Synod and Synodality

Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor

Letter from the Pastor Fourth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 30, 2022

Synod is a word we don’t hear very often. Although it has deep roots in our Catholic tradition the idea of synod faded over the centuries. It was reestablished by Pope Paul VI in September of 1965 in his letter, Apostolica Sollicitudo, (Apostolic Concern,) a few months before the solemn ending of the Second Vatican Council on Dec. 8 of the same year. Pope Paul began his letter calling for the renewal of the synodal practice within the Church. “The Apostolic concern leading Us to carefully survey the signs of the times and to make every effort to adapt the means and methods of the holy apostolate to the changing circumstances and need of our day, impels Us to establish even closer ties with the bishops in order to strengthen Our union with them "whom the Holy Spirit has placed [...] to rule the Church of God" (Acts 20:28). [AS 1]

Subsequently, his successors have called for a Synod of Bishops every three or four years to discuss important issues within the church. Occasionally, the popes have also called for “extraordinary” synods to consult on issues that required immediate attention. Pope Francis has called three extraordinary synods: on the family, on young people, and the most recent, the synod on the Amazon, held in Rome in October 2019 out of special concern for the peoples of the Amazon, whose lives and environment, he believes are under grave threat. It is obvious that Pope Francis likes the idea of synodality, that is, creating an opportunity to hear what people have to say about what is going on in their lives, in our world, and in our church. Although we are now well beyond the Christmas season we cannot forget the implication of the Incarnation is that God was, and is, found in our world and in our day. Synodality allows us to hear what other people are thinking. It does not change the truth that we have long held as a church but it might affect how we interpret that truth in our day.

The word synod, like many words in our church lexicon, have Greek roots. It is the merging of two Greek words, syn, which means “together with, jointly; at the same time,” and hodos, "a way, path, road; a ride, journey. Pope Francis said in his address marking the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops, “What the Lord is asking of us is already in some sense present in the very word “Synod.” Journeying together – laity, pastors, the Bishop of Rome – is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice.” He went on to say, “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” Pope Francis has said that he wants to hear from every baptized Catholic. I’m not sure if that is going to happen but each parish throughout the world has been asked to offer the opportunity for anyone who wishes to participate to do so. I have asked parishioners Jennifer and Anthony Mauro to co-chair our parish’s effort to listen to as many of our faithful as possible. The entire process will focus on the question, “What have been the joys and obstacles in your journeying together with the church?

As I have said to Jen and Anthony, I realize that we have to send the feedback we receive from you to Trenton, who in turn will send a report to Rome, but I think the beauty of this process is that we get to hear, on the local level, about our joys and our struggles in our journey with the church. By entering in the process, we are doing exactly what synod is, we journey together. Please stay tuned for more details on how St. Francis Parish will participate in the preparation for the Synod of Bishops that will be held in 2023. There is plenty of information on the web. If you are interested in learning more about this very imaginative idea of Pope Francis on how we are to be church, please visit the diocesan website. https://dioceseoftrenton.org/xvi-synod

Fr. Francis J. Di Spigno, OFM

Pastor

i. www.etymonline.com/word/synod ii. Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops, Oct. 17 2015 iii. Ibid