In October 2021, Pope Francis officially opened the synodal process for the Church, and called on the Church to begin a journey together in the spirit of ‘synodality’, in preparation for the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in October 2023. The theme of this Synod is: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.
Diocesan Phase: The synodal process consists of a first phase in which the local Churches our invited to participate in sharing their thoughts on different proposed topics the Church faces today.  To officially launch the Diocesan Phase in our diocese, we have chosen the Third Sunday of Advent, December 12^th, 2021, to celebrate the opening of this process in our local Churches. The actual consultation phase to be held in all parishes will begin in January 2022.
In January 2022, a document will be sent to all parishes to facilitate the consultation process. Each parish will be asked to send a summary to the diocesan representative for the synodal process of the thoughts and opinions expressed during the consultation.  The consultation will also be opened to everyone who wish to participate. Everyone will be directed to a web page where they may submit their opinions to be included in the diocesan final report.