Foundational Resources Launch!

This week we launch our key foundational resources that will help support synodal practice in our Church at the local level, in our parish and diocesan communities. The three resources, a framework for groups making decisions and reflecting on things in a synodal way, a process for enriching our pastoral meetings and a guide for holding conversations in the spirit.

Four Steps to Synodality: Our framework for thinking these new processes and habits. Drawing on the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) we journey with the early church as they (1) encountered a changing world (2) listened to all the voices (3) discerned the Holy Spirit and (4) moved to action. This framework can be applied to any group making decisions or discerning the future, and we have provided a plan so you can get started straight away. 

Using Lectio Divina in meetings: We can have a terrible culture of a 'quick prayer' at the beginning of meetings, but this is not enough to help us grow as living communities of faith, which is what every decision-making group in the Church should be. Lectio Divina, an ancient form of praying with Scripture, can be transformative of meetings, opening us to the Word of God and an easy way for Catholics to share their faith with one another! With step-by-step directions and suggestions for passages. 

Conversations in the Spirit: This is a key tool of synodality, helping us to have all kinds of conversations about our faith and the future. If you are frustrated with meetings that go round in circles, or that move too quickly to decisions, conversations in the Spirit will change everything.  How else will you come to learn that the person with the quietest voice has the best ideas?  How else will you hear the voice of the Spirit?

Avril Baigent, our Director who developed the resources said that “the School for Synodality exists to embed synodal habits and practices in the life of the Church so that we can grow and journey together. To do this we want to make some key practices of synodality accessible and easy to try across our Catholic communities. Our tradition has a wealth of practical wisdom on listening and speaking graciously to one another, but have often forgotten it in our day to day community life. We hope these resources will help brush up your skills and give you the confidence to give it a go!”