Archbishop Lori opens local phase of synod planning for church renewal

When Pope Francis called for a world synod to discuss the future of the church, he asked Catholics to be flexible, Archbishop William E. Lori noted Oct. 17 as he began the Mass launching the archdiocesan phase of the process.

“It seems that is already coming true,” the archbishop noted at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington. The flexibility in question came from the fact that the Mass was moved at the last minute from its planned location at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and postponed 30 minutes due to an overnight power outage at the cathedral.

Pope Francis launched preparations Oct. 9-10 at the Vatican for the World Synod of Bishops, which will take place in 2023. On the theme – “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission” – the church will seek input from dioceses around the world, with most bishops kicking off the local listening process Oct. 17. The diocesan phase will last through April 2022.

The archbishop acknowledged he has received a lot of questions about what a synod is, and whether this isn’t just a lot of meetings to talk about meetings.

He said a synod is more than just a consequential church meeting, but that the word comes from Greek roots that evoke “a journey that we take together – not a journey from one physical destination to another, but rather a journey of mind, heart and spirit that brings us together as one.”

He noted that the first church synod was the Council of Jerusalem, described in the Acts of the Apostles. Other examples of synods include the three Plenary Councils of Baltimore in the 19th century in which the bishops of the United States made decisions about the practice of the faith in this country.

Synodality refers to “habits of the heart” that allow for fruitful discussions, Archbishop Lori said.

“At various times, I have been a part of intense discussions that led to wise outcomes, outcomes which none of the participants foresaw and which exceeded the personal wisdom of each participant,” he explained. “That’s synodality!”

He said those habits include fervent prayer in order to discern worthily, fidelity to authentic Catholic faith and acquiring the virtues necessary to a true Christian.

“The path of synodality, journeying together in faith and on mission, is not easy,” the archbishop said. “As this process unfolds, we may become more aware of what divides us. Yet, if we are open to the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of all that Christ taught us, we will find new paths to understanding, to harmony, cooperation and unity, to co-responsibility for the church’s mission, coupled with renewed apostolic vigor.”

Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., and Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, will lead the archdiocesan synod organizing committee. In an interview before the launch of the synod for “Catholic Review Radio,” Bishop Lewandowski also acknowledged the divide within the church and in society.

He said Catholics are good about the head, hands and heart of being Christians – knowing and thinking, serving others and loving the church. Pope Francis is calling Catholics to add to that by hearing or listening. 

“If you could imagine the church as just one great, big ear, and the idea is just to listen,” Bishop Lewandowski said. “I think it’s not a mistake or unintentional that this is coming at this time in our world, when there’s such polarization throughout the world and polarization in the church.”

He said polarization comes from people not listening to each other because they have such vastly different opinions. 

“We’re being asked – as different as we are, as polarized as we may seem – to come together and really just listen to each other respectfully, kindly and in charity to hear each other out and to be open to the gifts and power of the Spirit as we do that to see where it might lead.”

The bishop said the archdiocese had set up a page on the archdiocesan website (archbalt.org/synod) with resources for parishes and individuals. Teams at the Catholic Center will be the first to go through a guided synod reflection process before the same is done in parishes, where people from many different walks of life will be encouraged to participate. 

“It will also need to extend beyond that parish group to people who feel far from the church, people who somehow feel that the church has hurt or offended them, people who feel wounded by the church,” Bishop Lewandowski said. “It will be a challenge to work out how we will extend the listening sessions beyond the walls of the parish. It’s been stated very clearly in the preparatory documents that if you just do this with your parish council, you haven’t done the work because it needs to extend beyond the parish to the peripheries.”

He said the preparatory documents for the synod note that in listening, we are spending time with the future, and it’s important not to focus only on the problems of today.

It’s also about what the Holy Spirit might do in us, with us, through us as we go forward as a church,” the bishop said. 

“We shouldn’t focus just on structures,” Bishop Lewandowski said. “We shouldn’t just focus on our own opinions, thoughts and ideas, our own ideologies. We shouldn’t just focus on the now. We should be – in and through the listening – trying to hear and perceive where God might be calling us to go forward as a church.”

For the launch of the synod at Shrine of the Sacred Heart, representatives from parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore joined parishioners who were there for a regular Sunday Mass. 

Ana Martinez and her husband Fredy Duran, with their two young daughters, came from St. Joseph in Cockeysville to be part of the Mass and the conversation. Martinez hopes the synod will renew the church and help it “be more open to including everyone, so those who have been away from the church feel welcome to be a part of the church.”

From Sacred Heart Parish in Glyndon, Mario Jeronimo said the synod is very important. “I hope our community will be more together and closer to God.”

Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org

For more information about synodal planning in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, click here.

Click play below to watch a recorded livestream of the Oct. 17, 2021 Mass at Shrine of the Sacred Heart.

Also see

U.S. bishops to consider creating task force for synodal implementation

‘Empowering’ Female Catholics? ‘We’ll get back to you girls!’

Synod gave life to new way of being church, members say

Pope warns against becoming a ‘sedentary’ church after synod’s close

Synod calls for quick steps to involve more people in church life

Publishing synod document, pope says he will not write exhortation

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