Synod

Pope Francis has opened a three-year synodal journey of consultations and discernment, which will culminate with an assembly in October 2023 in Rome. The process includes three phases:

• Diocesan
• Continental
• Universal

“The fullness of the synodal process can only truly exist if the local churches are involved in that process. For a genuine participation of the local churches, there also must be the involvement of other ecclesial bodies in this process, such as the Synods of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Councils and Assemblies of the Churches sui iuris, and Episcopal Conferences, with their own national, regional, and continental entities.”

• Archbishop Marcel's Message
• Prayer of Invocation to the Holy Spirit
• Preparatory Document
• Vademecum for the Synod on Synodality

September 23, 2021

To the Priests, Deacons, and Lay Faithful,

As many of you already know, my heart and vision for our Archdiocese is a Church that is
alive in Christ and missionary in its zeal to bring the message, hope, and love of Christ to all.
My journey through this first year of ministry as your Archbishop coincides with a crucial
time in the life of the Church and the world which has been marked by increased suffering,
injustice, and abuse of power. It is important that our path forward include humbly listening
to one another, and especially to those on the margins of the Church and of society. For this
reason, it is somewhat providential that in April 2021, Pope Francis initiated a synodal
journey of the whole People of God, to begin in October 2021 in each local Church and
culminating in October 2023 in the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

A Synod is fundamentally a spiritual process of listening and discerning how God is calling us
to be a Church in the third millennium. It is a humble listening and a journey together which
aims towards unity and understanding and should not be confused with a political process
marked by power struggles. In creating the opportunity for listening, dialogue, and
discernment at the local level through this Synod, Pope Francis is calling the Church to
rediscover its deeply synodal nature.

Our diocesan synodal process will bring together the voices of the People of God in order to
ask one fundamental question: A Synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys
together.” How is this “journeying together” happening today in our local Church? What
steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”? This
synodal journey together will solemnly begin on the 9th and 10th of October in Rome,
followed by an official opening in our own diocese the following Sunday October 17th.
Please stay tuned for further details on this.

We will do our best during this time of pandemic to find creative and flexible ways of
embarking on this journey, mindful also of the many challenges currently being faced both
within the parish and the broader community. As a diocesan centre, we will also try to
communicate well throughout this process. On this note, we have created a webpage for
the synod process on our Archdiocesan website which will serve as a tool for
communication. You will find some relevant documents and links here if you wish to learn
more. I wish to share with you also that Marisa Casagrande is serving as the main
coordinator for this process and working closely with our pastoral team. We ask that you
direct any English inquiries to Ted Hurley (thurley@archottawa.ca), English pastoral services
coordinator, and French inquiries to Hélène Laporte (HLaporte@archottawa.ca), French
pastoral services coordinator.

May the Holy Spirit guide us in this journey together.

✠ Marcel Damphousse
Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall

Preparatory Document

The Church of God is convoked in Synod. The path entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” will solemnly open on the 9th – 10th of October 2021 in Rome and on the following 17th of October in each particular Church.

One fundamental stage will be the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in October 2023, which will be followed by the implementation phase that will again involve the particular Churches (cf. EC, arts. 19-21).

With this convocation, Pope Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission: “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” This journey, which follows in the wake of the Church’s “renewal” proposed by the Second Vatican Council, is both a gift and a task: by journeying together and reflecting together on the journey that has been made, the Church will be able to learn through Her experience which processes can help Her to live communion, to achieve participation, to open Herself to mission. Our “journeying together” is, in fact, what most effectively enacts and manifests the nature of the Church as the pilgrim and missionary People of God.

Click here to download the Prepatory Document in other languages.
 

Vademecum for the Synod on Synodality

This Vademecum is designed as a handbook that accompanies the Preparatory Document at the service of the synodal journey. The two documents are complementary and should be read in tandem with one another.

In particular, the Vademecum offers practical support to the Diocesan Contact Person(s) (or team), designated by the diocesan Bishop, to prepare and gather the People of God so that they can give voice to their experience in their local Church.

This worldwide invitation to all the faithful is the first phase of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, whose theme is “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.”

Click here to download the Vademecum in other languages.