Bishop Brendan Leahy The Irish Bishops have announced the initial submission phase of the upcoming synod, which was announced March 10.
Commenting on the development, Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick said the bishops were inviting submissions “to reflect on what methods/models to adopt” in the coming two years of conversations.
He gave as examples “parish hall meetings, focus groups, questionnaires, deep-listening sessions; written submissions; family-focused gatherings; summary of findings of assemblies that have already taken place across dioceses; and/or conferences”.
“Feedback, which should be no more than 300 words and submitted by Pentecost Sunday 23 May 2021, ought to focus on the nature of the process for the consultation i.e. how we can best go about this initial phase of establishing the conversation,” Bishop Leahy said.
The bishop said this phase is not about the prospective themes, which will be addressed in the next phase.
The new ‘Synodal Pathway’ webpage can be accessed here, and people are invited to offer submissions in response to the question: “What would be your preferred option for engagement in a conversation process about the Synod?”
The responses will be considered by a task group put in place by the bishops this summer to plan and oversee the first steps along the synodal pathway.