Synod Encounter Sessions are underway in the diocese

Vicar General Father James Stembler, men in the diaconate program and their wives participated in an Encounter Session as part of the synodal diocesan phase on Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Kolbe Center. 

WHAT IS A SYNOD ON SYNODALITY?

‘Synod’ is a revered word in the Tradition of the Church referring to the People of God journeying together with the Lord in communion, participation and mission. (PD 10) As St. John Chrysostum states, “Church and Synod are synonymous.” In other words, the very nature and essence of the Church is the faithful journeying together as the People of God with the Lord Jesus on a pilgrimage of faith toward eternity.

In a special way, at this time, Pope Francis is inviting us to reflect on our journey together with the Lord as the People of God, and to reflect on how the synodal nature of the Church can be more fully lived and realized. As Pope Francis stated, “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” (PD 1)

A beautiful Scriptural image of synodality is found in Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. There are three key figures in this setting: Jesus, the crowd, and the apostles. Jesus is the first and most important of the three. He pays special attention to the abandoned and destitute, He offers freedom from sin and conversion to hope in the name of the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is interested in conversing with the widest possible audience. The second key player is the crowd, which represents all those in dialogue with Jesus. They include the foreigner – the Canaanite and Samaritan woman, for example, they include the outcast such as the man born blind, dismissed as being outside the perimeter of God’s grace. The common trait that transforms the crowd in their interaction with Jesus is faith. Thirdly, we have the apostles. The apostles have been called by the Lord and have the role of facilitating and mediating authoritatively the crowd’s relationship to revelation.

Each of these key figures is necessary! If Jesus is removed from the picture, then someone else takes His place and the Church is merely a contract between the apostles and the crowd which results in a kind of political game. If the apostles are removed, then the relationship to truth is broken and the crowd gets exposed to myth or ideology about who Jesus is and what He revealed. And, if the crowd is removed, the apostles’ relationship to Jesus becomes merely inward-focused, self-referential and sectarian, and evangelization ceases to take place.

The Synod on Synodality is a very similar dynamic. Namely, we are attempting to facilitate encounters with Jesus Christ for as many people as possible. We want to hear all the voices in the crowd so that we can put them in touch with the Lord. And we will reflect and discern in the context of the faith that has been handed down to us from the apostles in order to faithfully preserve the truth of the revelation entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus.

With all this being said, our purpose for gathering here is to listen to the Holy Spirit, facilitated through the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, and to reflect on our journey together as the People of God with Jesus, and how we can live better as a synodal Church that reaches out to facilitate living encounters with Jesus Christ.

Given the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit and being rooted in the Word of God, let us commence our prayerful period of reflection and encounter by hearing and reflecting upon the passage from the Gospel of Luke of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

WHAT WILL OUR DIOCESAN PHASE OF THE SYNOD LOOK LIKE?

The synodal process in the diocese of Corpus Christi will take place through three particular phases. The first phase will take place through the diocesan Encounter sessions. The Encounter sessions are synodal consultations intended to include the widest possible audience. Participants will be gathered together from all of the parishes of the Diocese and from various special groups such as those in prison and the homeless. The Encounter sessions will be prayerful consultations, rooted in the Word of God and oriented to the express purpose of listening to the Holy Spirit speaking to us regarding a number of important synodal themes. In groups of six, participants will listen, dialogue and discern together. Each table will produce a synthesis of the ideas and thoughts shared, and each person will be asked the following question at the end: Name one insight you heard today that you believe can be attributed to the Holy Spirit?

Following the Encounter sessions, all of the feedback will be collected, collated and synthesized. The resulting synthesis will then be utilized in the second phase of the synodal process called the Discernment Sessions. In the Discernment session, table groups will reconvene in a prayerful setting and go over the synthesis from the Encounter Sessions. This will enable the group to also hear what the People of God in others parts of the Diocese of Corpus Christi contributed. Then, participants will be invited to once again listen to the Holy Spirit and share on the sharing! In other words, it will be an opportunity to confirm the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through the various ideas presented, and also to perhaps contribute new thoughts and ideas. Following the Discernment Sessions, the feedback will once again be collated and synthesized in order to prepare a ten-page document that will be the contribution of the Diocese of Corpus Christi to be submitted to the USCCB.

The third phase of the synodal process in the Diocese of Corpus Christi is the culminating event of the diocesan phase of the Synod. On Saturday, May 7, Mass will be celebrated to formally close the diocesan phase of the Synod. Following Mass, there will be a gathering in St. Joseph’s Hall at the Cathedral, to reflect on how we can continue forward on the path of synodality as a local Church.

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SYNOD

The entire community is called to pray, listen, analyze, dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions. Participation also means striving to include all members of the community, even those on the periphery. In doing this we can be more effective evangelizers, people who joyfully witness to the love of God and invite others to join us on the beautiful journey of faith.

Find an Encounter Session you can participate in in-person at one of our local parishes or for those unable to attend an Online Encounter Session is also provided for your convenience. Please note that these Encounter Sessions are meant to be completed in a group setting whether in a parish community, small group ministry or with your family/friends at home.

In-Person encounters should consist of small groups of no more than 6 people to a group. The purpose is to gather together and listen to the Holy Spirit, facilitated through the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, and to reflect on our journey together as the People of God with Jesus, and how we can live better as a synodal Church that reaches out to facilitate living encounters with Jesus Christ.

For more information go to https://diocesecc.org/synod/