Synodalilty Continues: Helps Build a Church that listens

After the mass at 11am on October 4 in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word, the Incarnate Word Sisters San Antonio's Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation sponsored a Synodal Listening on October 4 12:30pm where the Sisters and lay people gathered together.  It was blessed to have Dr. Virginia Mata, the Archdiocese of San Antonio's Director for Social Justice, who led the gathering in prayer and informed the attendees of the work of the archdiocese in being sustainable and working with all the parishes and encouraging everyone to enroll on the Laudato Si' Action Platform.  

The prayer was followed by a talk by Ms. Pamela Ball from 12:30pm to talk about the Headwaters.  It is the ministry for the Care of Creation of the Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.  Synodal Listening started after some awareness on the state of the various natural calamities that are impacting the world including how the Texans have already been impacted by the flooding as well as the cry of the poor and migrants in the Texas borders. Several groups religious sisters and lay people gathered in small groups to listen to each other and reflected their own experience of the ecological crisis and how they would like to respond as a church.  Thanks to the table facilitators Sister Teresa Maya, Sister Marichui Bringas, Sister Michele O'Brien, Sister Elizabeth Riebschlaeger, Mr. Arthur Dawes, Dr. Virginia Mata and Dr. Karen Siegl, who made the listening and conversation flowing.

The festive gathering ended passed 2:30 pm with interests from people hoping to take action whether in near term or with collaboration with different church structures and leaders.  The fruits evolved in respect to everybody's experience of the ecological crisis and their ministries.

Synodal Listening is an opportunity to create a space towards a church that respects our responsibility to each other especially looking after the needs of the vulnerable.  As people of God, we have been entrusted to participate in how our church is responding to the signs of our time.  By listening to what is happening within the community, state, country and the world, we are able to hear what each person is experiencing.  Some can be extraordinary, some are challenging, and some are humbling. 

This is also an invitation to the ministries and leaders to host a Synodal Listening/Conversation and challenge yourself in going to the parishes, to talk to the pastor and invite the vulnereable people to be part of the conversation.  

There is still a chance to participate in Synodal Listening/Conversation. Laudato Si' Movement is one of the many Catholic organizations that advocates for this year's Synodal Listening. The deadline for final submissions for reports is December 31st of this year.

More information can be found here: https://catholicpilgrimsofhope.org/cry-of-the-earth-cry..

Need help in facilitating a Synodal Listening? Contact texas@lsmchapter.org

More on Synod here

Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church here.