Synodal Summit: Welcoming and Belonging (June 2023)

SYNODAL SUMMIT

Kickstarting Year One of Building on the Synod

To find recordings from today and resources throughout the year, visit our welcoming and belonging webpage:

www.davenportdiocese.org/welcoming-belonging or scan here:

Doors Open

Opening Prayer

Panel #1: Communion

Panel #2: Participation

Lunch

Panel #3: Mission

Action Planning

Summit Closes

The Icon of the Most Holy Trinity

The icon, originally written by Andrei Rublev in 1425, depicts – on one level

the three angels who visited Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:1-15). At the same time, we are also meant to see the three as a depiction of the Holy Trinity. Rublev’s icon, therefore, invites us to contemplate the Trinity, whose very nature is community, unity-in-diversity, love poured out for the other. And just as Abraham and Sarah are “icons” of hospitality, we are invited to move from prayerful adoration of the Trinity to being “icons of hospitality,” too overcoming all fear and hatred (as Henri Nouwen puts it in Behold the Beauty of the Lord).

The Book of the Gospels

When the Church gathers in council, or synod, it is customary to invoke the Holy Spirit (as we will do in this opening prayer) and to enthrone the Book of the Gospels as a reminder that Christ is in our midst. More than that, Christ is the true “presider” of any council or synod. Called by Christ, we gather in Christ’s Name as the Body of Christ. We gather under Christ’s authority to discern: to listen to what the Word has to say to us; and then we are sent to follow what the Word asks of us.

Greeting

Bishop: All:

Bishop: All:

+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Peace be with you.

And with your spirit.

Liturgy of the Word

Reading: Genesis 18:1-15

Response: Synod Prayer

Please be seated

Side 1 is toward the ambo with the Book of the Gospels.

Side 2 is toward the icon of the Trinity.

Bishop:

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.

Side 1:

With you alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.

Side 2: 4

We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.

Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.

Side 1:

Let us find in Your our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.

Side 2:

All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.

All:

Amen.

There is no formal conclusion to the opening liturgy; our whole time together, therefore, is held in the context of prayer. Our prayer ends only at the conclusion of the day.

Welcoming address

Bishop Thomas Zinkula

Introductory video

Testimonials from parishioners around the diocese

Partner conversations

Share a personal experience of a time when...

you felt like you belonged in the Church

you felt like you were not welcome in the Church a time when you extended welcome to someone

Small,rural,parishclusterexperience

JOHN COOPER

Belonging at St. Anthony's and welcoming the Hispanic community from St. Mary's DCN.FRANKAGNOLI

Liturgicalhospitality

DAN EBENER

The role of listening in welcoming and ideas from other dioceses

N O T E S F R O M P A N E L 1

N O T E S F R O M P A N E L 2

AMYNOVAK

Young adults and the Church

SR. IRENE MUÑOZ

Cultivating unity in multicultural settings

FR. THOM HENNEN

Ministry to LGBTQ+ persons

MARIANNEAGNOLI

Ministrytodivorcedandremarried

persons;interfaithmarriages

N O T E S F R O M P A N E L 3

A c t i o n

Instructions:

Identify practices from today that you could take home and work on. Include both easier first steps and more challenging areas.

Example #1: liturgical hospitality

Invite ushers, greets, music ministers, lectors, altar servers, and those responsible for the liturgy into dialogue about taking welcoming and belonging to the next level.

Invite them to re-examine current practices, especially in the context of regular (monthly?) group conversations. Invite them to lead these conversations, never stopping at "I think we ' ve got this figured out."

Reach out to folks at the diocese, such as Dcn. Frank Agnoli to brainstorm.

Example: build a culture of small groups

Ask people in the community what they might be interested in and build a calendar of offerings.

Personally invite Chris, Raul, Grace, and Kim to start their own groups and invite those who aren't often involved.

Ask pastor to promote at the end of Mass.

Ask parish council/school board to support, promote, and help implement this vision for the community.

Reach out to folks at the diocese for a list of resources.

p l a n s

Practice #1:

HOW/WHEN TO BEGIN? WITH WHOM?

Practice #2:

HOW/WHEN TO BEGIN? WITH WHOM?

Practice #3:

HOW/WHEN TO BEGIN? WITH WHOM?

B u i l d i n g

Instructions:

Reflect on people in your community who would be good to collaborate with in the next year. If there isn't one yet, consider building a team for your setting. This will help with buy-in and long term effectiveness in integrating welcoming and belonging in your setting. Consider:

inviting leadership that reflects the demographics of your setting, especially youth;

inviting leadership from the peripheries of the community; they will bring an important perspective to the table.

Person #1:

WHAT COULD THEY WORK ON? HOW CAN YOU COLLABORATE WITH THEM?

A t e a m

Person #2:

WHAT COULD THEY WORK ON? HOW CAN YOU COLLABORATE WITH THEM?

Person #3:

WHAT COULD THEY WORK ON? HOW CAN YOU COLLABORATE WITH THEM?

Other notes:

C L O S I N G P R A Y E R

Prayer: Blessing of Water

Bishop:

Let us pray.

O God, the creator of all things, by water and the Holy Spirit you have given the universe its beauty and fashioned us in your own image.

All:

Bishop:

Bless and purify your Church.

O Christ the Lord, from your pierced side you gave us your sacraments as fountains of salvation.

All:

Bishop: All:

Bishop: All:

Bless and purify your Church.

O Holy Spirit, giver of life, from the baptismal font of the Church you have formed us into a new creation in the waters of rebirth.

Bless and purify your Church.

Let this water call to mind our baptism into Christ, who has redeemed us by his death and resurrection.

Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Acts 15:22-31

Response: Prayer for the Year of Welcoming and Belonging

Side 1 is toward the ambo with the Book of the Gospels.

Side 2 is toward the icon of the Trinity.

Side 1:

Pilgrim God, God of the journey…

As You walked with us in the garden of your creation And led your people from slavery to freedom, You travel the way with us still, faithful and true.

Side 2:

Bridge-building God, Communion of Love…

You mend wounds and overcome divisions, You erase borders and boundaries, You gather what is scattered and make us one.

Side 1:

Grant us the grace

to be as welcoming as Sarah and Abraham, as Mary and Martha and Lazarus; to see in our diversity and differences the wonderous richness of your gifts, the outpouring of your Spirit; to have hearts open to surprise, and ears open to hearing the stories around us, stories of joy and hope, of grief and anxiety. For to welcome any as guest is to welcome your Christ.

Please be seated

Side 2: All:

C L O S I N G P R A Y E R

Of the many parts, from Melcher to Muscatine; from Colfax to Keokuk; from Centerville to Sugar Creek make us one Body, one spirit in Christ. In whose most Holy Name we pray.

Amen.

Gospel: Luke 14:12-24

Intercessions & Blessing

Response: Lord, hear our prayer. At the conclusion of the intercessions, the bishop blesses all those present as they begin their ministry:

Bishop: All:

Deacon: All:

God of glory, your beloved Son has shown us to walk the way of humility, with listening hearts.

+Bless our brothers and sisters, who have responded to the needs of our diocese and wish to commit themselves to your service during this synodal year of welcoming and belonging.

Grant that their ministry may be fruitful, our communities more hospitable, and our lives pleasing in your sight.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

A hymn is then sung during which the people are sprinkled with the newlyblessed water… since all ministry flows from baptism.

Hymn

Music removed for copyright purposes

Music removed for copyright purposes

Branding explained:

Welcoming and Belonging: To meet. To Seek. To Follow.

The tent imagery was unpacked.

Guideposts:

These were shared as frames of reference to reflect on welcoming.

Personal experiences of belonging and unbelonging were shared in small groups.

Information on the Summit and the year ahead:

The chancery wants to support local work reps are pursuing.

As a fruit of what was heard in listening sessions, the chancery is planning support for ministry in the areas of LGBTQ+ persons and their families and divorced and civilly remarried persons.

T E N T I M A G E R Y

"To the people in exile the prophet’s [Isaiah] words evokes the experience of the exodus, when they dwelt in tents, and announces the promise of the return to the land, a sign of joy and hope. To prepare, it is necessary to enlarge the tent, acting on the three elements of its structure. The first is the tent cloth, which protect from the sun, wind and rain, delineating a space of life and conviviality. They need to be spread out, so that they can also protect those who are still outside this space, but who feel called to enter it. The ropes that hold the cloths together are the second structural element of the tent. They must balance the tension needed to keep the tent from drooping with the softness that cushions movement caused by the wind. That is why if the tent expands, the ropes must be stretched to maintain the right tension. Finally, the pegs are the third element: they anchor the structure to the ground and ensure its solidity, but remain capable of moving when the tent must be pitched elsewhere."

Excerpt from "Enlarge the Space of your Tent, " the Working Document for the Continental Stage of the Synod.

Not a program, but a journey.

Not implementation, but integration.

Not committees, but community.

Not numbers, but relationships.

Not recruiting, but attracting.

Not judging, but listening.

Not tasks, but values.

Not answers, but questions.

Not me, but the Holy Spirit and us.

COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

20. Experiencing the church as a welcoming, loving, and active community came up in almost every listening session for the Synod. This is vital to the life of the church. The comments received included over 1300 related to community and over 1800 related to a sense of welcome or belonging. Furthermore, comments related to other themes and topics such as women and LGBTQ+ also addressed the need to feel welcome within the church. Hearts are filled with joy when we gather for worship, when we learn and work together, and when we reach out together to meet the needs of the wider community. Respondents asserted that if we are to keep moving on our own faith journey, we need one another. Responses from Confirmation classes and from students at St. Ambrose University in particular demonstrated that for young people, community and belonging is a central value.

21. While there was overwhelming agreement on the importance of community, respondents’ experiences of the church varied widely. Some of the diversity seems to be related to differences among individual parishes. Some spoke of seeing people hurry away after

church, not taking time even to greet others. Some parishes have customs such as offering refreshments after at least some Masses in order to encourage members to stay and converse. Some parishes seem to do a better job than others of welcoming new members.

22. A significant number of young adults described the church as failing to welcome all. In fact, reviewers noted that among young adults the number of those with heartbreaking concerns far exceeds the number of those who say their hearts are filled by the church’s welcome. Most of their comments referred to the whole church rather than to a particular parish, and often included the term “judgmental” in the description of the unwelcoming attitude. The inability to share Eucharist with Christians of other denominations or with those who are divorced and remarried was one area of concern.

YOUTH AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

23. Perceptions of the church as rigid and as closed to certain groups appear to be one factor when youth and families are not engaged in the church. Another perceived factor in their absence is a culture in which church and faith are not a priority. Still other responses referred to a lack of catechesis and to parents not passing on the faith to children.

24. Synod participants noted that numbers of young people and families at Mass as well as in religious education and youth groups are small in comparison with the number of young people and families who are registered in the parish. One person lamented seeing “so many empty pews.” Overwhelmingly, those who commented longed to see families and young people at worship and at other parish activities. Many stated that they are inspired when they see young people in church, when new families join the parish, and when they hear about young members going on mission trips, or enjoying such activities as the National Catholic Youth Conference and retreats. Comments included a clear message that the church needs to pay more attention to young people and make better efforts to serve their needs.

WELCOMING ALL

25. Along with a significant number of young people, members of other groups feel marginalized in the church, no matter what age they are. Divorced people, even those who are not remarried or who have completed the annulment process before remarrying, said they have felt unwelcome and/or judged by church members. While that situation may be improving, additional progress is needed. Single people in general and especially single mothers seem to feel more welcome in some parishes than in others. Immigrant workers

mentioned ways in which they felt excluded while also expressing ways that their experience of the church fills their hearts.

26. Both church members of European descent and those of other racial or ethnic groups stated that we have a long way to go in appreciation and integration of diverse cultures in our worship and community life. Some parishes do have bilingual liturgies or liturgies in languages other than English. Some have events that express cultural traditions other than Anglo, but not enough of that is happening.

27. Ninety-four percent of over 300 comments related to LGBTQ+ persons were broken heart comments. Most of these comments were about the church failing to welcome LGBTQ+ persons. On the other hand, Pope Francis, Bishop Zinkula, and some parishes were commended for their efforts to be more inclusive.

Read the full diocesan synod report at this website: www.tinyurl.com/2xmv33vr or scan here

You may have questions that arise as this year unfolds. Know that we are here for you. There's a team of friendly faces at the chancery who are happy to help brainstorm, share ideas, and discuss the realities you are facing. Don't hesitate to reach out.

Primary contacts for the year:

agnolim@davenportdiocese.org

ney@davenportdiocese.org JEFF

davenportdiocese.org

T h a n k y o u !