Dear Parishioners,

Pope Francis called for a worldwide synod of the Church which will involve all Catholic parishes in our Archdiocese and throughout the world. The goal of this process is to help our bishops prepare for the “Assembly of the Synod of Bishops” in October 2023. This may also include other groups with whom our parish interacts and ministers. This may be the first you have heard about it, so I hope this bulletin letter will help explain what a synod is and what it is not as well as a sneak peek at what we plan to do in order to join the synodal process.

What is a Synod? The word comes from two Greek words, one meaning “together,” and the other meaning “road” or “way.” The term connotes a quality about how the Church is to accomplish its mission. In the early Church, the term was used to describe how the people of “the Way” (earliest term for Christians) would purposely come together and form permanent communities. Eventually, this term was used to express a gathering of the Church locally, regionally, or globally. So it expresses a way of gathering with a sense of being on a journey together.

Today, it describes a type of gathering of bishops by which they discern how the Lord is calling them and the rest of the Church to follow Jesus. This word is the root of two other related words, “synodal” or “synodality,” both of which express the style of this gathering. How to pronounce these words is a challenge. Try “sin-ah-d,” “sin-ah-dal,” and “sin-ah-dal-ity” respectively. 

The gathering is intended to reflect on how the Church carries out her mission, journeying together in order to more effectively proclaim the Gospel. This is an ancient approach to “being” Church. The gathering (Synod) is a way of gathering and discerning what the Holy Spirit is calling the Church to do and be. Another way of describing it is a mode-of-being. Archbishop Sample taught that this Synod will be about how to be Church, how to be synodal. This is why the current topic of this Synod is precisely about synodality. So, it is a “Synod on Synodality,” a gathering where the Church journeys together to discover and experience what it means to be a pilgrim people called to proclaim the Gospel.

What this Synod is not. It is not a gathering to determine doctrine or settle theological issues. Some pundits have already called for warning, noting the German Bishops who erroneously called their recent gatherings as a “synodal way” which was used to tackle the hot topics of their culture. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishop in Rome challenged the German bishops, writing that that their make-up was “not ecclesiologically valid.” The German bishops’ approach has been more akin to a “Particular Council” or a Council of the Catholic Church in Germany. A “Council” is, technically speaking, a meeting of bishops given authority to make law for their region or country, but only under direct authority of Rome who approves the agenda. None of that happened. Pope Francis weighed in as well and warned them writing, “Every time the ecclesial community has tried to resolve it problems alone, trusting and focusing exclusively on its forces or its methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ended up increasing and perpetuating the evils it tried to solve.” So have no worries, Rome has responded and offered a correction. This is not the process or goal of the current “Synod on Synodality.”

Archbishop Sample’s own reflection and commentary, in preparation for our part in the synodal process, recognized that we live in unique and challenging times and that we are no longer living in a time where Christian faith guides the minds and hearts of our culture. Instead, we are in a new Apostolic time where few express Christian faith. He recognized that how we used to do things as Church doesn’t work anymore. This is not an issue of doctrine, but an issue of evangelization and outreach to those who have left the Church and those in our world who are lost and don’t know Jesus Christ and his Gospel (cf. Opening comments, Synodal Workshop, January 20, 2022). He further shared that The Pope wants to “lead us in a process that will help us all together, in the universal church, to walk together.…to learn how to be the Church in a new way, a way of mutual discernment… guided by the Holy Spirit, absolutely soaked in prayer, so that we can truly discern what the Holy Spirit…is asking of us today in our time and in our archdiocese.”

This last Saturday, January 29th, parishioners gathered for a time of adoration in our church in order to increase our zeal of the Eucharist and pray for divine guidance for the Synodal process, a deeper appreciation of the dignity and sacredness of human life, an end to abortion, and a renewed spirit and light for all parishes and parishioners in the Portland and Baker Dioceses. 

I will write more about the Synod in the weeks to come. In the meantime, if you wish to participate in our local synodal discernment process, save one of these two dates: March 3rd at 6 PM or March 12th at 8 AM. Each of these dates will host a gathering which will begin with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by a time of gathering for discernment about the coming Synod of the Church.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor