JERUSALEM (CNS) — The presence of the Christian community is indispensable to the identity of...
Rome Reports
Synod Listening Session
Synod on Synodality Question 1: How is this journeying together happening in our local church?
At the request of Pope Frances, Bishop Olson – stations of the cross
Father Fernando – Culture
CHRP
Uniting of Church Groups to gather to learn from one another.
WE are united by the needs of our community and world.
Church is friendly and inviting,
Ministries, bereavement and bible studies help connect people, so they can help each other. Groups are strong and helpful. These groups also help and inspire people to help in the community also.
Life chain
FORMED has helped get resources at our fingertips.
Church is very generous in collecting for the needy.
Daily Mass
What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our Journeying together?
Education for parishioners’ religious education for all stages of life.
Uniting congregation – Spanish and English – share cultures, more bilingual masses. Need to ask help from other cultures.
Active Welcoming Committee to get to know new people.
Involve younger people in church activities.
Reaching out to people that have fallen away from the church.
More retreats to get more people involved.
24 hour adoration
Encourage adoration
Partnering English and Spanish individual.
Encouraging People to minister.
Renew (small group gatherings)
Christ centered community – courses in how to Live Christian life.
Question 2: What experiences of our local Church/parish does this question call to mind?
When we were one.
Still not recovering from COVID.
Ladies Guild – vary meeting times.
Fund raisers should be a joint venture.
Youth day events are gone.
RCIA – Sponsoring helps you go deeper in your faith.
Renew
CHRP – Good retreat and inspiring to get involved in parish.
Knights of Columbus and Women of SFC help us on our journey.
Crisis of Tornado brought us together in helping each other and generosity of community. Generosity continues.
Bereavement committee and funeral lunches are very organized.
Father Fernando’s influence on the Parish as he teaches the faith and his obvious spirituality and love of the faith.
Language Barrier and a continued separation of cultures.
Youth Classes should be English. Youth are not attending Mass and families are culturally catholic but don’t attend Mass.
Holy days are biased to the Spanish Communities. Spanish is always a later Mass.
Experience of Confession makes them feel cleansed and grateful.
Question 3: What joys did they bring?
Needed Fellowship
When Spanish and English communities were together in the early days 1. Fellow ship of two cultures 2. Unity of the Church
RCIA – bringing non-Catholics to the faith.
When people came together during crisis in our community.
Being a welcoming church.
Streaming of Masses are nice.
Easter and the number of people that attend and are excited about attending.
Generosity of our parish.
Pilgrimages
Excitement of new parishioners
Friendship, fellowship and a sense of belonging.
Increase knowledge.
Joy of serving others.
New friendships
Caring the cross at stations of cross.
CHRP – Reintroduce to faith and gave them courage to participate more.
Holy Week
Group activities help people to grow in their faith, ie, Missions
What difficulties and obstacles have they encountered?
Language
I miss the national speakers we used to have, love that we are doing missions twice a year, but difficult to make work schedule fit
Difficult to be as involved because there are many things during day when I must work.
Recovery from Covid – getting people back to church and involved in volunteering.
Separation of cultures. Too much goes on that English can’t do because of language barriers. Father needs to attend more English activities.
Meeting times for Women of SFC is hard to get to because of work.
No local person to help with annulment process.
Cultures – need to build a bridge between communities.
Lack of staff to help with things.
Understanding on proper way to receive communion
Loss of parishioners to other churches
Clicks in our church – not always welcoming
Can’t understand Father (language)
Loss of Parishioners during Covid… not coming back to Mass.
Trends and cultures are changing.
We need to know the faith.
Youth day being eliminated is keeping youth from being engaged in our church.
Certified training needed for Catechist.
Poor communication
Welcoming is difficult. Organization to help welcoming people is needed.
Paperwork is overwhelming. Paperwork required (Safe Environment) to participate in ministries.
This event Synod was poorly communicated and explained. Make questions more specific. More to our level.
What wounds did they reveal?
We are all wounded - we are not alone
Sharing information is not done because of power.
Physical separation of the two communities.
Covid experience – loss of parishioners
Parishioners are not always welcomed. Pride and snootiness can get in the way.
Kids are sensitive in teens years and can feel separated from the group.
Feeling of not being heard.
Treating people with sensitivity.
What insights have they elicited?
We want to help each other to learn about our faith.
Deepened my relationship with God and others.
So much information that needs to be shared.
Show the love of Christ to ALL.
Ok to say no, some people do not feel comfortable and need to be aware of their gifts and talents.
Organize more events around the Station of the Cross during the year.
Pray and pray a lot when there Is an obstacle.
Members are returning and bringing new members.
Need diverse understanding.
Need of openness to change.
Presentation skills
If you become active in the parish, you become more like a family member of the parish.
Better communication is needed for the whole parish
Altar servers are needed.
Team sports needed
Question 4: Where in these experiences does the voice of the Holy Spirit resound? What is the Spirit asking of us?
Holy Spirit in Mass, adoration, vigil Mass, ancient traditions continue
Submit to God’s will, listen to God, Holy Spirit and to each other, be Humble and to love one another
Pay attention to what is important
Guiding us to welcoming and becoming closer to each other.
To teach.
To be involved.
Reach out to couples not married in the church and welcome them home.
Be more understanding.
Listen to the Holy Spirit and try not to be selfish.
Have passion in our faith: express it and share it.
Scatter seeds of faith.
Evangelize: ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.
Holy spirit responds to us and be open to His direction.
Do things for others… Need to start up again communion for home bound.
Listen and be willing to put our plans off and do what is asked.
Be open to perceive holy Spirit.
Persevere
Become more involved in parish and Mass.
Make available history and guidance of weekly readings.
Reorganize weekly bulletin
Need for a prolife committee
What are the points to be confirmed, the prospects for change, the steps to be taken?
Involve our youth and young people more. DCYC was so great and now nothing.
Find gifts of parishioners.
One on one people asking others (personal attention)
Make processes easier and timely.
Separate the admin of church from the spiritual.
If you get involved in church the Holy spirit will come to you.
Find ways to reverse the Anglos and Spanish from drifting apart.
Find new ways to bring youth and parents together.
Babysitting from youth to help out parents.
Don’t allow one ethnic group activity unless both ethnic groups are involved. 1.) Parish cleanup day 2.) Fall festival 3.) Father Fernando’s birthday party.
Incorporate social media to promote church. Bring in youth to help.
Have a new parishioner night
Be more open for more people to join.
Need one parish, one in all activities.
Findings in the bulletin.
Special seating for elderly and handicapped.
Programs to help form people.
Classes for youth in English
English as a second language.
Alternate special service times for English and Spanish
More adult interactive activities like this one.
Continuing formation for youth after they receive their sacraments.
Where do we register a consensus?
We don’t want a consensus, follow the catechism
Understand the pathways to organize activities within the parish.
Provide ways of access thru website, so you don’t have to meet with someone.
Register consensus with pastor, employees??
Not sure where to register a consensus.
What paths are opening up for our local church?
Ministerial alliance – need to become more involved in our community.
Growing community , how to involve more in our ministries.
Interactions – volunteering with other churches.
How to engage our young adults – post High school.
Responding to disasters.
We need more confession times available
The third degree Franciscans.
Community outreach
Demographics are changing and younger families are moving into parish.
Numbers are going up at Mass – more people are coming back.
Nothing that we can see. Sharing our faith with other denominations.