Local Community Discernment | Diocese of Parramatta

Reflection

“Wherever there is someone who has been baptised, that is where the Church is. There is a prophet there. Let us not hide the talent that God gave us on the day of our baptism and let us truly live the beauty and responsibility of being a prophetic people.” – St Oscar Romero

As people of faith, we are not called to flee the world, but rather to engage and transform it through the signs of God’s presence, which are often found in the midst of human struggles and suffering. Synodality means to walk together: it is a call to be a prophetic people in a world torn by conflict, self-interest, and fragmentation.

Jesus encountered people in the reality of their lives and brought the Good News of God’s love for them. With this moment of transformation Jesus asked them to
respond to the offer of redemptive love by claiming the freedom of the children of God. Throughout its history the Church continues this saving mission of Jesus by encountering the people of today, offering them the same Good News. Our structures and buildings areimportant statements of our faith, but the Church is not only found in our buildings but in our encounters.

A Church walking together is prophetic when it reflects unity in diversity, where each member journeys alongside the other, sharing burdens and joys, hopes and sorrows. Recognising that the Spirit speaks through many, challenges are navigated together, and members humbly draw strength from their collective faith and wisdom.

Synodality is built on mutual listening, compassion without judgement, and a desire to understand and even celebrate differences. A synodal faith community knows itself to be imperfect and so fosters respectful listening, especially to the voices that have been marginalised or excluded.

In particular, this includes valuing the experiences and insights of women in shaping the Church’s mission and priorities.

Guided by the Gospel teachings of Christ, a synodal community is like an “open circle” open to encounter, open to meeting people where they are, open to entering the (often) messy reality of other peoples’ lives. To walk with others in this way requires us to ‘takeoff the shoes’ that protect us and to become vulnerable, to start the journey without knowing the answers, or even the questions.

Local community discernment questions

When we talk about walking together, how do we balance the need to ‘serve’ Catholics, but at the same time be open to other Christians and those of other faiths?
How can we work more effectively across ministries and agencies in the Diocese, especially schools and parishes, acknowledging the need for careful financial independence?
How can we better support lay leadership roles in our local communities and the Diocese?
How can the structures of our local communities better allow for full and active participation of all the People of God now into the future, acknowledging that this will also need to be extended to the Deanery and Diocesan levels?
A Synodal Church cannot exist when unilateral decisions are made without adequate communal consultation and discernment, regardless of who is making the decision. What structures in the local community and training will be necessary to enhance communal decision-making for a Synodal Church?

Local community action

Encourage Pastoral Councils to look to organise prayer and pilgrimage opportunities.
Include professional development opportunities within existing meetings, especially as formation material is developed.
Each local faith community will identify the different Diocesan agencies and works in their area and look for ways to increase contact and communication between them all, so that collaboration is more effective.
Develop a Synodality Checklist to help evaluate how well the local community is undertaking synodality.
Commit to providing more opportunities for local communities to nominate suitable people to receive scholarships to train as Spiritual Directors to help our Church community members draw closer to God.
For each Pastoral Council, encourage the assignment of an interfaith portfolio to one or two members, to encourage the participation in and advertising for interfaith formation opportunities and practical ways of carrying out this missionary apostolate.
Working with other Christian and non-Christian communities to support local charities. For example, nursing homes, craft groups, or the local community garden or kitchen.