OUR LADY & ST BENEDICT'S

Listening Workshop. Saturday 21st January 2023 at Our Lady’s Marnhull After Mass

In his homily to announce the Synod, Pope Francis said, "Let us ask: In the church, are we good at listening? How good is the hearing of our heart?

You are invited to attend a workshop designed to help us to learn to listen with the ears of the heart, just as Pope Francis suggests.

You will learn the vital difference between listening in order to respond and listening in order to react.

You will learn about yourself, how you may be perceived and how to speak the truth in love, without conflict.

This is a stimulating workshop suitable for anyone who wants to build better relationships through more effective communication, and perfect the art of listening.

Proverbs 18:13 “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him.”

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November:  As part of our on-going Synodal journey, the Office for Evangelisation and Catechesis invites you to the following talks:

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Saturday 26th November:  11.00am The work of the Holy Spirit in the Church Today;  1.30pm Deaconesses in the Catholic Church

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The talks will take place at St Peter’s Catholic Church, Crownhill, Plymouth, PL5 3AX.  For those attending the day there will be 10.30am Refreshments and 12.15pm Lunch break.  There is also Mass at 9.30am for those who wish.  To request a Zoom link please email:carolinefarey@btinternet.com

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SYNOD - Update 28 August 2022

Synodal Pathway – an update from Canon John Deeny and Deborah Fisher:

Having considered carefully the Synthesis, the Bishops of England and Wales have now offered their initial reflections in the light of our shared faith in Christ and our shared belonging to his Church.

The Bishops reflected that in the synod responses, among the tensions and tragedies, they have also found so many signs of hope. They give witness that the needs of people today elicit compassionate responses of remarkable generosity. The Church plays her part by putting the Gospel into practical, loving action towards the poorest and the weakest. It is clear that nothing genuinely human –whether it be a cause of rejoicing or sadness –fails to echo in our hearts as the People of God, united in Christ and led by the Holy Spirit in our journey to the Kingdom of the Father.

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You can find the full text of the synthesis and reflection here https://www.cbcew.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/Bishops-Reflection-Synodal-National-Synthesis.pdf

It can be easy to forget we are on a global journey but there is a wonderful website where you can see how other countries are walking together on their synodal journey https://www.synodresources.org/resources/

There are some great examples of how other parts of the Church are engaging including resources for young people https://youtu.be/jDB3djnfcIQ .You can find out more about the meaning of Sensus Fidei, listen to a synodal song from Africa https://youtu.be/Qdx4GcF8jU0 or a hymn from the Archdiocese of Luxembourg;    https://youtu.be/TidDMzJ3yjs among many other things. Really inspiring!

We thank all who have participated so far in the Synodal Process and ask for continued prayers as we journey together towards being a Synodal Church in today’s world, expressing her nature as the People of God journeying together and gathering in assembly, summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel that brings life and human flourishing to all who hear and respond to it.

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SYNOD

Synod - The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have released a statement titled Seeking Our Hearts’ Desire offering their initial reflections on the National Synthesis document.  This in turn was the fruit of a discernment process in which the National Synthesis Team reflected on hundreds of pages of Synod reports received from the dioceses of England and Wales as well as Catholic organisations and individuals.   The Bishop’s document can be viewed as an attachment to the parish newsletter email or online here: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/news-and-media/news      See also the Bishops' Reflections on the National Synod

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Some items from the latest newsletter of the Plymouth Diocese Synod coordinators:

What next in our Diocese? The synodal journey continues in our Diocese with the materials we sent out with our diocesan synthesis and the questions raised by Bishop Mark which can be found on our website: https://www.plymouth-diocese.org.uk/key-documents/parish-resources/

Cardinal Nichols reflected that accompaniment is a challenge for every parish He invites us to consider w ho are those who feel that they do not belong, or fear they may not be made welcome?

“It is a challenge for every organisation to look at itself and ask how easy is it for those who are different to join in our activities It is a question for each one of us do we try to be close to those we meet regularly, with whom we might work or live, simply making it clear that no matter what happens we will not turn away, not in judgement, nor in disdain, nor in fear?”

Let’s continue to listen to the Holy Spirit and to each other as we reflect on how we accompany each other in the coming months and years. We will be sending out further resources later this year.

In his homily on 29th June, (at the Mass at which our former Bishop received the Pallium as Metropolitan Archbishop of Cardiff), Pope Francis reflected on the synodal journey:

“The Synod that we are now celebrating calls us to become a Church that gets up, one that is not turned in on itself, but capable of pressing forward, leaving behind its own prisons and setting out to meet the world, with the courage to open doors.”

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From the Conclusion of the National Synthesis of the Synodal Process in England and Wales. You can access the whole document below:

“The journey calls us out into the deep, into a more active faith stirred by an attentive listening to the Spirit in and through all of the baptised. It asks us to hear and respond without waiting for this or that change or new structure, confident that, in awakening to our co-responsibility, the reforms will follow—indeed, will become the reform itself.

This is the new consciousness that the Spirit has awoken in the People of God in these islands which, if embraced, will lead to the growth in holiness both here and across the world.”

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/synod-national-synthesis-released/

Please speak to Fr. Francis if you need a printed copy.

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Fr. Jon Bielawski writes: “One of the clear indications that has come through the early findings of our recent engagement in the Synodal process is the laity request to better know the teachings of the Church and to deepen their faith. In order to respond to this encouraging sign, we are launching a straightforward and simple initiative entitled “Dipping into the Catechism”. (Click to see). Each week, a paragraph of the Catechism accompanied by a straightforward explanation of its meaning will be made available.”

These will be circulated with the emailed edition of the newsletter. Anyone who needs a printed copy is asked to speak to Fr. Francis.

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SYNOD - update

The listening phase of our diocesan Synodal Journey has now drawn to a close and we have prepared a synthesis which has been sent through to the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) for the next phase of discernment and listening. We would like to thank all those who have participated in or facilitated meetings or sent through individual feedback. The final diocesan synthesis, a foreword by Bishop Mark and appendices are now on the Diocese of Plymouth website https://www.plymouth-diocese.org.uk/synod We will send some printed copies to parishes in May. The wealth of contributions sent through will continue to be reviewed and shared in the coming months as we reflect in more detail on all the themes raised. Thank you for all your support! Canon John Deeny and Deborah Fisher, Diocesan Co-contacts

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SYNOD MEETINGS

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The March Newsletter of the coordinators of the Synodal Process in the Diocese is now available as an attachment to all who receive the parish newsletter by email.  Please ask Fr. Francis if you would like a copy.  Or download it here.  Over 700 different contributions have been received and the co-contacts describe the emerging themes in this way:

“A whole host of issues have been discussed – people’s views on the structures of the Church, how we walk together as a People of God; how we encounter others and reach out; how we communicate; how we practice our faith; the role of Priests and Laity; the importance of the youth; inclusion and diversity; tradition and modernity; gender issues; LGBTQ+; safeguarding and abuse; leadership and Mission. The listening journey has highlighted many different points of view on all these issues but there has been an almost universal welcome for the process of Synodality and a hope that we can continue to walk together, listening to each other and the Holy Spirit and engaging in dialogue to strengthen the Mission of the Church.