Fr. Jim's Synod Letter ~ Information provided by Cecilia Hull

 

January 30, 2022

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As you may have heard about or read in the Catholic Virginian, Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the world to participate in their local parish in what he calls a "synodal process."  This local process of listening to each other will lead to an international Synod of Bishops in Rome in October of 2023.

You might ask, "What is a synodal process?"  The word "synod" is not a commonly used word.  It is basically an assembly that discusses matters of importance.  For the Catholic Church, it means an occasional gathering of bishops that meets together to listen to each other in order to advise the Pope.

What Pope Francis is asking of us is that, prior to the next Synod of Bishops in October of 2023, we engage in our local diocese and in each parish in a synodal process so that bishops may have a clearer view of how people are experiencing the Catholic faith locally in their parishes.  It is a "bottoms up" approach rather than a "top down" approach.  We will call the synodal meetings which we will hold at St. Elizabeth "Listening Sessions."

The three key elements of the Listening Sessions are Community, Dialogue, and Participation and Mission.  Questions to be discussed at the sessions will be centered on these elements of parish life.

Just as the Pope and the bishops gathered with him in Rome in 2023 will reflect on the contributions from Catholics and friends from around the world, I hope to find in our local discussions many ideas and recommendations to foster the spiritual life of St. Elizabeth parish as we "journey together."

My dream is that as many parishioners as possible will participate in one of the many Listening Sessions that will be made available to you in February and March of 2022.  Sessions will be virtually via Zoom.  In the coming weeks, please watch the weekly bulletin and seek more information from our website.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Jim Arsenault

Pastor