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Synod Discussion

By January 25, 2022February 13th, 2023No Comments

Please join us for a listening session at St. James Parish

Saturday, March 5th at 2pm in the Parish Center

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has invited the Catholic Church to embark on a journey together. Through listening and discernment rooted in the Holy Spirit, the entire people of God will be called to contribute to a process by which the Church deepens in understanding of Her mission and looks toward the future. A Synod, which is the process by which the Church will begin this important work, is not just a convening of Bishops reflecting on a particular topic and advising the Pope.
A Synod is a journey of discernment, in which the people of God are called to pray and reflect upon the Holy Spirit’s will for the Church. Through our listening and our sharing, we will seek to understand what the Holy Spirit’s will is for the topic being discussed – and thus, for St. James Parish and the Church.

Questions we will be discussing can be found on the ‘I’ve already registered’ tab, we ask that you prayerfully reflect on each of them before attending this discussion.

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After you submit your registration, please go to the ‘I’ve already registered’ tab at the top of this post for information about how to prepare for the discussion.

Contact [email protected] with questions

#ListeningChurch

Please be praying with and thinking about the following questions for our discussion:
PART A: PARTICIPATION
  1. What are the barriers to your or others’ participation in St. James’ (SJ) community life (i.e., in liturgy, social activities, ministries, etc.)?
  2. How would you suggest that this community begin to remove those barriers?
PART B: COMMUNION & MISSION

For these questions, consider the various populations of this area (e.g., seniors, empty nesters, parents of school-aged children, young adults, those newly married, teens, children, those suffering with mental illness, the disabled, the divorced, the widowed, the LGBT community, those grieving, etc.).

Questions related to service/outreach
  1. Which populations of the surrounding area does SJ serve well?
  2. Which populations of the surrounding area need more attention from SJ?
  3. Are there specific ways to improve how SJ serves people more personally and holistically?
  4. Is SJ creating a culture of service for all its members?
Questions related to evangelization/re-evangelization
  1. Which populations outside the parish community is SJ evangelizing well? Poorly?
  2. Which populations within the parish community is SJ evangelizing well? Poorly?
  3. What are some specific ways to improve our engagement with these populations?
  4. Is SJ creating a culture of evangelization?
Questions related to healing
  1. Which populations are finding healing through SJ?
  2. Which populations have been overlooked or are in need of healing and integration into the community?
  3. Which populations may have gifts to offer to the healing process?
  4. Is SJ creating a culture of healing?
Questions related to lifelong formation
  1. Which populations are actively engaging in ongoing education/spiritual formation through SJ?
  2. Which populations are underserved or feel left out?
  3. What are specific ways to make our reach broader and deeper?
  4. Is SJ creating a culture of lifelong learning?

Briefly, are there any other questions or comments you’d like to raise through this synodal process?

We look forward to responding to Pope Francis’ invitation to embark on this journey together. See you soon!

Join us for our Mass livestream Watch Online