An invitation

Some, but not all of you, will be aware that the work of the synod on synodality is now in the implementation phase. This phase emphasises the ongoing heart of what it means to be a synodal Church and how the aim of it is to cultivate and nurture flourishing parishes in communion for mission.

We are now in a phase of being encouraged to tell our story, to share how we do things and how well we are doing. It is also an opportunity to consider where we might want to grow further, conscious that we are all on a journey of conversion. It is important that we can celebrate what is going well and give encouragement to one another. This we will do at a Diocesan Assembly on 5th June 2027.

As a way of gathering the stories for this event there will be the opportunity to come together to listen to one another and hear the many stories that are shaping our parishes and communities.

These meetings will take place in February and March in four areas of the Diocese.

St Patrick, Brockworth: 30 January

St George, Taunton: 20 February

St Bernadette Secondary School, Whitchurch: 27 February

St John the Baptist, Trowbridge: 13 March

In order to prepare for these important events, Bishop Bosco is encouraging us to start the process of reflecting in our Parishes on the ways in which we are nurturing a culture of synodality in our Liturgy, our formation programmes and our outreach to the poor and the marginalised. The aim of this is not to write a long report but to capture a picture of what is happening in our Diocese.

Please see parish resource which you may find useful.

To date, we have held online and in person meetings to assist people to engage with this process including how to facilitate groups. The following events and opportunities will continue to help us in our recollections and reflections:

Synodal Information sessions

Extra dates: Telling our Story: an opportunity to hear and find out more about the next stage of implementing the final document which came from the Synod in Rome. During this short online session, we will share with you what is being asked of our parishes over the coming months in the run up to a Diocesan Assembly in June 2027.

Please do come with all your questions and help us to shape the way forward. Sign up for one of the sessions and encourage your fellow parishioners to join us. You only need to attend one of the following:

Thursday 15 October, 7-8pm: https://synodal1510.eventbrite.co.uk

Tuesday 20 October, 2-3pm: https://synodal2010.eventbrite.co.uk

Tuesday 27 October, 3-4pm: https://synodal2710.eventbrite.co.uk

Running listening conversations in your parish

We have added two online sessions for the opportunity to develop an understanding of how to run listening conversations in your Parish and actively respond to the invitation to explore how we are flourishing as Parishes in Communion for Mission.

These dates are:

Wednesday 28 October, 7pm: https://Listening2810.eventbrite.co.uk

Tuesday 10 November, 7pm: https://Listening1011.eventbrite.co.uk

When you register for one of these sessions you will receive the Teams link to the meeting within your Eventbrite ticket.

Please feel free to invite anyone you know who may not have received this email, especially new parishioners, people newly received into the Church and young people. If you have any questions about any of this, please do contact the Synodal team by emailing synod@cliftondiocese.com

Telling our story - Shoots of Hope or Choking Thorns?

A Conference to explore how our parishes can flourish in Communion for Mission and the challenges we face, on Saturday 14 November, 10am-3pm at St John the Baptist, Trowbridge.

As Parishes we are being invited to participate in a reflection on the good things that we are doing in our Parishes which demonstrate how we are working and flourishing together as Parishes in Communion for Mission. Through this we nurture a culture of synodality. However, we recognise that not everyone may see what they are doing as synodal.

Shoots of Hope or Choking Thorns is an opportunity for us to listen to the stories of one another, hear what works and what have been the challenges that we have encountered and overcome. Our keynote speaker will be Fr Jerome Ajakaiye, who will offer his thoughts and encouragement as a Parish Priest.

In addition, individuals from around the Diocese will share their stories of seeds that have been sown and flourished. Please do come and take this opportunity to learn how to recognise synodality in your own Parish and how to encourage your Parish to share with each other the shoots of hope that are present.

To register for the day, please click on the Eventbrite link:

https://shootsofhope.eventbrite.co.uk

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We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to this exciting new stage of the journey.

If you have any questions about any of this, please do contact the team by emailing synod@cliftondiocese.com

Every blessing from the Diocesan Synod team

Sarah Adams (Director for the Department of Evangelisation and Mission)

Matt Reed (Somerset)

Pat Reed (Somerset)

Louise White (Schools and Colleges)

Fiona Mills (Forest of Dean)

Jonathan Wilmer (Gloucestershire)

Christopher Page (Wiltshire)

Dave Blake (Wiltshire)

Simon Napper (Wiltshire)

Penny Sweet (Consecrated Life)

Fr Joby Lukose (Religious Orders)

Fr Jerome Ajakaiye (Diocesan Priests)

Deacon Lawrence McCarthy (South Gloucestershire)

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Clifton’s Response to the Roman Synthesis

In response to the Synthesis which came from Rome in November, 2023, a group of parishioners and theologians from across the Diocese met to reflect upon the document and make a response. The time allowed for this activity was very short and so three areas within the Rome synthesis were focused upon. These were : Gathered and sent by the Trinity, Church is Mission and People in Poverty, Protagonists of the Church’s Journey. This report is the fruit of reflection and Conversations in the Spirit. The report was then sent to the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales as Clifton’s response.  We hope it will help us to continue our synodal journey particularly in response to the areas raised for the diocese to address. You can read the full report here: Response to Synthesis Report 2023

If you’d like to read the reflection from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which was submitted to Rome, you can find it here: www.cbcew.org.uk/synod submission plenary 2024

A Synodal Church in Mission

At the beginning of October 2023, Bishops, Priests, Religious and lay people (male and female) gathered around the Pope in Rome for the Synod of Bishops. This meeting was part of a three-year process which will continue until the same people meet again in Rome in October 2024. Their time together was graced by time spent in retreat with the Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe in the three days before the Synod began. His talks can be found here: https://www.synod.va/en/highlights/retreat-for-the-participants-of-the-synodal-assembly.html All the documents of the whole Synod can be found here: https://www.lcsb.uk/synod.

 Following the retreat, the participants gathered daily. Unlike previous Synods they did not sit in theatre style rows listening to long speeches. Rather they sat around tables of 10-11 people of mixed groups. The method for working was ‘Conversations in the Spirit’ each person having the opportunity to speak for no more than four minutes on the questions from the Instrumentum Laboris (available on this page). Reports speak of the challenge and the energy required to listen – really listen to one another. The groups were joined by expert facilitators given the role of ensuring that the method was followed, keep everyone to time and intervene when necessary. Two members of the group acted as secretary and rapporteur, to draft and deliver the fruits of the conversation to the rest of the assembly. As a diocese, we have been encouraging and using Conversation in the Spirit (CiS) since the start of the Synodal Journey. It is a way of working which is deeply effective because it allows everyone a voice. It is only when gathering the fruits of the conversation, does discussion become a part of the process. We call it ‘Listening with the Heart.’ It can be applied to any form of meeting when we are wanting to hear what others have to say.

The fruits of the Synod in Rome are now available for us to read. The forty pages offer us much food for thought. It has 81 proposals and around 20 calls for theological, canonical, and pastoral commissions to clarify and propose solutions.

We encourage everyone to read it and to reflect upon the content. Over the next few months, we will seek to explore what it offers and to continue the conversation in our own parishes and Diocese – ready to respond to how the Spirit is calling us.

Synthesis Report Rome 2023

The following four webinars each focused on a different section of the Synodal Instrumentum Laboris and provide a wealth of insight into how we can journey together effectively, and how we can embody the synodal themes of communion, participation, and mission in our communities.

Clifton Diocese continued its synodal journey with three events facilitated by Danny Curtin. Two sessions were in person, at St John the Baptist in Trowbridge and St Nicholas of Tolentino in Bristol, and one was online. Danny spent time reflecting on what has come from the synodal process so far, highlighting in particular Bishop Declan’s comments on Clifton Diocese’s own synodal document, and on the national reflection document. Our Synodal journey is grounded in prayer, and in the desire to discern the will of the Spirit, and Danny reminded us that this prayerful centre is what distinguishes a synodal meeting from a business meeting. Just because synodal meetings are not business meetings does not mean that no action follows from them. In the facilitation sessions, Danny provided some tools to help parishes concretise the hopes that grow in synodal listening and meetings. These are the 8 Archetypes of Engagement and the six-step Cycle of Engagement.

Wherever you, and your parish, are in the synodal journey, these tools can help build up your community. A simple synodal step anyone can take this advent is to reflect on the 8 Archetypes of Engagement. Which one sounds most like you? Are there any that you don’t like, and push you away? Which of the archetypes do you see in the people around you? Ponder these questions as Advent progresses. If someone invites you to join in something, use the archetypes to see if you can engage where you feel called. “I’m happy to help set up the chairs or clean the space [Help Archetype], but I don’t want to plan the event [Strategy Archetype]” Or if you’re hoping to get involved, reach out to others in your parish. “I have some ideas I’d like to chat about [Generative Archetype]” or “I like what this group does. Could I join and help out?” [Support Archetype]

But, as Danny, Bishop Declan, and Pope Francis remind us, prayer is at the heart of our synodal journey. Prayer keeps us connected with the Holy Spirit, and allows the Lord to guide us. So in the words of St Paul, “Pray Constantly!” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Enlarge the Space of your Tent - an opportunity to respond to the Continental working document of the Synod - 15 December 2022

To support this process and to help you to respond, we held an online session to allow you to understand the content of the document and to explain to you the three questions to which we are being asked to respond. Fr Jan Nowotnik, Director of Mission and National Ecumenical Officer at Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, facilitated the session for us and Bishop Declan started off the presentation with a message.

The presentation can be viewed below.

The next two years in the life of the Church

what exactly is synodality and what does it mean for Catholics in England and Wales? Fr Chris Thomas, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Father Jan Nowotnik, Director of Mission, discuss the process and explain this invitation to communion, participation and mission.

Sarah Adams, Adult education and evangelisation department

Synod Listening Conversation presentation 12-01-2022