This entry is written en route to Rome for the second session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality.

Preeminent on my mind are the good people of the Archdiocese of Seattle. I am so grateful to all our archdiocesan team, priests, deacons, lay leaders and parishioners who are now well engaged in our archdiocesan-wide reorganization, which we call Partners in the Gospel. I know for our pastors, priests and parish leaders, life is more than full in these days. “Thank you!” for your generous service and your prayerful efforts to renew our local church.

What we are engaged in is a great start to becoming more synodal in all our structures – open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit – rooted in the Risen Christ – engaging all the baptized to take up their role – for accomplishing the mission of the Church – to proclaim Jesus Christ in word and deed to the world. Go forth and make disciples of all nations … Matthew 28.

Also close to my heart and prayer are the Synod delegates who are now traveling to resume our work in Rome. Our primary task this month (it seems to me) will be to discover the practical ways to implement synodality in all the structures of this universal Church. The working document for our work this October gives scriptural and theological foundations to understand synodality and goes on to apply this to the present-day realities we face as a universal Church.

While synodality is difficult to define – at least in a few simple words or sentences – it is helpful to break it down into basic characteristics.

For ease of understanding synodality, here is a breakdown of the basic components, which every baptized member of the Church is called to embrace and live:

• Read & pray with sacred Scripture – the Living Word of God
• Invoke the power of the Holy Spirit
• Silence
• Prayer
• Demonstrate accompaniment
• Dialogue – Conversation – Consultation – Collaboration
• Listening
• Relationships
• Discernment
• Co-responsibility of all the baptized
• Mission

Synodality in Action Today

It is important to realize that true synodality integrates all of these characteristics. Simply choosing one or two is not sufficient.

Using these characteristics of synodality, we can look at the efforts underway in the Archdiocese of Seattle to see how we are implementing them in our present reorganization. The years leading up to this implementation were prayerful, using sacred Scripture, invoking the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, consulting many of the People of God, and discerning which parishes should be combined to form new parish families. This same process was used by our Priest Personnel Board in a yearlong process to assign our priests according to the new parish family structures.

Granted, the process could have been more intentional in the use of each of these characteristics – such as more time reflecting upon God’s word, more time in silence, and clarity around discernment, and not just making practical decisions. These are the things that will need more attention as we continue our journey of faith.

In April, we gathered all our pastors for two days, and on the third day, all other priests joined us for prayer, fraternity and clarity around best practices for implementing the new parish families. Similar gatherings were held for lay pastoral leaders as well. 

Even now, monthly opportunities are offered for ongoing conversations and sharing of information and experiences. Here again, more intention could be used to reflect upon sacred Scripture – allow time for silence – and invoke the Holy Spirit’s ongoing presence and inspiration. As the Synod documents often state: The Holy Spirit is the protagonist of the Church!

During the April retreat, pastors and priests were told explicitly they were not to go into a new parish family with predetermined outcomes about what needs to happen. They are to take their time – go slow – and focus on building community among the newly joined parishioners.

All new parish families, as well as the remaining stand-alone parishes, are to establish functioning parish councils. Together, pastors, staff and lay leaders are to collaborate and prayerfully consider the best use of their resources for the purposes of mission. Each new parish family has three years to consult and prayerfully discern their unique gifts – how to engage all the baptized – open up to the promptings of the Holy Spirit – to discern where the Lord is leading and how they are serving the Great Commission. 

Developing this sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is critical. Our listening to each other is important and at the heart of all this listening we are ultimately listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today! (See Revelation 2:7.)

Everyone is called to grow in their baptismal life in the Risen Christ. All are called to spend time in prayer with God’s word, with the community of faith in the celebration of the sacraments – especially Sunday Eucharist. We cannot know the will of God for us without these basic faith practices – prayer, Scripture and sacraments – at the core of daily life. For all the baptized to exercise their co-responsibility for the mission, renewed and regular reception of the sacraments is essential.

At the Synod

The Synod delegates will begin our time together with two days of retreat. This year, we will remain in Rome for this session rather than travel to a retreat center. I’m glad to hear part of the formal “opening” of the session will be a public prayer service with Pope Francis, in which we will acknowledge some of the failures of the Church in recent years and ask for mercy and forgiveness.

Part of my own ministry these past few months heightened my own awareness of the pain people still experience today. Most obvious are those who suffered sexual abuse as minors – and some as adults – from clergy, vowed religious or other Church representatives. I’ve also spoken recently with members of the Native American community, who carry the pain of their past in the Catholic Native American boarding schools. Others have also experienced racial mistreatment that continues to ripple today.

I’ll end this lengthy entry with a request for your prayers. At the same time, be assured of my prayers for all of you, all our synod delegates, and the universal Church.
God bless!

This column was originally published on Archbishop Etienne’s Truth in Love blog.