Dear Parishioners and Families of St. Frances Cabrini,
The Synod of Synodality
Pope Francis is calling and wants to hear from you, and we are all invited to participate!
He wants to hear about our joys and struggles. He is asking us to do something that has never been done before in the history of the Church. We as the laity are part of the Body of Christ. Woman, Man, Youth, Divorced and Separated, Single Parent Families, Single, Unmarried Couples, LGTBIQA+, no matter who you are or how you experience Church we are invited to come and listen to one another and share with each other. We are all part of the Body of Christ, and we all have a voice.
What is the Synod?
Beginning in March, St. Frances Cabrini Parish and School will sponsor listening sessions, allowing us to share our insights. The outcomes of those sharing sessions will be collated and sent to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by June. The USCCB will incorporate the reports from all Dioceses into a final report which will go to the Vatican.
Who should participate?
- All those who come to Sunday Mass, or during Covid times, participated through livestream. You consider yourself an active member and the church community is part of your family. You love the Church. You participate in parish events. Your family members and friends know you are Catholic. We need to hear what brings you joy about being a Catholic.
- All those that consider themselves Catholic and attend Mass occasionally but don’t necessarily feel part of the parish community. You have doubts that the Church practices what it preaches. You question whether the Church is relevant today. You might have looked at other faith communities You just don’t feel there is a good fit. We need you as you continue to search for a place to worship, a place to belong, a place to have an honest dialogue, a place to strengthen your faith.
- All those who consider themselves a Non-Practicing Catholic. You were baptized and received your sacraments, but you think of yourself as a spiritual person but not religious. Or maybe you left the church because of a particular incident or because you didn’t feel the church was meeting your needs. It could be because you have been hurt by someone in the church- physically or emotionally. It might have been several little things that happened, and you finally decided you had enough and walked away. We need you to share why you consider yourself a lapsed Catholic. Why did you leave? We want to give you a safe place to express yourself. We want to listen to you.
Why do we need everyone to be a part of the Synod?