about reading the signs of the times and listening to what the Holy Spirit is speaking into the hearts of Church leaders and the faithful. The theme is: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.”
Parishes throughout the world are asked to participate by reflecting on how the Church can “live communion, to achieve participation, to open herself to mission,” as stated in the preparatory document for the synod.
Once listening sessions are complete, parishes will compile the input received and prayerfully consider how the information might best serve the mission of the parish. Insights gathered from listening sessions throughout the diocese will also be summarized in a 10-page report and shared by the Diocese with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The report is due to the USCCB by Aug. 15, 2022 and will be used to draft a working document for the general assembly in Rome in 2023.
Dates and times for listening sessions are expected to be available in early 2022, and they are anticipated to take place in the early part of 2022 until May of 2022.
According to the preparatory document for the synod, “the purpose of the Synod, and therefore of this consultation, 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.”
More information is available at the main diocesan page for the Synod.