Awe-inspiring turnout for first synod session

The archdiocese held its first consultative session for the Ninth General Synod on May 28, and you had to have been pleased with the results. Despite very bad weather, more than 200 people showed up at St. Margaret Mary in Slidell to offer their thoughts on the local church.
I was in awe. We know statistically from dioceses around the country that these kinds of gatherings usually attract between 30 and 250 people. I didn’t want to be prepared for either number. Then, on the drive over to Slidell, it was raining so hard on the I-10 high-rise that I couldn’t even see the car in front of me. That’s when I thought to myself, I may have to look in the mirror to make sure there are at least two people at the meeting! But as the stream of people continued coming into the room, we had over 230 people. It’s a sign to me that the Catholic Church is alive and well in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It’s a sign to me that people are active and they love their faith and they appreciate the church. They also want us to be a better church. There were many words of affirmation – stating ways in which we are doing things well – but people were very honest, transparent and very insightful in suggesting things that we could and should do better, and then some things that we’re not doing.

It’s still far too early to make any assumptions. We have to assimilate the feedback we received from all 17 consultative sessions over the next several months. But there were four or five themes in the first session that kept coming up, and we need to ponder those things and pray about them and enter into discussion. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, because this was just session No. 1, and we have 16 more. But what the night told me is that people love Jesus Christ, they love the church and they want to be active. They spoke with great insight and great respectfulness. People suggested some wonderful ways in which we can grow as disciples of Jesus and make us a stronger church.

The participants broke up into groups of eight to 10 and then had one person reporting back to the larger assembly. What did you think of the process that was used to elicit the feedback?
The process definitely makes it very easy for everyone to participate, even if they might be a little introverted or usually don’t like to talk. No one should fear coming and sharing their thoughts, even if the thoughts are simply written down on paper. Every person’s voice will be heard. In addition to the spoken comments, the written comments will be compiled by the staff of the Catholic Leadership Institute in Philadelphia, the facilitating group that is helping us with the synod process. A person should never think that their voice is not heard. Also, emails and letters I’ve received from people and the comments that have been posted on the archdiocesan website are all being compiled by the Catholic Leadership Institute.

What are the three questions you are asking people to consider?
1. What are we doing well in the Archdiocese of New Orleans that helps you grow in your faith and relationship with the Lord? 2. When you think about the archdiocese and the ministries that we provide, what are two areas of focus that we can do better that you would recommend for the next few years, and how can we achieve this? 3. Concerning your dreams and aspirations, what might God be calling us to as the local church during the next two to three years? This may include a “new” area that the archdiocese may not be addressing currently. Be specific.

If people can’t attend the synod sessions, how can they email or write you?
The email address is [email protected]. The mailing address is Department of Religious, Archdiocese of New Orleans, 7887 Walmsley Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125.

Click here for the list of consultative sessions for the Ninth General Synod.