Synod
STM has completed the parish phase of the synod process. We held 22 listening sessions with about 175 people from January to March 2022. A parish committee made up of parishioners, staff, and the pastor collated the notes and comments from these sessions into a final report linked below.
The listening sessions centered on the joys and obstacles people find in both the local and universal Church. Participants also reflected on how the Holy Spirit might be calling us as a parish and as a larger global community of faith. We have submitted a high-level report to the Archdiocese as well as our more comprehensive final report.
SUMMARY REPORT
This brief summary draws on five specific themes that emerged in the listening sessions. It includes some quotations and commentary.
FULL FINAL REPORT
Presented in narrative form and parsed into four main categories, this full report captures in detail the specific themes, joys, and obstacles shared in listening sessions. It explains the process, limitations, and methodology of the report.
What’s next?
Input from all parishes and groups around the world will be synthesized at the diocesan level, then at the country/regional level, and ultimately by the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023. An implementation phase will follow. You can read more about the synodal process here.
At STM, we intend to act upon what we have learned through this listening phase as soon as possible, incorporating the results in our parish planning. We will be organizing a session for all of us to reflect on what has emerged from this process and will continue listening, dialoging, and discerning how we as a community can more fully live out the call of the Gospel.
Throughout the process of the synod, the role of the Church is to listen and learn. As we reflect together upon our past and current experiences in our parishes and how God is calling us to be Church going forward, we will be participating in building not only the roadmap for the Church of the future, but the foundation of the road itself. The hope of Pope Francis is that the connections, relationships, understanding, and new insights produced by the synod process itself will generate hope, inspiration, and renewed faith and energy for our common mission.