Pastoral Synod

DIOCESAN REFLECTION PROCESS

In preparation for the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family

 

Archbishop Dermot Martin has written to all the parishes in the Diocese regarding the Synod of Bishops which will take place in October. In the course of his letter the Archbishop says:
“I write about the desire of Pope Francis that God’s people around the world should have an opportunity to make their contribution to the process of ecclesial reflection in preparation for the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will take place in October next on the theme: “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World”.

 

The Archbishop wishes that the people of the diocese be widely consulted in advance of the Synod. He has provided three documents, an Information Sheet, a copy of the final report of the first part of the Synod which was held last October – this document is called the Relatio Synodi – and finally a Questionnaire. These documents are available for downloading below.

 

Parishioners are encouraged to engage with this process by reading these documents and submitting any answers and opinions through the Parish Pastoral Council where they will be gathered and forwarded to the Diocesan Office for Evangelization. Not all questions need be answered; parishioners are free to choose to answer whichever questions they wish.

 

Archbishop Martin concluded his letter by asking for prayers for married couples and families: “Where possible, this process should be accompanied by the prayer of the Christian community to support married couples and families in their mission in the Church and especially those who may be experiencing difficulties”.

 

We will keep these intentions and the work of the Synod in our Prayer of the Faithful at Sunday Mass and on other occasions of community prayer.

 Click the links below to read/download the documents

Informative note on proposed process

Relatio Sinodi

Questions Aimed at a Response to and an In-Depth Examination of the RelatioSynodi

Relatio Paraphrase