Notes on a more synodal parish Life:

(October 25, 2025):

(Below are notes to guide discussion of the seminars on synodality and parish life parented at the Jubilee for Synod Teams held in Rome, October 25, 2025. After the seminars, I hope to add notations from suggestions, contributions, and questions offered by seminar participants.)

How style is always a matter of substance.

Viewing Synodal style as an important aspect of the pastor’s leadership.

Intro: The danger of leading, and then discovering there is no one following or collaborating; not because people don’t want to, but because they don’t understand the why of pastoral decisions. Sharing the pastor’s mind. Admitting there are things the pastor, and the whole parish can’t see without the participation of others. AIM: The pastoral conversion of the local community towards the mission and the spirituality that sustains it.

1. An assessment of synodal seeds already present: consultative groups, ministerial groups, prayer groups. Apostolic Movements. How does the mission and formation of each enrich the parish and wider community. (Growing awareness about what aspect of the mission might be suffering for lack of attention, for future planning). Assessment of cultural diversities present in the community.

2. Parish Council as principal collaborative arm with the pastor to promote cohesiveness and diversity in the mission among the groups and the laity that do not form part of the groups.. How is it structured? How can it model a spiritual attentiveness to the diversity of gifts as well as cohesion of mission and service? Parish assemblies. Can they be regularized? Prayer, listening, speaking, common adoration and thanksgiving.

3. An assessment of collaboration among lay groups; Do they ever pray together? Does the leadership of the various groups have moments of communion and fellowship together? Are gifts appreciated by the wider community?

4. Integrating a spiritual habit for the whole: starting with an evening of meditation and intercession with the members of various together: perhaps integrating seasonal Lectio Divina; guided meditation, to help inculcate an ethos of familiarity with the style and priority of the Lord. Making the connection between attentiveness to the Ethos of the Way of Christ’s life (Conversatio Christi) and the Eucharistic celebration of the whole body on Sunday. Diverse spiritualities, but all nourished by Scripture and sacramental life. This is what gives cohesion to the particular groups and activities of the local community. In this ethos periodic listening in the Spirit integrated into parish life seems less programmatic and more just part of how the parish prays, thinks and plans together. Pastoral Conversion. Who are our poor?

5. The immediate and the long view. Emerging priorities. Consensus. Tough pastoral decisions. What can we add, or might we adjust to see ourselves as having a common purpose and mission? Supporting each other and identifying how to address community concerns and pastoral priorities. The practice of cultivating the conversatio Christi is itself formative of the community. Let the community take responsibility for the conversatio evinced by the community.

6. What kinds of mission initiatives might be more effective by collaboration with neighboring parishes and missions? With the Diocese?

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