CHARLOTTE — This Sunday, Nov. 14, marks a special moment in the Diocese of Charlotte’s participation in the Church’s worldwide effort to hear from all of its members through a mix of local, national and global conversations on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.”
The three-year effort calls on the Church across the world to prayerfully listen to the Holy Spirit and to one another to help guide its mission of proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to all people in the third millennium.
Pope Francis formally opened the synodal process Oct. 10, and since then dioceses around the world have been launching their local phases of prayer and conversation. The pope has asked for the discussion to rise from local churches to dioceses to episcopal conferences, before being discussed at the XVI Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023.
At all Sunday Masses this weekend, Nov. 13-14, clergy will read a special “Letter to the Faithful” from Bishop Peter Jugis that will announce and describe the synod process for the Charlotte diocese. The bishop’s letter to the faithful will serve as the official public launch of the diocese’s effort.
His upcoming letter will reflect on the synod’s theme of “communion, participation, and mission,” and underscore the importance of active participation in the local process.
The aim is to involve any Catholic who wants to participate, as well as reaching out to people who no longer practice their faith and to others in the community.
Between now and next April, Bishop Jugis is inviting all groups in the diocese to hold conversations about the ways they currently experience the Church as a missionary community in which everyone is called to a life of discipleship, and to suggest ways to live such a call more fully.
These groups will include parishes, schools and colleges, auxiliary groups, lay movements, third orders, charitable ministries, religious communities, minority communities, immigrant populations, campus and youth ministries, and more.
Representatives from these different groups will share the fruits of their conversations at a common gathering scheduled for June 11, 2022, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
A summary or “synthesis” of the diocesan-level synod will be sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by June 30, 2022. The USCCB will then send a synthesis of all the U.S. dioceses’ work to the Vatican.
RovatiSteering the local effort is Dr. Alessandro Rovati, who has been appointed by Bishop Jugis to serve as the official contact person for the diocesan phase of the synod.
Rovati is department chair and assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College. He is a graduate of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and a published author with leadership roles in national theological associations. His areas of expertise include moral theology and Catholic social teaching. He has already served the Charlotte diocese by teaching classes for St. Joseph College Seminary and by delivering lectures and workshops to youth, laity, clergy, catechists and teachers.
“I am humbled by the bishop’s request to assist him in the organization of the Synod’s diocesan phase,” Rovati said. “I became a theologian to serve the Church and its people, so this opportunity is a dream come true.”
In coming months, Rovati will be contacting and responding to diocesan groups and others to help them organize local gatherings. He also will facilitate the diocese’s common gathering next June.
Rovati noted that while there will be a way to send individual reflections and contributions, people are encouraged to participate in the local gatherings around the diocese to have a chance to be with one another in dialogue and prayer.
“I encourage everyone to become actively involved in the synodal journey,” he said. “Encountering one another in prayerful conversation will give us a chance to discover what the Lord is doing in our lives and the further steps to which He is calling us, both individually and as a Church.
“The synod is an extraordinary opportunity to grow together in our faith. I cannot wait to travel around the diocese to talk and pray with people.”
Resources and planning materials provided by the Vatican are online at www.synod.va. The USCCB also has resources available online at www.usccb.org/synod.
In addition, the diocese is preparing a website with information about the synod and how to participate.
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— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor. Catholic News Service contributed.