Synod orientation prepares delegates for service
By Joanne Ward
Associate Publisher
They came as delegates, most feeling unsure of their role and responsibilities, and they left as “ambassadors” ready to educate and enthuse others about the Diocese of Metuchen’s first synod.
On October 1, nearly 200 priests, deacons, religious and laity assembled at Immaculate Conception Church, Somerville, for their orientation as synod delegates and their first gathering as a group.
A diocesan synod is an assembly representative of the faithful of a diocese, the purpose of which is to offer the diocesan bishop advice on important issues. Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski has convoked the synod as part of the observance of the Diocese’s 25th anniversary and to assist him in planning for the diocese’s future.
Elected, appointed and ex-officio (members of the synod by virtue of their office), the delegates heard Bishop Bootkoski declare, “This is an activity that will not lead to futility. The work you put into the synod will be put into practice and impact the diocese over the next 25 years.” Elaborating, the Bishop said, “Through the faith, witness and insight you bring to this process, Christ will become more real in the Diocese of Metuchen now and in the future.”
Echoing the bishop’s sentiments, Msgr. William Benwell, vicar general and chairman, the Synod Preparatory Commission, said he hopes the synod will be a “graced event,” “a challenging and inspiring time” and “an important discerning process” guided by the Holy Spirit.
According to Msgr. Benwell, the delegates will, throughout the synod process, help the bishop answer the question: “What does God want his people in this portion of his vineyard to be doing and planning in the first decade of the third millennium?”
He identified three specific responsibilities the delegates will have.
First, he said, they must pray, and engage in perhaps the most difficult kind of prayer: listening and being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, he said the delegates must deepen their knowledge of the rich theology of Catholic tradition, the work of the diocese and the issues the Church faces today.
The delegates’ third task was the same the bishop had spoken of earlier — to be ambassadors. “The way we get our brothers and sisters to be part of the synod process — to be open to and share how the Spirit might be prompting them — is by talking about the synod in a positive way, and not only to our friends and colleagues in ministry, but the whole range of the People of God, especially inactive and disenfranchised Catholics.”
It was the task of Father Robert W. Medley, vice chancellor and a Synod Preparatory Commission member, to explain to the delegates the stages of the synod — preparatory, synodal and implementation. He emphasized that the delegates should view the synod as a process, not an event.
The preparatory stage of the synod begun over a year ago is coming into the general consultation phase, which Father Medley called the “heart of the synod.” Through Speak Up…We’re Listening sessions, thousands of individuals from all age groups and backgrounds will be able to share their hopes, concerns and vision for the Church of Metuchen. Sessions have already been conducted with the diocesan staff, priests, religious and deacons, Fr. Medley noted.
After these general sessions are concluded, and the data collected from them summarized and categorized, a second set of Speak Up…We’re Listening sessions will be conducted in each of the diocese’s 10 deaneries. Data from these sessions will be further collated and synthesized into general topics that will be considered at the formal synod sessions.
The recommendations passed by the synod delegates will ultimately be sent to the bishop for his consideration.
To give the delegates an idea of when things would actually occur, Clare Giangreco, a Synod Preparatory Commission member, handed out a comprehensive timeline for all synod-related activities, beginning on June 14, 2003 and concluding on February 28, 2007.
Giangreco emphasized several key dates that will occur, including the formal opening of the Synod on Nov. 19, 2005; parish Speak Up sessions that will take place between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, 2006, and the three synod sessions, scheduled for Oct. 7 and 21, and Dec. 2, 2006.
When asked during a sharing session, held in Immaculate Conception School, what they were most looking forward to, delegates provided a wide range of answers, from renewing and strengthening evangelization, to giving a voice to the disenfranchised, to addressing the clergy shortage.
Gary Guthreau, a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Dunellen, said he hoped the synod will help him to grow spiritually and bring God into the lives of all.
Camilla Lauricella, St. James Parish, Woodbridge, said she hopes the synod will provide a long-term pastoral vision and meet the needs of the diverse Catholics within the diocese.
“We are alive, up and running,” Oscar Schnaith, Esq., a Synod Preparatory Commission member, had said at the beginning of the orientation. By the end of the morning, all the delegates could certainly agree.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law