CHARLOTTE — Church leaders are continuing to discuss issues of concern for Catholics today in a second series of listening sessions in the ongoing Synod on Synodality – this time, related to Church organization and structure.
Launched by Pope Francis in October 2021, the Synod of Bishops – the theme of which is “communion, participation and mission” – has sought the perspectives of all baptized Catholics on fostering what the pope has described as a “listening Church.”
U.S. dioceses including Charlotte have been conducting more listening sessions as part of the Synod’s “interim stage” – described as a time of reflection and preparation for a second session of the global Synod on Synodality this October in Rome.
This stage of the Synod is building on – not repeating – the work of the Synod that already took place in 2022-23. Specifically, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked dioceses to host a few more listening sessions and provide feedback to the Vatican on:
n Where have I seen or experienced successes – and distresses – within the Church’s structure(s)/organization/leadership/life that encourage or hinder the mission?
n How can the structures and organization of the Church help all the baptized to respond to the call to proclaim the Gospel and to live as a community of love and mercy in Christ?
Bishop Peter Jugis enthusiastically responded to the USCCB’s call, resuming the local Synod effort led in 2022-23 by Dr. Alessandro Rovati from Belmont Abbey College and a team of three others: Ibis Centeno (Hispanic ministry coordinator, Salisbury Vicariate), Mary Selby (synod coordinator, St. Eugene Parish, Asheville), and Shane Page (director of evangelization, St. Michael Parish, Gastonia).
Bishop Jugis noted, “The participation of the Diocese of Charlotte … is an important way to foster the bonds of communion with other U.S. dioceses, the USCCB, and the universal Church and continue the path of listening to the People of God … thus giving a sign of the love and care the Church has for each person.”
In March, the local Synod team held eight listening sessions with selected key leaders – including the Presbyteral Council (a group of priests that advises the bishop), other clergy and parish council representatives, deacons, Hispanic Ministry coordinators, the African American Affairs Ministry, and the diocesan offices of Catechetical Formation, Youth Ministry, and Campus and Young Adult Ministry.
The local Synod team received positive feedback about the direction the diocese is headed, said team member Shane Page.
“There is eagerness and excitement about the growth of the diocese – especially the growing numbers of Hispanic Catholics and young people, and opportunities for catechesis and learning,” Page said.
The growing use of digital technologies, thanks in part to the pandemic, has also made the online efforts of parishes and ministries easier and more effective, he said.
The listening sessions also identified the need to go “to the peripheries” given the size of the diocese: more than 530,000 Catholics in 92 parishes and missions, spread out over 20,700 square miles.
Participants also acknowledged a need for better integration between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics in parish life.
Participants also expressed the desire for more catechesis and training so people can better evangelize in their own spheres.
Page noted that some participants approached the listening sessions with some cynicism, but afterwards said they enjoyed the experience.
“They saw that they were not alone in their opinions,” he said. “It was very edifying for them.”
Rovati and the local Synod team prepared a summary of the listening sessions for Bishop Jugis and Bishop-elect Martin’s review and sent it to the USCCB.
The USCCB is now preparing a national document based upon the feedback received from the U.S. dioceses and will share it with the Vatican at the beginning of May. In turn, the Vatican will use it and reports from other countries’ bishops conferences to prepare for the October 2024 Synod of Bishops in Rome, where they will decide what concrete proposals to give the pope.
Part of their task is figuring out how decisions are made in the Church in a way faithful to its nature – including discerning how episcopal collegiality is exercised in a synodal Church, where every member shares responsibility for the mission of evangelization.
The worldwide Synod on Synodality is meant to help the Church engage with more people and evangelize in today’s world, Page emphasized, not rewrite Church doctrine. “It’s about how we apply doctrine for the sake of evangelization. Where is the Church doing well, and where is it getting in its own way?”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle. OSV News contributed.
More online
At www.charlottediocese.org/faith-life/synod: Learn more about the Synod on Synodality and read the Diocese of Charlotte’s 2023 Synod Report that summarized input from more than 7,000 Catholics who took part in 400 listening sessions in 2021-22.