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SYNOD LISTENING CIRCLES 2024
March 20 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm CDT
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. You will register for both online sessions, but if you cannot make one of the sessions, you can still join us for the other one. It is not necessary to participate in both sessions, but you are welcome to if you wish.
Online registration closes on Sunday, March 17, 2024. Registered participants will receive the Zoom link the day before the scheduled session.
An Invitation To Participate
Pope Francis has invited the entire People of God to journey together for a Synodal Church: Communion, Mission, and Participation. The first of two Synod gatherings was held in Rome in October 2023 after a two-year listening and consultation process. Following the October 2023 gathering of lay women and men, vowed religious, and bishops, a Synthesis Report was written.
To prepare for the next gathering, the General Secretariat of the Synod has invited the People of God to “contribute by deepening aspects of the Synthesis Report” fundamental to the theme of Mission. The guiding question is:
How can we be a synodal Church in mission?
The Wheaton Franciscan Invitational Church Circle invites you to join us to explore:
- How can we, as the faith and friends’ community, be a synodal church in mission?
- How are we called to BE Love and to serve the People of God?
To prepare for the Listening Sessions, we invite you to read the Letter to the People of God and the Synthesis Report.
Two Synod Listening Opportunities Available Online
First Opportunity
Wed, March 20, 2024 – 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. CT
Second Opportunity
Sat, March 23, 2024 – 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. CT
What To Expect During The Listening Sessions
Input
Brief input highlighting some of the key aspects from the October 2023 Synod gathering.
Small Groups
We will break into small Zoom groups to provide a greater opportunity for everyone to be heard. The emphasis will be on respectful listening: not debating, not making decisions, simply and joyfully listening to one another.
Respectful Sharing
- Each person will have 2 minutes of uninterrupted time to say what is important to them.
- The small group will reflect silently on what everyone said, and then have another opportunity to speak, one at a time.
- The emphasis is on respectful listening. Not debating. Not making decisions.
1.5 Hours
From our initial welcoming with a prayer to our final closing, we plan to spend 1.5 hours together in each session.
