Synod
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Synod NewsThe 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Synod on Synodality,
All of the resources and documents associated with the national, continental and universal phases of the Synod can be accessed through various links on this page. Our particular diocesan synthesis can be found on the right.
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Synod 2021-2024A multi-year synodal process in the Catholic Church began in October 2021. It will culminate in the final Synod Gathering in Rome in October 2024. The synodal journey is of great significance for the good of both the universal and the local Church. During this process, the People of God have been invited to listen to the Word of God and the experience and insight of each other, without exception, and to involve, with particular care, those who are often marginalized and excluded.
View Official Vatican Synod Site
VIew US Bishops' Synod Site
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Synod Synthesis Reports
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The Results of the Preparatory Phase ofthe Synod on Synodality
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Sinodo 2021-2023
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The Process
The synodal journey is a process of listening to one another to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. First and foremost, this process is a spiritual process.
It is a period of discernment in which we listen to each other, to our faith tradition, and to the signs of the times in order to discern what God is saying to all of us.
This kind of discernment is not just a one-time exercise but ultimately a way of life, grounded in Christ, following the lead of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the teachings of Christ Himself.
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Diocese of Paterson Preparatory Phase for the Synod 2023Updates
July 20, 2022
Thanks to all of you who generously and compassionately conducted consultations during the diocese's preparatory phase. Sometime in the future, we hope to prepare and share the data and input we received in a more comprehensive way. Until then, the Synthesis located above will give you an idea of our diocese's experience of the process.
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The theme of the Synod is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The three dimensions of the theme are communion, participation, and mission. These three dimensions are profoundly interrelated. They are the vital pillars of a Synodal Church.
Journeying together requires great commitment to listen to the voices of all who make up the People of God, but especially those who have often been marginalized, and the openness to discern the path forward that prophetically renews and enlivens.
“The election of the apostles is not the privilege of an exclusive position of power and separation but the grace of an inclusive ministry of blessing and fellowship. Thanks to the gift of the Spirit of the Risen Lord, they are to guard the place of Jesus, without replacing him: not to put filters on his presence, but to make it easy to encounter him”
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Communion: By his gracious will, God gathers us together as diverse peoples of one faith, through the covenant that he offers to his people. . . It is Christ who reconciles us to the Father and unites us with each other in the Holy Spirit. Together, we are inspired by listening to the Word of God, through the living Tradition of the Church, and grounded in the sensus fidei that we share. We all have a role to play in discerning and living out God’s call for his people.
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Participation: A call for the involvement of all who belong to the People of God – laity, consecrated and ordained – to engage in the exercise of deep and respectful listening to one another. . . Participation is based on the fact that all the faithful are qualified and are called to serve one another through the gifts they have each received from the Holy Spirit.
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Mission: The Church exists to evangelize. . . This Synodal Process has a deeply missionary dimension to it. It is intended to enable the Church to better witness to the Gospel, especially with those who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries of our world. . . [S]ynodality is a path by which the Church can more fruitfully fulfil her mission of evangelization in the world, as a leaven at the service of the coming of God’s kingdom.”
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prayer for the synodWe stand before You, Holy Spirit,as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.
All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son,
forever and ever.
Amen.
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For a synodal church
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
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Oct. 14, 2021
Have you ever heard of a “Vademecum?” Personally, I cannot recall hearing of a “Vademecum” until a month or so ago. If you look up or Google the definition, you will find:
Noun: vademecum; borrowed from the Latin, “go with me,” a handbook or guide that is kept constantly at hand for consultation; “His book is an excellent vademecum for writers.”
In early September, all of the Bishops and Dioceses in the United States received the “Vademecum for the Synod on Synodality“, the Official Handbook for Listening and Discernment in Local Churches: First Phase (Oct. 2021–April 2022) in Dioceses and Bishops Conferences, Leading up to the Assembly of Bishops in Synod in October 2023.”
Read more
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