Greetings Dear Friends in Christ,

You are invited to attend one of the Listening Sessions for the Synod 2021-2023:  to listen, discuss and discern together. Everyone is informed about the upcoming Synod but, to know what it really is, we need to go back to the Word of God and realize that this ancient practice in the Church is rooted in Scripture (Acts 15:1-35). This passage gives us the details of the meeting of the early Church leaders, after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and descending of the holy spirit. The Apostles and those individuals were representatives of the Church at that time. They came to the consensus and agreement to not follow the Jewish customs, and they formed their own decree to follow. This council is referred to as the first that was held in Jerusalem.

This has been the method of the Universal Church, to come together and discuss problems and ideas. The Holy Father and the emperor, depending on the history you are in, would call the Church together and have a council over heresy or any problem that was happening in the Church. The Holy Father would be there, and all of the well-known Theologians would be present, giving talks and overseeing the whole process. Most of the Cardinals and Bishops from all over the world would be present, as well as a great number of priests and the major superiors of the religious orders. There was a great deal of prayer and study and lengthy discussions.  The problems and issues would be discussed, and the document would be published. Those documents would contain within them dogmas, doctrines, and decrees that the Church expects us to hold near and dear to our hearts and to live unapologetically. The last council of Vatican II was held in 1960’s because of the vision of Pope John XXIII and was completed by Pope Paul VI. Therefore, we all have received the information, one way or another, about the Church councils. Many of us may have even lived through it.

One of the decisions which was made by the Church at the Vatican Council was that the Church needs a different method of getting together, and the term “Synod” was born. The world was broken into the areas of Bishops or Congregation of Bishops. This is what we have in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. They get together at least twice a year to discuss issues of the day, to ensure that we are praying and living our Catholic faith and our lives correctly, and they try their level best to assist us. 

Pope Francis has given us the Synod on Synodality -- basically he is asking us how we can complete the process of the Synod 2023 better. What is needed in the Universal Church. The Church, at its core, does not change, but the people who inhabit the Church, by our very nature, change. Therefore, the Church sometimes reads the signs of the time and chooses to adapt to the world. This must be done very carefully, to determine where our Church is at the present moment.

I would like to personally invite you to attend of these sessions:

• Feb 20, 3PM to 5PM - St Mary Community Room
• Feb 26, 10AM to 12PM - St Mary Community Room
• March 8, 7PM to 9PM- St Mary Community Room

There are “sign-up” sheets available in the Narthex, please sign up while you are at Mass this weekend.

Please continue to pray for the success of the Holy Father’s vision of our times. Pray also that the Holy Spirit may harvest the information that will truly help the change. The doctrines seldom change, and the practices of the Church change only out of genuine necessity of the people of God. We must remember what Synod is and what it is not. We are not simply trying to change those practices of the Church that we don’t like. We are not trying to change the core issues of who we are as Catholics. We are asking the faith communities how we can come together better, and how we can live our Catholic life the way God is calling us: to be the salt of the Earth and the light of the world. Let us come together for this process and answer the call of Pope Francis, the vicar of Christ. We need your input, and I am confident that the volunteer table facilitators and note-takers will make these sessions fruitful.
Please watch the bulletin and website for more information on the Synod.
Sincerely,
Fr Ayub, Pastor

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