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Three Types of Catholics Who Should Come to the Synod
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September 14, 2021
If you still haven’t heard, there’s a Synod going on.¹ For an overview of what a Synod is and why we’re having one here in the Archdiocese, check out the official Archdiocesan Synod info page.
For my part, I want to talk about three “types” of Catholics who should definitely participate in the Synod. When I say you should participate, what I really mean is we need you to participate. The whole point of synods is to listen and learn from others, especially others with vastly different experiences of God and the Church from our own. Actually, it goes beyond that: the purpose of synods is to create space for the Holy Spirit to move among us and do something new , through the process of our listening, learning, and sharing (yes, in that order).
Information about the practicals of participating in the Synod is below, but first, here are three types of Catholics that the Church needs for this Synod to be successful:
- Diehards: You are the “Catholic one” in your group of friends. Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, solemn processions, Bible studies - you are THERE. You love the Church, you love being in the Church, you love talking about your Catholic faith, but mostly you love living your Catholic faith. Your feelings about being Catholic are almost always positive, and you really feel like nothing could make you jaded or cynical about it.
We need you. We need your enthusiasm. We need the light of your witness. We need to hear about your life-changing encounter with Christ in the Church and how deeply you want to share that encounter with others, how certain you are of the transforming power of the Sacraments, how excited you are about piloting new evangelistic efforts. Please, come and strengthen the Body with your presence at the Synod.- On-the-Fencers: You are Catholic and you tell people that you are Catholic, but you have had your moments of doubt about whether Catholicism is really for you or not. You’ve thought seriously about leaving. Maybe you’ve looked into other Christian denominations, or other religions entirely, looking for a tradition that resonates with the concerns of your heart and your desire for an encounter with God. Despite hearing so much about how the Catholic Church is the “one true Church,” you aren’t always convinced when you look around the pews or listen to the homily on Sunday. Faith and enthusiasm seem to come naturally for some Catholics, but you don’t always feel spurred on in the same way.
Or maybe you’ve been burned by the Church in some way. Maybe you have felt rejected or ignored, like you didn’t fit in or weren’t wanted. Maybe a friend, a youth minister, or a pastor said or did something hurtful to you, and these painful memories keep you at an arm's length from the Church.We need you. We need your honest criticism of how things are going in the Body of Christ. We need to be called out by you for any way we have not been welcoming or charitable towards others. Your witness is a prophetic call to hear the cries of our brothers and sisters who need to be more fully embraced, more generously listened to, more faithfully loved within the people of God. Please, come and call us on to greatness at the Synod.- “Ex-Catholics”: You grew up Catholic (or were Catholic at one point) but don’t feel like that word describes you anymore. It could have been many little things over time that led you to walk away from the Church. It could have been a single, cataclysmic event that ruptured your relationship with the Catholic faith. And now, perhaps you feel anger, pain, and even hatred towards the Church and its members; or maybe just apathy and indifference. You don’t want anyone trying to convert you. You don’t plan to come back.
We need you. We need to hear your story, because it is part of our story. Your experience matters. If you left because you saw something in the Church that you thought needed to change, this is your chance to work for that change. And whether you believe it or not, you are wanted in the Church. You are missed. Your absence is felt. So please, come talk to us. Say what you need to say. You have permission to tell the hard truth. Join us at the Synod.On the night before Jesus gave His life on the Cross, he prayed “that they all may be one.” Synods like this one are unique opportunities for all of us to gather and join our prayers with His, asking the Holy Spirit to bind us all back together into a people after God’s own heart. But we cannot do that if it’s just the same old cast of characters in the seats of our Synod small groups this fall.These small groups start the week of September 19th, and there is still time to get signed up. Archbishop Hebda has asked every pastor in the Archdiocese of St. Paul Minneapolis to host a Synod small group, so chances are very good that there is already a group at your parish you can join. If you don’t belong to a parish, not to worry - you can find one using MSP Catholic’s parish finder. And if that fails, reach out to the team here at MSP Catholic, and we will help you connect with one of the many great young adults’ Synod groups starting up this fall.We need you. Yes, you - no matter who you are, no matter where you are. Please, come to the Synod.
¹ Fun fact: the Vatican recently announced a Synod on Synodality for 2022, so if you like talking about Church stuff, you may just LOVE talking about talking about Church stuff!
Sarah Carter lives in St. Paul with her husband, Will, and her son, Elijah. She and her family attend the Church of St. Mark and are members of the St. Mark Young Adult community. Sarah graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2014, spent two years serving as a campus missionary for Saint Paul’s Outreach in Columbus, Ohio, and returned to St. Paul in 2016 to begin study for her master’s in theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, which she completed in 2019. Now she teaches moral theology and Scripture at Hill-Murray School.
