November Enews
 
Please make a note of the next ACTA Leeds Zoom network which will be at 2.00pm on Thursday 27 January 2022

• ‘Hope’ was on the cards. Fr.Adrian Porter SJ, had given a good presentation and did not hold back from giving clear messages from the pope, confronting clericalism.
• Bishop Marcus was present.Tom said that we were all new to this kind of thing. There would be different parish experiences. The training of 80 people across the diocese was good (a number of them were involved in ACTA Leeds).
• Fr.Adrian had stressed the importance of prayer in the whole synodal process. 20mins in every hour should be devoted to reflective prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit.
• Tom was encouraged by the focus on listening skills and the development of specific roles within the listening process (eg capturing non-verbal feedback)
• He stressed that what happens in a meeting is important because it reflects ‘how we do church’.
• Fr.Martin Kelly, jointly leading on the synodal process in Leeds, was adamant that this approach should be built into the way that our faith is lived as Church in the years ahead.

1. It’s good to plan and hold meetings in our parishes, but it’s a different matter getting people to attend and respond.
2. We are charged with bringing the ‘periphery’ to the ‘centre’ in our listening exercise, but are our parishes able to reach out here?We’ll need to use our personal relationships  and calls ‘from the altar’.
3. There is a danger that the pace is fast, that some might just miss it, and some Parish Priests might feel it a real burden. We need to see it as an urgent activity and generate interest and involvement.

• Bishop Marcus had been ‘bowled over’ by the response of facilitators on the training session. He said at the Cathedral Mass to celebrate the commissioning of facilitators: ‘As a bishop I am for you, but as a Christian I am with you. ’ Bishop Marcus is very supportive of this synodal process.
• Each parish was required to forward two dates for parish meetings to facilitate diocesan planning and the allocation of three facilitators. It was later confirmed that there would be one meeting for each parish.
• There was a worry about the taking of notes at the planned parish meetings, lack of expertise in managing meetings and how notes would be summarised and presented.
• We understood that each parish would receive some form of summary, following their parish meeting.
• This training was the start of a process of how we might be a parish and should model the process of synodality as a way forward.
• The training sessions would be available on-line for nominated facilitators who weren’t able to attend on 16 or 23 October.
• The questions being addressed in the parish meetings may be completed by individuals on-line and sent to the Bishop or even Rome directly.
• Parish Priests would be present at their parish meeting but they would not be responsible for managing the meeting. This would present real opportunities for praying, sharing, listening and discerning.
• Sodalities and other faith organisations would be able to contribute to the synodal process directly. ACTA could be part of that process.
• How were primary schools to be involved (eg through parents)? How were focus groups, particularly involving those at the ‘periphery’ to be utilised?
• Local/other radio networks might be used to encourage participation of those who may feel on the ‘periphery’ of the church.
• A Diocesan Steering Group of eight people had been established and included clergy and lay people with specific expertise (eg IT). David Jackson was now a member of that group.
• David would be attending a SG meeting soon and would raise some of these issues for consideration or clarification.
• We considered this an excellent opportunity for ACTA Leeds to support the Bishop Marcus’ planned synodal process. We would send Bishop Marcus a letter to that effect.
• We learned from feedback at the recent ACTA National Conference and elsewhere, that our diocese was in the forefront of preparation for Synod 2021-2023. A report outlining progress in Leeds had been presented.
• Bishop Marcus and Bishop John Wilson (ex-Leeds) would be representing our Bishops’ Conference at the world Synod in 2023. Representatives from God’s own country…so we can’t fail.
• Bulletin entries for all the parishes in the diocese had been prepared for wide publication with an invitation to participate in the listening process.
• The Diocesan website would have updated information on ‘From Parish to Mission’ (as well as the preparatory documents which were considered by deaneries and clergy). See them here

1. Introduction to the day – Bp Marcus & Fr Martin Kelly.

1. Adrian Porter SJ (Edinburgh)

1. Vron Smith (Jesuit Spirituality team)