by Bishop Michael J. Sis

This month, Pope Francis is launching a two-year worldwide process that will culminate in the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. This process calls for local parishes and dioceses to carry out consultations and listening sessions that will involve many of our local people in a prayerful experience of discernment and sharing.

A synod is a gathering of church members or leaders to deliberate on matters affecting the life of the church. Sometimes a synod is held on a diocesan level. Sometimes it is a gathering of bishops of a certain country or region. After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI established the Synod of Bishops, whereby a group of bishops from around the world advises the pope on matters that are important to the church. Over the years, some examples of the topics covered by the Synod of Bishops are evangelization, the Eucharist, the family, the laity, religious life, ordained ministry, and young people.

The topic of the next Synod of Bishops in 2023 will be “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” All dioceses in the world, including our Diocese of San Angelo, will conduct a six-month diocesan synodal process from October 2021 to April 2022. We will submit a tenpage summary of the insights that have surfaced from the people in our diocese, and these will be synthesized with the feedback from the other dioceses of our country in a report to be sent by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Vatican. All the input from around the world will then be incorporated into the deliberations of the Synod of Bishops in Rome.

As we get started in this process, it is important to understand a few key words. The English word “synod” comes from the Greek word synodos, which refers to a gathering or assembly. That word is composed from the Greek words syn (“together”) and hodos (“path” or “way”). Thus, when we participate in a synod, we are “journeying together along the way.” In the gospels, Jesus presents himself as “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6), and in the Acts of the Apostles, the early followers of Jesus were originally called “followers of the Way” (see Acts 9:2; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22).

Pope Francis has often said that the church needs to function in a more synodal manner. The adjective “synodal” refers to something that has the quality of journeying together, listening to one another, engaging in dialogue, and being open to the action of the Holy Spirit. In its recent document in preparation for this synod, “Vademecum for the Synod on Synodality” (Vademecum), the Holy See’s Office of the Synod of Bishops states, “In a synodal church the whole community, in the free and rich diversity of its members, is called together to pray, listen, analyze, dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God’s will” (Vademecum, no. 1.4).

Most of us are not familiar with the word “synodality,” but we will certainly be hearing it frequently in our church in the upcoming years. It refers to the quality, character, or condition of being synodal. Just as “simplicity” is the quality of being simple, and “frugality” is the character of being frugal, “synodality” is the quality of being synodal. “Synodality” is a new word that has begun to appear in Catholic theological, canonical, and pastoral literature in recent decades. Although the word “synodality” is not explicitly found as a term or as a concept in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, this word is intended to express the work of renewal that the council was encouraging (Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, International Theological Commission, March 2, 2018, no. 6).

The Vademecum for this synod says that “Synodality denotes the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the church, expressing her nature as the People of God journeying together and gathering in assembly, summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel. Synodality ought to be expressed in the church’s ordinary way of living and working. … We are all invited to listen to one another in order to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who comes to guide our human efforts, breathing life and vitality into the church and leading us into deeper communion for our mission in the world” (Vademecum, no. 1.2).

As we carry out the diocesan phase of the synod process over the next six months, we will make available various sessions for listening, dialogue, and prayerful community discernment. In those gatherings around the diocese, people will be invited to speak with courage and freedom of heart as companions on the journey. This synod is intended to be a spiritual exercise for participants with the sharing in faith of insights and experiences, not a democratic or parliamentary process of battling agendas.

The fundamental question that will be at the core of the consultation is the following: “A synodal church, in announcing the Gospel, ‘journeys together.’ How is this ‘journeying together’ happening today in your particular church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in ‘journeying together?’” (Preparatory Document, Synod of Bishops, no. 26).

The overall purpose of this worldwide synod, including our local diocesan phase, is “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” (Pope Francis, Address at the Opening of the Synod of Bishops on Young People, Oct. 3, 2018).

When we participate in our local synodal process, there are certain attitudes that the church encourages in order to foster genuine listening and open dialogue. We are invited to speak with courage and honesty. Our sharing should integrate freedom, truth, and charity. Rather than engaging in a debate to convince others, we should listen to one another in humility. We should be willing to change our opinions. We are called to abandon attitudes of complacency and comfort based on how things have always been done in the past. We are called to listen to what the Spirit suggests to us in the exercise of discernment. We should leave behind prejudices and stereotypes. We are to listen actively to one another out of love, in a spirit of communion and our common mission. We can build bridges beyond the divisions of age, gender, wealth, ability, or education. We are called to be beacons of hope in our local diocese and in the world (Vademecum, no. 2.3).

The hope in this synodal process is that it will help lead us to deeper communion, fuller participation, and more fruitful mission. It is intended to foster deeper relationships, teamwork, consultation, transparency, and accountability in the church. It seeks to bring out best practices and a new momentum toward co-responsibility among the members of our church.

For those who would like to learn more about this whole process of the Synod on Synodality, the Vatican has made many explanatory materials available online at the official website of the synod, at synod.va/en.html in English and at synod.va/es.html in Spanish. For those who would like to read a thorough explanation of the concept of synodality, a helpful resource is the document written by the International Theological Commission called Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, published on March 2, 2018.

In the Diocese of San Angelo, I will officially open the diocesan phase of the synodal process in two Masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Sunday, Oct. 17, in Spanish at 12:00 noon and in English at 6:00 p.m. In those Masses, we will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of San Angelo. All are invited.