| 01 April 2022
From the Desk of Father Maddaloni -
From “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission…”
“Pope Francis wants to hear from the whole Church about what is happening in local parishes. He and the bishops would like to know what individuals think we should all be doing to help make our parishes better. The way he has proposed doing this is the synodal process. Synod means ‘journeying together’ and it involves listening to the Holy Spirit and to each other in order to discern the path we are called to walk together.
The synod ‘is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission’ (Synod Handbook).
Our basic question is: What is the Holy Spirit saying to our Church today?
According to the Interrnational Theological Commission in ‘Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church’ no. 6, synodality is ‘the specific modus vivendi et operandi [way of living and operating] of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelizing mission.’ The idea of synods is not new; synods emerged from the early Church and the 2021-2023 synod process is not simply ‘another program’ or a ‘new initiative.’ Therefore, ‘having a synod’ is just part of synodality. Synodality is a way of being Church, not just an event or program.”
Bishop Barres urges all parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre to participate in the synodal process. My plan is to organize as many conversation groups as needed. The goal of these conversations is to provide the Holy Spirit an opportunity to speak to us through our hearts and minds. We will reflect on what the Spirit is saying to the Church today: Where are we going? How are we journeying together? Where ae we succeeding? Where can we do better?
If you would like to participate in these conversations, please contact me at the parish center at (631) 728-9461 (extension 12 or leave a message with the office) or email me at fr.smaddaloni@saintrosalie.com and leave the following information: your name, phoine number and email address. Please contact me by Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Once I know how many people are interested, I can determine how many separate meetings we need and will schedule them.
Thanks for all you do for the parish, the Church and our common mission.
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