Synod Implementation - Archbishop's Dream for Our Parish - St. Katharine Drexel Church

Archbishop's Dream for Our Parish

Archbishop Bernard Hebda has a dream for our parish, and every parish in this Archdiocese: a dream in which all Catholics are in a small group. He dreams such things because being in small groups can help our faith come more fully to life and help us draw closer to Jesus. In the earliest days of the Church, small groups spread the good news of Jesus – and they can do it again today.

Did you know? Since January, nine of your fellow parishioners have been meeting regularly to help make Archbishop’s dream of Catholics in small groups a reality: creating a small group ministry right here at St. Katharine Drexel. If you feel inspired by this or any other aspect of the Archdiocesan Synod process, consider the following action steps:

(Re)read the Pastoral Letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses,” www.archspm.org/synodletter (also available via podcast).
Prayerfully discern participating in Small Group Leader Formation, a FREE seven-week series starting Saturday mornings or Sunday evenings on September 23/24 right here at our parish, facilitated virtually by Bishop Joseph Williams. Contact Lee Calabrese([email protected]), Len Powell ([email protected]), or Ron Stuedemann ([email protected]) to learn more or to register. This formation is intended for those who are open to the possibility of playing a leadership role in a small group or those who want to find out more about small groups. Participation in this training does not commit one to lead a small group.
Small groups will be formed in early 2024 with implementation starting on Ash Wednesday. Watch for details and an invitation to come!

What is a Synod?

A Synod is a gathering of the faithful to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church and asking her to be and to do. This gathering can involve the faithful in different ways: pastors with lay people, bishops with the other ordained ministries, pope with bishops, etc.

You will be hearing about two Synods – one that Pope Francis has called and one that Archbishop Hebda has called for the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis

Pope Francis’ Synod—which opened in October 2021 and runs until 2024 and includes local consultations as well as meetings in Rome with Church leaders and lay persons.
Archbishop Hebda began the Synod process in our Archdiocese in 2019 and 2020 with “listening sessions” in all parishes. This was put on hold during the pandemic but was completed with the Archbishop having a Synod Assembly over Pentecost Weekend in 2022. During this meeting, 464 parish representatives voted and ranked the priorities on 40 Synod Propositions.

In November of 2022, Archbishop issued his pastoral letter on the Synod and its priorities.

Year One – (July 2023-June 2024) Small Groups

Year Two – (July 2024-June 2025) The Mass

Year Three – (July 2025-June 2026) Parents as Primary Educators)

Priorities for year four and five will be determined in a meeting to be held on the Vigil of Pentecost in June 2025.

What has SKD been doing to prepare for this Synod?
1. We completed our listening sessions and provided input to the Archdiocese.
2. We had representatives at the Synod Assembly.
3. Clergy and Staff have been trained.
4. We established a SKD Synod Evangelization Team (SET Team) made up of staff and parishioners.
5. The SET team completed seven weeks of training for Synod Implementation in the February/March 2023 timeframe.

What are the next steps in Implementation at SKD?
1. We will and have been asking parishioners to consider being in small groups and/or being leaders in small groups at SKD.
2. There will be a “kick off” weekend on September 16 & 17.
3. We will begin a seven-week training period at SKD with video sessions provided by the Archdiocese beginning on Saturday, September 23. These will be two-hour sessions. A handout is available with more detail information.
4. We will do further planning in November, December, and January.
5. We will implement small groups at SKD on Ash Wednesday in February 2024.

Small groups are an opportunity to build our SKD community while enjoying the company of our fellow parishioners. Please consider joining the training sessions to help us move forward with small groups at SKD.