By Susan Munn and Marie Nigro
Marie Nigro, one of the parish's Synod facilitators, filmed this video to share her excitement about the Synod. It was even featured in the archdiocese's weekly email!
Holy Rosary’s Synod discussions are beginning this week. During this Synod, we are trying to figure out where the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church both at our local levels (parishes, groups and movements) and at the broader levels (Diocesan, National and the Universal Church). This can only be achieved through discernment and listening to one another. Discernment is a process of determining God’s will on a specific question. Listening, well, we do this daily but sometimes we don’t really practice active listening.
Active listening is listening without interruption as each person shares their experiences of Church. We don’t think in our minds about other things, our ideas, or our judgments or what is for supper. We don’t respond to emails or check Facebook. Our modern society has ruined our attention span; however, this too can change. How? We listen. We listen to each other and the Holy Spirit with an open mind, taking turns to speak. Respect is key. We honour one another by agreeing to confidentiality within the group.
Pope Francis is asking about our dreams for the Parish and the Church and our experiences of Church, good, bad or indifferent. We are starting our Synod journey at the local level. We hope to hear from parishioners, people who have left the Church, and members of our local community. It’s not too late to participate: fill out this online form to register for one of our parish sessions.
We hope you are excited about sharing your experiences and listening to each other!
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