A Listening Church

Vatican Synod Listening Sessions

As part of the ongoing Vatican Synod and to prepare for the 2024 gathering in Rome, all U.S. dioceses were asked to host listening sessions in Lent 2024. In our Archdiocese, Archbishop Bernard Hebda hosted two virtual events where participants gathered in breakout groups and participated in “Conversations in the Spirit,” as they were practiced by Vatican Synod delegates last October. Feedback provided by attendees in breakout groups will help inform a national report sent to Vatican Synod leaders. Read more in The Catholic Spirit.

For more information, see the Vatican website and the USCCB website.

More About the Vatican Synod

In spring 2021, Pope Francis announced that the Catholic Church would engage in a synodal process that includes “listening to all of the baptized” in every diocese around the world. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis sought out the Catholic faithful – and those who are disaffiliated from the Church – and asked, “What would you like to tell Pope Francis?” Thousands responded during the survey period, from mid-May to mid-June, 2022. The responses were shared with the Vatican.

On September 19, 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America. The synthesis marks the completion of the Diocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.

From October 4-29, 2023, the Vatican Synod on Synodality took place in Rome. Read Archbishop Hebda’s statement.

Vatican Synod in Archdiocesan Media

Learn: Read more about the Vatican Synod in The Catholic Spirit.

Listen: Hear Archbishop Hebda discuss the Vatican Synod on the Practicing Catholic show.

What about the Archdiocesan Synod?

In the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, a local synodal process began in 2019 and led to Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s Pastoral Letter, as well as the current Synod implementation process. The information gleaned from that local Synod was primarily used to help Archbishop Hebda discern the direction of our local Church. However, the valuable insights shared from the faithful during our local Synod process were also taken into consideration for the Vatican Synod report from our Archdiocese.