YOU ARE CALLED TO RESPOND

Pope Francis has called for a synod of all the bishops of the world to discuss the future role of the Catholic Church to effectively live and spread the gospel.

He believes he will only be successful if we all listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit and share and communicate with one another as to the urging of the Spirit in each of us.  This is called Synodality.

Pope Francis has therefore called the entire People of God to journey forward together and to share our inputs with our Archbishop.  For Saint Brigid, that means we will look at our Vision and Mission Statements, and discuss questions that address living our Catholic faith, maintaining our connection to and fervor for our Catholicism; helping others to feel connected to our parish.  We wish to reach out to both those who feel peripheral and those who might have drifted away or felt marginalized.

We will also discuss our perceptions of, and connections to the Mass and the Eucharist – our central focus of worship. Finally, we will look at questions related to our mission and discipleship and the role you see for scripture guiding us in this endeavor.

As directed by the Vatican and our Archbishop, we will schedule several two-hour meetings, or listening sessions to gather your input.  We will use the questions on the opposite page to guide our discussion.  A summary of the discussions will be sent to the Archdiocese, where it will be integrated into the Dioceses’ report and sent forth ultimately to the Vatican.

An online Archdiocese of Atlanta Diocesan survey is available at:  www.surveymonkey.com/r/ATLSynodSurvey.
You may also send anonymous comments to the parish office dropbox, or email us  synod@saintbrigid.org 
We appreciate your consideration and urge you to join us.  Please pray for the Synod!

 Saint Brigid Catholic Church Synod Discussion Questions

In the context of our Parish Vision and Mission, below are some questions for discussion in parish group meetings for the Synod of 2022.

Journeying together means that we all walk together, in Christ, each of us working together to enliven our shared faith. We listen to the Holy Spirit as he speaks to us, and we consult with one another as to what to do now and in the future.

1. We, the parish, live and worship in a secular (non-Catholic) environment. What challenges does this present? How does this impact the implementation of our Vision and Mission statements?  What can we do, in this environment, to help one another to maintain the influence of our Church?  What obstacles have you encountered?
2. What keeps us here? Or what keeps us/others away? Are there any barriers in the universal church or our parish that prevent parishioners from participating fully?
3. How can we reach out to those who do not feel included, feel marginalized, or have drifted away?

Participation means that every member is totally involved in the life of the Gospel and the life of the Church. All, whether with us regularly or not, are intended to be fully involved.

4. The Mass is our central focus… what does it mean to you? Why might it be important to be here weekly?
5. What does the Eucharist mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is really present in the Eucharist? What do you think others believe about this?
6. What can the Parish do in our liturgies, Mass, and programs to strengthen your connection to God, to Church, to each other?

The Mission of the Church is to spread the Gospel through its disciples.

7. What does discipleship mean to you? Do you consider yourself a disciple?
8. How do we reach out to others who are not fully involved? To those who feel excluded?  To the marginalized? How do we encourage active participation?
9. How does Scripture animate us and the process of evangelizing? Do you consider the Scripture an important influence in your life?  Do you study it?  Do you pray it?