We are the Body of Christ, sharers—whether lay or ordained—in a common baptism. All have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our oneness as Christ’s Body is celebrated, manifested, and deepened when we gather for Eucharist. We are in this together, not as isolated individuals or as ideological “camps.”


 

We are to be humble in listening and courageous in speaking, open to conversion and change. Dialogue and discernment (not power struggles and partisanship) are to be the order of the day. And that dialogue needs to include others with whom we share a common baptism, those of other faiths or no faith at all, and, especially, those on the margins, whose voices are rarely heard.
We are a Pilgrim People, a people of joy and hope, a Church on “the Way.”

....Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.

Synod Reports

• Our Diocesan Synod Report and Appendicies was published on June 29, 2022.

• Bishop Zinkula led the Region IX (Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas) synthesis process.  The Region IX Report was submitted to the USCCB by July 27, 2022.

• The US National Synthesis was published on September 19, 2022 (Spanish).

• The Working Document for the Contintental Stage was published on October 27, 2022 (Spanish)

• The North American Final Document for the Continental Stage was published on April 12, 2023.

• The Instrumentum Laboris. A Document of the Whole Church was released on June 20, 2023

“The Church of God is convoked in Synod.”

“Synod” is not a familiar word for most Catholics.  It’s a Greek word, basically meaning to “walk with,” or "journey together." Throughout our history, it’s been used to refer to gatherings of the Church to “walk with” one another and with the Holy Spirit, to read “the signs of the times” and discern in a spirit of prayer how the Church is being called to respond.

The Church is gathering around this question: A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together?”

“It is precisely this path of synodality that God expects of the church of the third millennium.”

Vatican Synod Website

• Official Documents

  • Preparatory Document [Documento Preparatorio]

  • Handbook (Vademecum) [Vademécum en Español]

  • Biblical Resources for Synodality

• Prayer to the Holy Spirit (multiple languages) [Adsumus disponible en varios idiomas]

• Resources for Listening [see also below for diocesan resources]

  • Suggested tools for reflecting, sharing, and responding to the questions of the Synod

  • Sugerencias para reflexionar, compartir y responder a las preguntas del Sínodo

• Document for Community Discernment [Documento para el Discernimineto Communitario]

• Sharing Resources

The Church on the Way: Pray for a Synodal Church

Pope Francis

• Address to the Faithful of the Diocese of Rome

• Address Opening the Synod

• ​​​​​​​Homily: Mass Opening of the Synodal Path

• Message for Lent 2023 (en Español)

Timeline

• PDF of image above (or click on the image itself)

• JPEG of image above

• Update: 

  • Reports to the Diocese are now due by April 30, 2022.

  • Reports to the USCCB are now due by June 30, 2022.

  • National reports are now due in Rome by August 15, 2022. 

Synodal Spirituality: The Wisdom of Catholic Spiritual Traditions

• Augustinian

• Benedictine

• Community of Sant'Egidio

• Dominican

• Franciscan

• Ignatian

• Salesian

Resources from the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops

Letter to priests about the synodal journey (English) (Spanish)

Discerning Deacons

• Synodal Animators Cohort

• Video Webinar: For a synodal Church

Video: From the Margins to the Center (A Webinar on LGBTQ Catholics & Synodality)

Newsletter:

• Synodality and Ecumenism

• The Synod and Persons with Disabilities

• Synodality and Consecrated Life

• Synodality and Young People 

• Singing Synodality

• Celebrating the Paschal Mystery

  • Pautas para vivir y celebrar sinodalmente el ciclo pascual

• Special Women's Day Edition

• Priests in the Synodal Perspective

  • Letter to Priests

  • Carta a los sacerdotes

• Synodality and the word of God

  • Biblical Resources for Synodality

• Easter

• Synodality & Education, schools and universities

• Synodal process and LGBTQ communities

• Mary, Via Synodalis

• The Synod in the World

• Spirituality of Synodality

  • Discernment in Common (MOOC)

  • Towards a Spirituality for Synodality
    ​​​​​​​

Address of the Papal Nuncio to the USCCB - November Meeting, 2021

The Pentecost Vigil Project
Webpage
Facebook Page

Catholic Climate Covenant
Webinar: "Together in the Journey: The Synod, the Laudato Si' Action Platform and the Eucharistic Revival"

• Video and PPT slides

Catholic Mobilizing Network
Webinar: "Five Lessons from Restorative Practices for the Synod on Synodality"

• Recording of the Webinar

• Webinar slide deck

• Graphic depiction of webinar themes

• List of referenced resources

• Article

• Twenty-Third Publications

  • A Church Renewed: 30 Days with Pope Francis on the New Synodality

  • Walking Together: A Primer on the New Synodality

• Liturgical Press

  • Your Church Wants to Hear from You