Our Parish and the "Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, and Mission"
A Note from Fr Tim, and Invitation from the Parish Council
Dear Parishioners, On March 14th you are invited to a parish Listening Session at the time of our normal Parish Council meeting (6:30PM). We were asked to hold such a listening session for conversation among many parishioners about those topics included in the Survey for the 2023 Universal Synod (see below). At the February meeting of the Parish Council, the council members decided to begin not with these "universal" questions, but with our own parish's response to the local action plans that all our Vermont parishes made in 2019. If you recall we had a local Synod for our Diocese in 2018, and Bishop Coyne tried to create new fervor in three ways: vibrant parishes, evangelization, and communication. Despite the drastic effects of the pandemic, these local synod goals, and our own parish action plan, had significant effect. The Parish Council members invite you to think about where we stand as a Catholic parish, in our local Diocese. For this purpose some brief documents for consideration have been added here on this webpage. In coming together to keep our own parish goals clear and strong, we will also touch upon the topics of the Universal Synod where it seems we have something important to add from our position here in South Burlington, VT, USA. Please consider joining us. In Christ, Fr. Tim
March 3, 2022
Download our Parish 2019 Summary Flyer
Review the 2018 Diocesan Synod
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
You are invited to participate in the ongoing parish and Diocesan process of the Synod of Bishops scheduled for October 2023 in Rome. In recent times, "synods" of bishops have happened at least every ten years in Rome, where representative bishops throughout the world have met to discuss an issue, theme, or goal that is important to the worldwide Church.
The 2023 Synod will be larger in scope, and it is asking all Catholics, all parishes and Dioceses, worldwide to share their perspective on three themes: 1. Communion, 2. Participation, and 3. Mission. These three themes are indicated by the word "Synodality."
Please see the survey created by the Diocese of Burlington for all Catholics living in Vermont. As you will notice, it is expected that a very wide range of opinions will be expressed among answers to the various questions. Nonetheless, I encourage you to focus your responses, giving just a paragraph on the point or observation that seems most important to you. Or you may come up with 1 or 2 sentences per question, if you feel compelled to speak to every single question.
Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ, worldwide, and for each other.