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Archdiocesan Synod 2023

- Archbishop Hebda Reads His Pastoral Letter on a Podcast
  
  Follow along with the Archbishop’s narration of his November Pastoral Letter, You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent from the Upper Room with the online version in English and Spanish. Learn more HERE.
  Find complete information on the Synod at the Archdioces of St. Paul and Minneapolis website.
  
  1.16.2023

2022 Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Hebda, November 20, 2022

You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room

An Invitation from Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Williams
We are both so grateful for how you, the faithful of this Archdiocese, have gathered together over the past three years in prayer, learning and respectful listening to one another and the Holy Spirit. Now it is time for us to join you in considering the question asked so many years ago by the disciples of John the Baptist: “What then should we do?” (Lk 3:10)

The pastoral letter, You Will Be My Witnesses, reflecting on our Synod journey as well as the mysteries that took place nearly 2,000 years ago in the Upper Room, is a first response to that question, outlining a plan for the next three years aimed at helping us to be more vibrant witnesses to all that Jesus has lovingly done for us.

Read the letter. Read the TEXT ONLY letter.

- U.S. Bishops Release National Synthesis Outlining Common Themes In Synod Listening Sessions
  
  Read the Report HERE.
  
  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has 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.
  
  Last October, Pope Francis invited the global Catholic Church to reflect on walking together and listening to one another. This “Synod on Synodality” is a two-year process that began with local dioceses and parishes engaging in dialogue through listening sessions. Each diocese then prepared a report of what was heard at these sessions. In turn, those local reports were then sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and a national summary was created and sent to the Holy See on August 29, 2022.
  
  Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, chairman of the USCCB’s, Committee on Doctrine, who shepherded the preparation of the synthesis, wrote, “With immense gratitude, I have the distinct honor of sharing the National Synthesis. This pivotal document is the culmination of ten months of intentional listening carried out throughout the Church in the U.S. The synodal consultations, from parishes, dioceses, and national regions express the voices of hundreds of thousands in our local churches.”
  
  The National Synthesis represents the synodal efforts of the 178 Latin dioceses in the United States, including the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter that serves both the United States and Canada. Due to their long history of synodal practice, the Eastern Catholic Churches shared their reports directly with the Holy See.
  
  Catholic associations, organizations, and national ministries in the United States were also invited to participate in the Synod by submitting a summary report from their listening sessions to the USCCB’s Synod Team. In all, one hundred twelve (112) submissions were received from organizations, and combined with the reports from each of the (arch)dioceses, two hundred ninety (290) documents in total were received. These contributions represent over 22,000 reports from individual parishes and other groups. There were over 30,000 opportunities to participate in the Synod through in-person and virtual listening sessions as well as online surveys. An estimated 700,000 people participated in the diocesan phase of the Synod in the United States.
  
  Bishop Flores expressed that “The synthesis is, among other things, an expression of the common joys, hopes, and wounds the bishops have heard and are hearing from the wider body of the Church. The publication of this document is not a concluding moment, it is instead an invitation to continue to dialogue and discern, together, those matters that weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of Catholics in the U.S.”
  
  The National Synthesis is available in both English and Spanish. More information about the diocesan phase of the 2021-2023 Synod – For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission, as well as a brief overview of the next steps in the process can be found at usccb.org/synod.
  
  9/19/2022
- Synod Article in the Catholic Spirit, May 17, 2022
  
  Archdiocese’s Survey for Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality Casts Wide Net Take the Survey!
  
  “What is ONE thing that you would like to share with Pope Francis as he guides the Church?” That’s one of the key questions asked in a new survey from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to gather information for Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality.
  
  The survey is intended for “all the baptized” and aims to reach both practicing and non-practicing Catholics, said Amy Tadlock, a canon lawyer and the archdiocese’s manager of organizational effectiveness.
  
  Pope Francis wants “all the Catholics in the world is to come together, listen to one another, listen to the Holy Spirit, and provide feedback on how he should guide the global Church in the coming years. And every diocese is asked to participate,” said Tadlock, whom Archbishop Bernard Hebda has tasked with overseeing local efforts related to the Vatican’s Synod on synodality, formally titled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.”
  
  The survey invites participants to share a written response to the “one thing” question, and then to select five areas “where you think the Catholic Church should focus its greatest attention” from a list of 30 topics, including “pro-life efforts,” “climate change” and “role of women in the Church.”
  
  The survey also asks for some demographic information, but respondents remain anonymous.
  
  In 2020, Pope Francis announced that the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops would focus on “synodality,” which the Synod’s website defines as “a style, a culture, a way of thinking and being, that reflects the truth that the Church is led by the Holy Spirit who enables everyone to offer their own contribution to the Church’s life.” The meeting of bishops is scheduled to take place at the Vatican in October 2023.
  
  A poster advertising the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ survey responding to Pope Francis’ request for feedback for the Synod on synodality. TCS
  
  Leading up to the Synod on Synodality is a two-year process that includes consultation of all the faithful, divided into four phases. The current phase includes gathering information on a diocesan level.
  
  The archdiocese’s survey quotes the Vatican Synod’s preparatory document, which states that the “purpose of the Synod … is not to produce documents, but ‘to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.’”
  
  The archdiocese will share the feedback collected by the survey with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the end of June.
  
  The Vatican Synod’s emphasis on “a listening Church” dovetails with efforts well underway in the archdiocese through the Archdiocesan Synod process, which began in 2019. That process included 30 Prayer and Listening Events and focus groups in 2019-2020, through which Archbishop Hebda identified three focus areas for the local Church.
  
  Catholics in the archdiocese gave feedback on those focus areas through Parish Consultations with six-session parish small groups in 2021, and Parish Synod Leadership Team meetings in February and March 2022. That work will culminate in the Archdiocesan Synod Assembly in St. Paul June 3-5, followed by Archbishop Hebda’s discernment of a pastoral letter, expected in November, and a subsequent action plan.
  
  “What we have done here for our own local Synod process has already laid an amazing foundation for the Vatican Synod process that Pope Francis has called,” Tadlock said. “What we’re doing now with this survey is building on that foundation.”
  
  Tadlock said she hopes the survey attracts participation from a wide range of Catholics, including those who attend daily Mass to those who no longer identify with the faith, and everyone in-between.
  
  The survey option makes it possible for the local Church to hear from people “who have not been to church in years, maybe haven’t been to church since they made their first Communion. Or maybe they were hurt by somebody in the Church, or they left because of unfortunate circumstances or because of some pain or even betrayal,” Tadlock said.
  
  “(For) people who have left, this is still their opportunity to say … how they would think the Church can be better. It’s important for them to know that they are still considered members of the Church and we still want to hear from them,” she added. “We still care about them and we still care about what they think. And we can only be better when we hear from all members of the Christian faithful.”
- In the video below, Archbishop Hebda describes how the next stage in the Synod process has been adjusted due to COVID concerns. Now, the Parish Synod Leadership Team Consultation will gather parish leaders at their own parishes, while still offering the opportunity to give valuable feedback and insights that will benefit the Synod process.
  2.20.22
- What is a Synod? What is the purpose?
  Click below to find out.
- Synod 2022
  
  Archbishop Hebda Needs Your Help
  How can we as a Church better pass-on our beautiful Catholic faith in our homes and in the broader world? The Archdiocesan Synod kicks into high gear this fall and your input is needed to help chart the course for this local Church. Join a small group to discuss and give feedback on priorities within each Synod focus area. Contact Jill Skaife at jskaife@seasparish.org or 651-437-4254 x225 with questions.
  
  Click HERE to go the Archdiocese Synod website.

Archdiocesan Synod 2023

You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room

Archdiocese’s Survey for Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality Casts Wide Net Take the Survey!

“What is ONE thing that you would like to share with Pope Francis as he guides the Church?” That’s one of the key questions asked in a new survey from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to gather information for Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality.