AN INVITATION from BISHOP BRADLEY

All parishes, organizations, and self-formed small groups are invited to participate in the Synodal Gatherings preceding the Synod of Bishops in 2023.  The purpose is to listen together to what the Holy Spirit is saying as it guides the Church forward.  Materials are now available for people to lead their own Gatherings.  The written conclusions from those consultations should be sent to the Coordinating Team which will synthesize them into a final report. 
              The process of prayer, reflective listening, dialogue, and reporting takes about two hours.  The Leader's Manual is available for download [see this page under RESOURCES] or here and the Gatherings can be in-person or virtual.  You are encouraged to invite others to participate including inactive Catholics, other Christians, people of other faiths, and people not affiliated with any religious practice, because the Holy Spirit can speak through us all!
              If you want your Gathering listed on the diocesan website (which means that it is open to the public), please provide the following information and submit to Synod Organizing synod@diokzoo.org as well as the diocesan Office of Communications (officeofcommunications@diokzoo.org). 
PUBLIC SYNOD GATHERING INFORMATION: 
Date, City, and Site of the Gathering  (and address if it's a private home)
Time of the Gathering  (beginning and ending, because some Gatherings are longer than others)
Do you want people to register?  If so, provide the phone number or email address  (the synod office will not handle registrations)
 

Prayer to the Holy Spirit for the Synod

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

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.

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.

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

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.  Amen.