Our Synod “Go, you are Sent was a wonderful weekend. Thank you all for your prayers, which most certainly helped the Synod to run smoothly and which enabled people to participate fully in the listening and discernment process.
If there was one message I heard from people over the weekend it was about how much they appreciated the prayerful discernment process and the wish that such processes could be used in parish life. There is absolutely no reason why that cannot happen, and indeed I hope that it will.
A huge amount of work went into the Synod:
- the planning of the Synod Committee,
- the training of facilitators and scribes,
- the two pre-synod days in May,
- the engagement in the consultation phase and the extensive feedback,
- the actual participation over the weekend,
- the liturgies and prayer over the weekend
- the analysis of recommendations as they came in
Thank you all.
In a way the work now begins. I have received a total of 96 recommendations. They are all important for the life of the Archdiocese and I will be planning, with others, as to how these recommendations can become reality. Some things are clear:
we all need to be involved and we all need to do some things differently,
theological, spiritual and liturgical formation has been identified as a major requirement,
it is essential that we search out, identify and go to the peripheries,
we are to embrace bicultural relationships as an integral part of all that we do.
There are many more challenges before us. The generosity and creativity of all of you is needed to help give life and energy to the Archdiocese, its parishes, schools, colleges, organizations, families and to every individual.
Pope Francis sent us a wonderful message for the Synod. His challenge to us was to be “authentic missionary disciples.” That is a challenge to us all, we can do it, but we are never disciples alone. We are always disciples together and we are always gifted with the Spirit of God.
Thank you again for the wonderful support for the Synod.
With every blessing
+ John