St. Gertrude Parish Synod Participation

Dear Parishioners,

Pope Francis has called for a Worldwide Church Synod in 2023. The Holy Father wants to hear from the whole Church about what is happening in local parishes. He and the bishops would like to know what individuals think we should all be doing to help make our parishes better. The way he has proposed doing this is a synodal process. Synod means “journeying together” and it involves listening to the Holy Spirit and to each other in order to discern the path we are called to walk together.
The synod “is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and to restore strength to our hands for our common mission.” Synod Handbook”

To live as a synodal Church, parishes are being asked to live, practice and reflect on what living as synodal Church means.  This includes three areas of reflection: Communion, Participation and Mission.

This is to include:
Communion – which is to lead to a conversion to Christ and a commitment to active participation in the mission given by Christ.

Participation – which promotes the people of God to talk to one another and listen to one another about questions that matter to them.

Mission – our communion exists for a common purpose of mission which flows from the experience of communion to go out to the world.

Recently a survey was prepared asking for parish input, reflection and participation

The responses to the survey and our Parish Synodal Meeting were gathered and summarized for our Diocese along with the other parishes on Long Island. Together these reflections will be offered to the bishops of our country who in turn will coordinate a response to the Holy Father for the Synod of Bishops who will gather together with the Holy Father in 2023. A summary of our parish responses will be made available soon.

We are grateful for your response and your participation in the life of the Church. Hopefully, this time of reflection will strengthen your commitment to a fuller participation in the life of our Church here in Bayville.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Msgr. Robert O. Morrissey
Pastor