Synod 2025: Be My Witnesses Assembly will take place June 7 and culminate with the annual Pentecost Vigil Mass taking place at the Cathedral of St. Paul. All are invited to pray for the Synod 2025 assembly and attend the Pentecost Vigil Mass. Find more information about Synod 2025: Be My Witnesses Assembly below.
“[The 2022 Synod Assembly] leaves me ever more confident that the Holy Spirit desires to bring about a great renewal in our local church.” – Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, You Will Be My Witnesses, 2
Why did Archbishop Hebda call for our local Synod 2022?
In an article introducing the Synod 2022 process, Archbishop Hebda expressed his hope that the process would result in discerning and establishing “clear pastoral priorities in a way that will both promote greater unity and lead us to a more vigorous proclamation of Jesus’ good news” (“Moving Forward Together,” The Catholic Spirit, June 6, 2019).
Why are synods and synodality important in our archdiocese and the broader Church?
In many cases, the bishop calling the synod names a theme which synod participants are to discern and discuss. In this way, the bishop may be informed and inspired by this feedback – and the leanings of the Holy Spirit – to better shepherd his diocese.
In his 2022 pastoral letter, You Will Be My Witnesses, Archbishop Hebda explained how he maintained this intention, but took a different approach by listening to the faithful first before discerning Synod 2022’s focus areas:
Pope Francis asked all bishops to strive to listen for the heartbeat of the faithful as with a stethoscope so that we could both assess and understand the health of the Body of Christ as well as discern the desires of its heart. That is precisely what I was striving to do in this Synod process. It was always my intention to follow the Spirit, wherever that might lead, without any pre-set agenda, to focus upon whatever themes would arise within my competency to address (You Will Be My Witnesses, 6).
Why (and when) are we holding Synod 2025?
Archbishop Hebda recognizes that, as a living Body of Christ, our Church is constantly growing and changing, and so his desire to continue listening and adapting remains. As he wrote in the pastoral letter, “Rooted in prayer, our synodal journey has allowed for the Holy Spirit to guide each step of a process that continues to unfold. With that confidence, and considering the need to remain attuned to what may be the evolving needs of our local church, I intend to call for a one-day synodal gathering on Saturday, June 7, 2025, the Vigil of Pentecost, to address the question of priorities for [the coming years]. It would be my hope that the gathering will be an opportunity to prayerfully consider and discuss the other important Synod Propositions presented at the 2022 Synod Assembly that were not chosen as priorities for years 1 through 3” (You Will Be My Witnesses, 54).
What will be discussed at Synod 2025?
After reviewing the 12 top vote-getting Propositions from Synod 2022 via a series of videos sent beginning in Lent, Synod 2025 Members will pray together, discuss in both small-group and large-group formats those 12 Propositions, then vote on the Propositions for the coming years of implementation. Synod 2022 Propositions already adopted by Archbishop Hebda for implementation (Small Groups, The Mass and Parents as Primary Educators) will continue to be considered.
Archbishop Hebda recognizes that, as a living Body of Christ, our Church is constantly growing and changing, and so his desire to continue listening and adapting remains. As he wrote in the pastoral letter, “Rooted in prayer, our synodal journey has allowed for the Holy Spirit to guide each step of a process that continues to unfold. With that confidence, and considering the need to remain attuned to what may be the evolving needs of our local church, I intend to call for a one-day synodal gathering on Saturday, June 7, 2025, the Vigil of Pentecost, to address the question of priorities for [the coming years]. It would be my hope that the gathering will be an opportunity to prayerfully consider and discuss the other important Synod Propositions presented at the 2022 Synod Assembly that were not chosen as priorities for years 1 through 3” (You Will Be My Witnesses, 54).
