Parish Resources for Synod

Below you will find links to the various documents that you might find helpful in putting together and running your group. The Facilitator's Guide includes all 8 appendix, but you can also download specific ones including the Participant's Guide and the Synodal Prayer. If you have any questions please reach out to us at synod@archottawa.ca. We are here to help you.

For the Parish Bulletin
Here is a short description of the Synod for your bulletins if you need it.

Pope Francis initiated a synodal journey of the whole People of God, beginning in each local Church and culminating in the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, in October 2023. The theme of this synod is about the very nature of the Church, the specific way of living and operating as a Church together. What this really means is that we are going to create opportunities for gathering and listening to one another and to what the Holy Spirit may be saying to us about our Church at this time. We are hopeful that this process of listening and discerning also contributes to the sense of communion, renewal, and missionary zeal within our own parish.

Helpful Resources

• Listeninng with the Heart by Rosemary O’Toole, CSJ
• Author Moira McQueen's new book "How Do We Walk Together as a Church? Embracing Pope Francis' New Call to Synodality". 
• Sroll down to locate various documents including the Participant's Guide.
• List of Community Resources

Tips for Running a Succesful Small Group
Prayer and Discernment
Prayer and Discernment are key to a really successful synodal process. Prayer before, after, any time! Discernment is sitting quietly, inviting the Holy Spirit to speak, listening for new thoughts, and then sharing what each person is hearing from Him. So often, we jump at ideas because they sound great. Without listening in silence to the Holy Spirit for guidance, it’s really easy to be misled. You may wish to take a couple of minutes of silence between every two or three people so that your group is not inundated with thoughts before tuning in to the Holy Spirit.
Listening with the Heart
Good listening enriches all of our relationships. It is love in action. Your willingness to listen and try to understand not only eases life’s burdens, but also simply makes life more pleasant. Click here to learn more.

Choose a note-taker 
Select a note-taker ahead  of your small group meeting so that the person has time to prepare. Two note-takers could share the role to give each one an opportunity to participate fully for half the session. The note-taker(s) should be listening for themes and main thoughts rather than trying to transcribe the entire sharing. Depending on the group, participants might want to hear what was written to be assured their thoughts were well captured. This would be at the discretion of the Facilitator. Following the conclusion of the session, the note-taker(s) will hand their notes to the facilitator for the next steps.  

Don’t forget hospitality!  
Welcome people warmly whether live or virtual. Name tags or names on the screen are important. To break the ice if they don’t all know each other, do a round of simple questions in small groups before starting the Synod process. For example:

• Tell us your name and something about yourself that might surprise us.
• What are your hopes for this Synod?

Background music as people come in, is also helpful. Add coffee and cake if you can. Personal thank you notes are also a nice touch.