Continuing a process launched by Pope Francis to gain insights from the world’s Catholics in preparation for a Synod of Bishops in 2023, delegates from parishes and religious congregations in Montgomery County, Maryland met on March 12 for a Regional Synod Session.

But due to a winter storm that swept through the area that day, the listening session was changed from an in-person gathering at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Derwood to a Zoom meeting, an adaptation familiar to parishioners who had participated in online meetings during the pandemic.

The worldwide consultative effort began at a local level, with parishes in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington holding listening sessions in fall 2021 and in the first months of 2022. Local Catholics also have the option of participating in an online survey.

Lisa Taylor, the chair of the parish council at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Silver Spring, participated in the Montgomery County session, and in an email interview afterward noted that her parish held several Synod listening sessions both in-person and online and in English and Spanish.

“The key points were that it is in listening that we are called closer to the Holy Spirit and to one another; that we are called as children of God to love one another and be respectful and inclusive to those who are different than us; and that the Church needs to listen to its people and share what it learns with all of its parishes,” she said.

Taylor, a civil rights attorney for the federal government who at her parish has served as a catechist and is a member of its evangelization and communications committee, added, “I think the impact (of the Synod process) will be great.  It gives a voice to all in the Church and calls them to be a part of our Church community and to share the responsibility of sharing the good news about God with all.”

The Montgomery County participants had the option of joining the Zoom listening session or joining upcoming Regional Synod Sessions for parish and religious congregation delegates planned for Prince George’s County on March 19 at St. Joseph’s Parish in Largo, or for the Southern Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary’s and Calvert on March 26 at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Waldorf, or for the District of Columbia on May 14 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish.

At the Zoom Regional Synod Session for Montgomery County, 42 people participated, representing 22 parishes and seven religious communities.

Dr. Jeannine Marino, the archdiocesan Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns and one of two archdiocesan contacts for the global Synod, welcomed the participants of the Montgomery County gathering.

“What an incredible opportunity we have today, to gather together as a community to participate in the Universal Synod of Bishops, to journey together across parishes – laity, clergy and religious – to be with each other, pray together, discern together, dialogue with each other and make decisions together,” she said. “We are hopeful that today’s listening session guided by the Holy Spirit, will lead us on the path we are called to travel as a community of faith.”  

The archdiocese’s special web page for the Synod notes that “synod is (drawn from) a Greek word synodos meaning a meeting or assembly. The two Greek words that make up synod are syn meaning together and hodos meaning way or journey.” 

At an October 2021 Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome opening the process leading up to the 2023 Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis highlighted that meaning, saying, “Celebrating a synod means walking on the same road, together,” just like Jesus did, encountering, listening and discerning with all whom one meets.

The Synod’s theme is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” From reports drawn from the parish, regional and diocesan listening sessions, national bishops’ conferences around the world will prepare reports for the Synod of Bishops in 2023.

Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory, at a Mass last October at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle opening the archdiocesan phase of the Synod process, said it offered an opportunity for “openness to the working of God’s Holy Spirit.” 

Noting how it provided Catholics with an opportunity to re-engage with each other as the world emerges from the pandemic, the cardinal said the Synod process is unfolding “as we seek to reopen the doors of our churches, and even more importantly, to reopen the doors of our hearts.”

In a letter to archdiocesan Catholics, Cardinal Gregory said, “This Synod offers us the opportunity to be with each other, to invite our family and friends back to the faith, to listen to each other’s joys and sorrows, and share our hopes and dreams for our parishes.”

The archdiocese’s Synod web page notes that, “This Synod is not about changing doctrine or church structures, but rather encountering each others as brothers as sisters in Christ in (the) post-pandemic world.”

At the Montgomery County regional listening session, Pamela Harris – the archdiocese’s Assistant Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns – said, “The goal of our journeying together is to be present with one another, to listen and learn with each other, to grow closer to the Lord and His Church and discern where the Holy Spirit is calling our parishes and this archdiocese to be in order to have healthy vibrant parishes.”

Participants in that online gathering broke out into small groups and discussed the results of parish listening sessions, noting that people appreciated being listened to, while raising concerns such as the feeling of abandonment by the Church that some people felt during the pandemic, and the need for the Church to reach out more to youth and young adults and to improve its religious education offerings for adults. Participants noted that some people were confused about the meaning and purpose of the Synod.

People said the Catholic Church needs to provide more leadership roles for women and to be more welcoming to people who have same-sex attractions and to other people who might feel marginalized, and to reach out to people who may have left the Church or stopped regularly going to Mass.

When asked to share insights from the discussions, people emphasized the importance of the Church using communications methods to reach people and to be transparent about its decision making, to embrace the diversity of parish communities and to expand ecumenical efforts to pray together and serve those in need. 

Listening session participants recommended that the archdiocese develop and share best practices in areas like evangelization for parishes to utilize, and for parishes to engage in more personal ministries, like house blessings and making phone calls to keep in touch with parishioners. People also recommended that the Church should help address the polarization in society. Participants said that the “listening session” model should be used more regularly by parishes and the archdiocese, to keep dialogues going and let people know they are being heard.

People also said that while the Church has been wounded by things like the clergy abuse crisis, it is important to remember the presence of the Holy Spirit, and that there is hope in the Lord.

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville, who offered the opening prayer for the regional session, said as it was ending that he appreciated hearing people’s insights. “We are one family, and we shared together,” he said.

That point was echoed by Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell Jr., who also serves as the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Largo. “This is an example of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church and in our lives,” he said.

In his closing prayer, Bishop Campbell thanked God for His love that people are called to share with the gifts they have been given. “Open our hearts to allow your love to come in,” he prayed.

In an interview, Alicia Church, who serves on the parish council at St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood and who helped provide tech support for the Montgomery County regional listening session, said, “The pandemic has had its toll on many of us.”

Noting their parish listening sessions meant a lot to the participants, she said, “When you bring people together like that and hear what they say, you find you’re not the only one with thoughts, fears and questions, it’s nice to know you’re not alone.”

The St. Francis of Assisi parishioner said she appreciated Pope Francis’s leadership and his approach, saying, “He’s listening to us… He hears us and wants to listen. It’s very important, because if you don’t listen, you don’t learn, you don’t know, you can’t grow, and you can’t change. You have to know what other people are thinking.”

Father John Dillon, the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, noted in an interview that his parish hosted virtual listening sessions, with three in English and one in Spanish, and participation steadily increased, with 40 people taking part in the final session. He said key points that they raised included a desire to see youth more involved and engaged in the Church; a hunger for ongoing faith formation, especially about challenging issues; and “the importance of reaching out to the marginalized and disenfranchised, like divorced Catholics and those with same sex attractions.”

When asked what he hoped the impact of the Synod process would be, from his perspective as a parish priest, Father Dillon said, “I think that it will be important that I continue to reflect on all the parishioner sharings so that we can learn how to be a more consultative and responsive Church to all our members. We have to learn or rediscover the art of listening to each other and avoid talking over each other.”

The seven religious communities participating in the Montgomery County listening session included the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, the Sisters of Notre Dame, the Lovers of the Holy Cross, the Religious Sisters of Alma, the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and the Sister Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará.

Interviewed afterward, Sister Mary Frances Hildenberger – a Daughter of Charity who works on the advancement team at Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Maryland, and who earlier served as a math teacher there and as the principal of Seton High School in Baltimore – said members of her religious community had a good dialogue at their listening sessions.

She said the Daughters of Charity praised the increase of lay collaboration and commitment in the Church, and how people are living out Catholic social teaching through their outreach to the poor. They recommended that the Church needs to be more inclusive to people who are marginalized, including gay and lesbian people, the divorced and remarried, and people of different races. They also decried the Church’s sex abuse scandal and cover-ups.

Sister Mary Frances said she hopes the Church embraces the concept of synodality at all its levels, that the Church continues to empower laity and women, and that the Church becomes known for being a welcoming church.

She added that young women in religion classes at Elizabeth Seton High School are also participating in Synod listening sessions this month: “We just said, ‘We want to hear everyone’s voice.’”