A Synod Update
The Synod process has progressed to the point of final preparations for the synod gathering in Rome, October 4-29, 2023. If you'd like to catch up on what is happening, don't miss the Synod Summer Update in the post carousel below!
During our synodal listening sessions in the spring of 2022, student participants—preaching leaders from each of our three high schools—expressed a desire to get to know our sisters better. The sisters who teach at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Ill., accommodated that desire with "Sisters Day." Watch the video for more detail.
What is Synodality and the 2021-2023 Synod?
Communion. Participation. Mission.
For the Life of the World.
About the Synod Logo
The synod logo captures our journey together as the People of God. Notice those who are leading, in fulfillment of this text from Prophet Isaiah: "There shall be a highway for the remnant of his people.." Isaiah 11:6
Click here to learn more of the symbolism in the official logo.
What is synodality to young people?
Student preachers from our three high schools, Marian Catholic, Rosary, and Sacred Heart-Griffin, participated in a synod listening session and then shared what it meant to them. Watch the video.
What is a Synod?
Synod means “walking the same path.” This captures well what we mean when we when use the word. A synod is a gathering of the church for the purpose of listening, discussing, and discerning together the way forward. In the modern Roman Catholic context, it has most often meant a gathering of bishops to discuss a particular topic that touches the life of the global Church. Synods were frequent in the early days of the Church. Since the Second Vatical Council in the 1960s, synods have been convoked frequently, usually every two or three years.
Synods that Pope Francis has called include a synod on youth, one on family, and one on the concerns of the Amazon region.
What is Synodality?
Synodality is a way of being Church. It allows the People of God to journey together and gather in assembly, recognizing we are summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel. This particular synod is meant to move the Church closer to expressing its life and mission through the process of listening, talking, and thinking together.
In this way, it is much more than meetings of bishops and cardinals. It is the way the Church will live and work (modus vivendi et operandi in Latin) from now on. It is the responsibility of the People of God, who, when convoked in synod, demonstrate what Jesus calls us to be: A Church on the way, in communion with one another, and actively engaged in the call to evangelization.
