About Us
What is Synod
The Greek root of the word we use for parish is "paroikia", which means sojourning. So parish is not meant to be a static concept but a moving reality. People on a journey, and when your on a journey you talk, you listen and you learn. You meet new people and new experiences enrich your vision. The Pope is calling us to be more conscious of being people on the move, he is encouraging us to listen to each other but to the still quiet voice of the Spirit who speaks beyond what we say.
What are we doing in Glasgow
Many parishes have already begun their own programme of listening. A one off listening meeting has been provided. Resources for Lenten Small Group meetings maybe downloaded from this site. A questionnaire has been prepared for use with groups loosely associated with our parishes or who meet in parish premises or indeed it could be completed on line. Each parish knows its own needs best - the important thing is that we listen to the committed and to the not so committed- everyone has something to contribute.
What is the Process in Glasgow
Parishlistening meetings/Questionaires should be completed before Easter. These should be collated by your deaney and a Deanery response on convergant themes or indeed on difficult areas should be synthesised by the Deanery for the Diocesan synthesis in June.
How do you participate in the Synod, within the Archdiocese?
Ideally within your parish community. Perhaps through an on line survey. As part of a group or association: UCM,PTA, Youth Club, Caritas Group, AA group or Cafe. Get a group of your friends, who may have different views on the life of the church and meet with them. Please join us, Pope Francis is refocusing on an element of the constant teaching of the church, that God speaks through the whole people of God.
NEWS
Vatican - Instrumentum Laboris
XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH:
COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION, MISSION
INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS
For the First Session
(October 2023)
Read Document Here
Prague Final Synod Document 2021-2024 European Continental Assembly Prague, 5-12 February 2023
Read the full document here:
Doing Synod is doing evangelisation
Meeting with the Presidents and Coordinators of the Continental Assemblies of the Synod.
Vatican City, 28-29 November 2022
The meeting of the Presidents and Coordinators of the Continental Assemblies gathered in Rome on 28-29 November to prepare together the Continental Assemblies, which are the culminating moment of the second stage of the Synod process 2021-2024, concludes this morning. The meeting took place at the offices of the General Secretariat of the Synod. Read More
Synod Meeting Prague 2023
#synodprague2023 Final Remarks
Awaiting the Final Document of the Prague Assembly, which was presented to the participants this morning and will be amended by them in the coming days before being sent to the General Secretariat of Synod.va, the participants adopted a "Final Remarks" document with which they intend to share their experience and indicate some priorities in the continuation of the synodal journey.
The document in English and Italian is available here
https://bit.ly/3HKzmWV
#Synod #ListeningChurch #walkingtogether
European Continental Assembly
European Continental Assembly: final remarks
The first part of the Continental Assembly of the Synod, taking place in Prague from 5 to 12 February, concluded with greetings from Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, president of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe.
Four days of prayer and intense work. In the daily Holy Mass and in moments of common prayer, the participants prayed for peace in Ukraine, for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, for Christian unity.They were accompanied, and it will be like this until Sunday 12 February, by the silent and continuous prayer of many brothers and sisters of contemplative life, in 180 monasteries scattered throughout Europe.
During the working sessions, the 39 national reports on the questions of the Document for the Continental Stage were presented; the free and serene confrontation continued in the group work: divided into 13 groups, the participants continued the reflection "on the intuitions that resonate, on the tensions and differences that emerge, on the priorities and calls for action to be shared with the other Churches.”
In addition, 270 online participants took part in the assembly. They were delegates of the national Bishops’ Conferences, divided into 12 groups, and presented the summaries of their work to the Assembly.
There were also many free interventions and guests present, for a real synodal experience: Archbishop Grušas recalled that "synodality is the theme of our meeting, and I think we have experienced the fruits of listening to each other with the 'other. We have experienced being a family, a Church, lay people, men and women, consecrated people and bishops. And we have experienced what this family is at a European level”.
The Redaction Committee presented a draft of the final document to the Assembly. The document was drawn up following the indications and words of the assembly, not prepared in advance.This makes it an interim document and still subject to the "amendments" of the assembly and to some editorial adjustments. The document, which was approved by the Assembly, will be returned to all participants, after the requested modifications, for possible further revision before being delivered to the General Secretariat of the Synod.
The conclusions of the document, amended following the indications of the Assembly, can be considered the first fruit of the work of these days. They are sent to you in full. The document can be disseminated for common reflection.
Among the points described by the document, the need to deepen the theology of synodality and that of a formation in synodality that also takes into account the signs of the times. One of the strong proposals of the assembly is that a meeting of this kind, which brought together bishops and lay people, be held on a regular basis, at least every ten years.
From tomorrow, and until February 12, only the Presidents of the Bishops' Conferences will meet to collegially re-read the synodal experience lived together.
Simply Synod Bitesize video 5: Ten informing themes for Synodality
Priests in the synodal perspective
Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, and Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung sik, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, have written a beautiful and motivating letter to the priests of the whole world, which will be published tomorrow (19 March), the Solemnity of St. Joseph. In it they highlight the challenges of the synodal journey: "it will not be free of questions, difficulties and interruptions, but we can be confident that it will bring us back a hundredfold in fraternity and fruits of evangelical life".
Bishops Conference of Scotland Event
The Bishops Conference of Scotland (BCOS) hosted ‘Synodality in the Life & Mission of the Church’. The keynote speaker was Cardinal Mario Grech, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops. This online event was streamed on youtube and the recording is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxyUuk9QGCU - see the links in the description for the associated papers.
Questionnaire for All published
Please see Parish Resources Section of the website - We have published the first questionnaire we would like as many individuals/groups and organisations to complete. If you wish to complete this and send straight to the Synod Team - Please send directly to synod@rcag.org.uk