Synod Report from The Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops - National report submitted to the Holy See
The first phase of the “Synod on Synodality,” listening at the diocesan level, has concluded. Synthesis Reports were prepared by each of Canada’s four Regional Episcopal Assemblies – Western, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic regions. These four regional reports were then received by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and used to draft a national synthesis, which has been submitted to the General Secretariat of the Synod of the Holy See on 15 August 2022. The national synthesis document is divided into 11 sections, collectively reflecting on the major themes of this process and the voices heard.
This report is the culmination of a sincere listening exercise that occurred in every diocese across the country. What was most present in the regional reports has been included in the national synthesis, providing a thorough and thoughtful account of the exchanges which took place during the initial phase of the synodal process.
“Catholics in Canada want their Church to be relevant and engaged in our world’s ongoing transformation. They recognize an urgent need for the Church to undergo a profound missionary renewal” said the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson, President of the CCCB, and member of the Canadian National Synthesis Writing Team.
“I found great encouragement and inspiration in the level of engagement I witnessed in this process. It showed that God remains at the centre of the lives of many Canadians, and that many families feel a positive connection with the impact Catholic parishes are having in their communities” added the Most Rev. Richard Gagnon, former President of the CCCB, and also a member of the Canadian National Synthesis Writing Team.
The next phase of the synodal process will involve the development of a “Document for the Continental Phase” by the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome. Once complete, this document will serve as the source document for reflection during the continental phase. For this purpose, the CCCB will be working closely with the USCCB. More information on the continental phase for North America will be released in the coming months. The synodal process will conclude with the Synod of Bishops in Rome in the fall of 2023.
For more information regarding each Regional Episcopal Assembly’s report on the synodal process, please visit their respective websites or contact them directly.
Download the report of the National Synod CCCB
Synod Report from the Archdiocese of Vancouver
Archbishop’s Foreward
“What the Holy Spirit is saying to our hearts.”
From October 2021 to June 2022, our local Church journeyed together in a “synodal process” of consultation and listening. This resulting synthesis Report expresses the movement of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of thousands of lay faithful, consecrated women and men, and clergy. It is their response to a limited number of questions that were drawn up to respond to the call of Pope Francis to become engaged in an initiative taking place throughout the Church. The Archdiocese launched a synodal process as our contribution to the Synod of Bishops that will be meeting in Rome in the Fall of 2023.
Download the Synod Report of the Archdiocese Of Vancouver
This Report must be read within its specific context. It documents responses to a select number of questions that were proposed, and discussed, primarily in hundreds of “conversation circles.” The more than 5,000 parishioners who participated represent a small, but significant segment of the Catholics in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The Report is not, therefore:
- a “state of the Archdiocese” document,
- a presentation of the Church’s teaching, or
- a strategic plan
Instead, it provides a glimpse into the hopes and concerns of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they discerned their responses to the questions asked of them. It focuses more on challenges and less on our strengths than a more comprehensive synthesis would provide.
This Report testifies to the benefits of prayerfully listening and sharing one’s heartfelt concerns about how the Church is living its mission. I am very grateful to all who gave their time and provided their input into this synodal process that is now unfolding in the life of the Church. If it is successful, it will help the People of God to discern prayerfully the signs of the times in the light of our faith so that we can grow in our personal relationship to Jesus Christ and fruitfully serve the mission he has entrusted to us.
The Archdiocese looks forward to continuing the conversation, not just with those who participated in the process, but with all the faithful in our local Church.
+ J. Michael Miller, CSB
Archbishop of Vancouver
Synod participation
More than 80 per cent of parishes participated in the synod, and more than 5,000 people took part, including parishioners from 64 parishes, individuals from 46 movements, groups, organizations, and associations, as well as 206 individuals through online submissions. Many gathered in small groups to share, listen, pray, and reflect together. We heard from not only practicing faithful but also, as encouraged by Pope Francis, those on the periphery and the marginalized.
Summary of document conclusions
It is now up to the parishes, movements and all Catholic associations and groups, with the help of the John Paul II Pastoral Centre, to formulate action plans to follow through on the following conclusions that emerged from the Conversation Circles.
- The synodal process should serve as a model for future engagement of the faithful.
- Participants expressed hope that the Church would become more welcoming and inclusive, with parishes, movements and groups following through on ideas from the synodal process.
- Catholics are called to follow the early Church and journey together, respecting our differences.
- We are called to listen in humility to all the faithful as we carry out the Church’s mission together.
- We are challenged to model the life of Christ by embracing differences, loving radically, and honouring and supporting each human being at every stage of life.
- We recognize that the clergy need care, assistance, and support.
- The Archdiocese should create spaces where marginalized persons feel comfortable.
Next steps in the Archdiocese
Coming soon
Next steps in the Synodal Journey
The next stage of the synod process is the Continental Phase, during which the Canadian bishops will submit their report to Rome in preparation for the full synod of bishops in October 2023.
Phase 1: Diocesan Phase [COMPLETE]
Oct. 2021 to Aug. 2022
Phase 2: Continental Phase
CCCB and USCCB Report Submission to Rome
Sept. 2022 to March 2023
Phase 3: Assembly of Bishops to Rome
Oct. 2023
SHP Synod Synthesis is now available
To access, please click on the Synod Synthesis Summary tab at the top of this page.
The Synod for a synodal Church is not a one-time event, but a Way of BEING Church in the Third Millennium. Learn more about synodality with updates, articles, courses & more through the Litterae Communionis newsletter, published by the General Secretariat of the Synod for the Bishops.
To view or subscribe go to: https://www.synodresources.org/newsletter-en/
Synod Word of Thanks - April 2022
Thank you to all who answered the call to journey together at a parish synodal session. There were a total of 115 parishioners who joined in the conversation at Sacred Heart Parish. Many PREP and SHS students also experienced synodality through prayer, reflection & discussion of synodal topics in class. Thank you to the many volunteers who came together to host sessions.
What’s next in this Synod for a synodal Church?
Diocesan Phase 1 – (Oct 2021-Apr 2022) Following synod sessions, parishes throughout the world submit a summary of their synod responses to their respective dioceses by April 30. Each diocese will then synthesize the parish submissions, sending them onto their national Council of Bishops this summer. This will conclude the 1st Diocesan phase of the Synod for a synodal Church. Much of the richness of this listening phase comes from our discussions amoung our local parishes, where we encounter, experience, and live out the synodal journey together, thus discovering and developing synodal tools and pathways.
Continental Phase 2 Seven continental meetings (Africa, Oceania, Asia, Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America) will in turn produce seven Final Documents that will serve as the basis for the final assemby.
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Phase 3 Bishops and auditors will gather with the Holy Father Pope Francis in October 2023 to speak and listen to one another on the basis of the Synodal Process that began at the local level. The aim is to discern at a universal level the voice of the Holy Spirit who has been speaking throughout the entire Church
Implementation Phase This phase will be crucial for walking forward on the path of synodality, promoting a new style of living out the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. The hope is that the experience of the Synodal Process will bring about a new springtime for listening, discernment, dialogue, and decision-making, so that the whole People of God can better journey together with one another and the entire human family, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
source – Vademecum for the synod on synodality - Official Handbook for Listening and Discernment in Local Churches: First Phase (October 2021 – April 2022) in Dioceses and Bishops’ Conferences Leading up to the Assembly of Bishops in Synod in October 2023
