February Enews
 

Please make a note of the next ACTA Leeds Zoom network which will be at 2.00pm on Thursday 24 March 2022. We will be continuing discussion about the Synod - more details nearer the time

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SYNODALITY IN THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS……A Call To Action
 
ACTA Leeds NETWORK MEETING UPDATE:
 
The January Zoom network meeting was attended by 14 ACTA members from parishes across the diocese. Six had been trained by the diocese as facilitators for the Parish to Mission listening exercise. They had attended several parish meetings which were co-ordinated by the diocesan listening team before Christmas. Our zoom meeting was a good opportunity assess what had taken place and also to formulate and agree the collective response of ACTA Leeds to the Parish to Mission survey. David Jackson has written to Bishop Marcus on behalf of ACTALeeds  in support of the listening exercise. (Read letter here.) We consider this to be an essential (and permanent) facet of dialogue and discernment, our response to Pope Francis’ call to action, on Communion, Participation and Mission for Catholics in the Diocese of Leeds.
Parish involvement in the listening process.

Feedback from parish meetings.
The facilitators at our meeting each gave a brief overview of the parish meetings they co-ordinated. The number of parishioners who attended ranged from about 9 to 40. (The parish which had the highest number had been addressed at Mass by one of our zoom attendees). Most commonly the numbers were in the twenties across the eighteen or so parishes visited. All of the meetings had started with reflective prayer. Facilitators said that ‘discernment’ hadn’t previously been experienced by people in many of the parishes. In most cases, prayer was followed by parishioners splitting into small groups to consider the ten questions posed in the survey. Many used flipcharts to record people’s comments before moving on to the next survey question. Some parishes decided not to split into groups, because of low numbers. There was a strong view that the time available was too short to do justice to the important questions being asked. The way that different priests were involved was very varied. Some were present throughout, some left (perhaps to let parishioners ‘get on with it’), others participated in small group discussions. Some clergy conveyed a lack of interest, belief or understanding in the listening process. This wide variation in the approach of clergy might have arisen because of lack of diocesan training or preparation for the Parish to Mission exercise. Facilitators felt that as well as clergy, parishioners were not used to this kind of thing and parishioners didn’t connect easily with the language used in many of the questions. Others reported cathartic moments for some parishioners who for the first time had felt able to express their views.

Some of the issues raised
Some of the meetings had been lively, others less so. Some facilitators noted that attendees were generally older people. The issues which had been raised related significantly to;
  • poor communication (within the church and outside);
  • the lack of lay-involvement in parishes;
  • not knowing what these meetings were about;
  • role of women;
  • perceptions of parish priests and their roles (inhibitors or facilitators?);
  • The Church being inward looking;
  • lay-people not being listened to;
  • difficulties involving families and young people;
  • the ordination of women;
  • training of lay people;
  • hierarchical, ‘top-down’ approaches with lay-people;
  • a willingness by people to be more involved.
Anticipated Diocesan feedback to Parishes and Groups
We understood that there would soon be some form of feedback from the Diocesan Listening Team, presumably a summary of individual parish responses, to each parish. These would be sent to parish priests but we weren’t sure how they would be made available to parishioners for further reflection and discernment. David Jackson, who is a member of the Diocesan Parish to Mission Steering Committee, would try to gauge diocesan intentions for this phase of the listening process at their meeting on 2 Feb (feedback below). We noted that other dioceses (eg Westminster) had planned for sequences of more than one parish meeting, to give more time for discussion and discernment and to embed synodal processes into parish practice. Pope Francis had extended the Diocesan phase of the Church’s synodal journey until April 2022 for this purpose. We pray for more opportunities for dialogue and discernment at parish and diocesan level in our diocese, in the belief that this is just the beginning of our synodal journey together.
 
Feedback from Parish to Mission Steering Committee from David Jackson
  1. Martin had received 3 ACTA submissions and would amalgamate them into one group response.  
  2. Phase 1 great success – reflected great love of the church and good ‘heart’.  All parishes and schools had held meetings.
  3. All parishes have been sent copy of their responses this week. Big issues which cannot be addressed within a parish or diocese will go ‘higher’.
  4. Jesuits to write full combined report to Bishop Marcus to support diocese but also to take to national Bp’s conference, on to Rome synod in 2023.
  5. PHASE 2 – March/April. Facilitators to contact PPs to fix a date for another parish meeting.
  6. Focus Groups will also be involved fully in Phase 2.
  7. More focused questions ( to be finalised) will be asked round: What does parish do well? What would a parish look like if dreams realised for doing things better?
  8. PHASE 3:  How realise ‘dreams’ within declining resources available.
  9. There will be a meeting for facilitators to celebrate Phase 1 and launch Phase 2. No date yet.
A very positive meeting. The process has just begun. ACTA members /supporters can be encouraged to participate fully in the next phase  – despite obvious misgivings.  
Response of ACTA Leeds to the Listening Process as part of the Synodal journey in the Diocese of Leeds.            Jan 2022
Our closely considered and agreed responses to the diocesan survey questions are available on our website. Main headings and their short introductions  are given below. Click here for our full response  

OUR KEY POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE DIOCESAN LISTENING TEAM.
Speaking out
The people who attend our network meetings are invariably involved in other church groups, for example SVP, CAFOD, Justice and Peace, work …….

Many of our deliberations have focussed on lay people not able to participate fully in their parishes because of the views of the Parish Priest or changes by a new Parish Priest. Our view is that ‘participation’ involves not merely the ………

The role of women in our church has been a constant topic of discussion, not only in terms of what roles they may or may not have, but also the issue of ………
 
Co-responsibility and participation
Our diocesan parishes do not all have parish pastoral councils (PPCs). Furthermore new Parish Priests may refuse to continue with already established parish councils. There cannot be a sense of teamwork and co-responsibility without………..
 
In line with Pope Francis’ views, we feel strongly that clericalism is the root of many of the structural inhibitors to lay-participation and the decline of ‘authority’ in our church. This has been compounded by the ……….
 

The diocese should consider utilising its resources at Hinsley Hall to provise Zoom courses on Vatican ll to help in the formation of lay-people in parishes across the diocese so that…..
 
Co-responsible in the mission
The pandemic has taught us that we need to be able to communicate more effectively within our church and with other churches, denominations and the wider local community. We can be more effective as missionary disciples if we can…..
 
Forming ourselves in synodality
ACTA Leeds has discussed a lot of issues relating to synodality and has its membership to share its deliberations with. We have looked closely at the recent Synod 2020 in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and evidenced……….
 
ACTA Leeds 27 January 2022.

 
From Teresa Rogers

I tuned into a Tablet webinar on 26th where there was a panel of speakers....Gemma Simmonds, Nick Austin,SJ, Laurence Freeman, OSB, Christopher Lamb, and a few others who dealt with many of the issues you yourselves have encountered...I will try to give a flavour in a few points :
  • How will final decisions be made? If everybody's contribution is not honoured how can it be synodal? The problem might be in how we listen. We need to remember the 'church' is the church of the Holy Spirit..
  • Many seem to think that they have not the right to speak out or feel that the PP wont encourage. Also many groups feel excluded eg. LGBTQ, divorced, those who do not attend church any more. We have to encourage all to share their lived experiences.
  • It was stressed many times that the work has only just begun. In no sense will all the church's problems be solved in this first phase. We have to continue with creative energy. The PP is not the community or 'lord' of the community!!
  • We have to accept responsibility as the synod may lead to lay ministries leading parishes. All the baptised should be leading together as the church has a mission in the world . Pope Francis"I am a mission in the world". The theology of mission is for all the baptised.
  • If we ask how can the synod bring in abuse survivors are we asking the wrong question? Are we presuming that we are at the centre and they are on the edge? Can we allow ourselves to be accompanied  by the abused? The synod is about relationships.
  •  The abuse scandals have broken down walls and opened doors. The Holy Spirit has used the crisis to enable this.How can we encounter and enable each other to be heard? Who are the voiceless? Surely the process is about creating spaces, helping people to see that we care is REAL encounter.
  • Can the  synod process respond to the need for a deeper spirituality? As in the wedding feast of the gospel , everybody is called. We have the duty of inviting especially the young people, whose energy and thirst for spirituality is not always responded to.
  • Personal transformation is essential to institutional transformation.
  • Pope Francis did not want to call a third Vat. council he wants people to listen and the panel offered some tips for listening:   
  1. Be silent
  2. Listen to one's own heart- the kingdom within
  3. Prayer is the highest form of attention
  4. Begin and end meetings with a time of silence
How can we keep the synodal process going
Change is important  - my heart has to be changed first.
Creating a multiplicity of small groups in parishes should be the focus.....4 a good number for a group.
Continue inviting....even over a cup of tea!!

You can watch the recordings of the webinar here
 
Synod on Synodality National Survey
 
This survey is an attempt to address the fact that the Church operates with a predominatly top-down structure that may not successfully reflect the needs, desires and beliefs of the people of God within the context of their lives in today's world
 
The survey will remain open until Monday 28 February after which the results will be made available to the Conference of Catholic Bishops in England and Wales.  It is also hoped that the results will be published.   Individual participants in the survey will also have the opportunity to receive a copy of the results directly.
 
Read more and take part in survey
 
From John Wijngarrds

The Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research is working on a revolutionary study regarding structural reforms needed in the governance of the Catholic Church. It will probably take the shape of a proposed new ‘Constitution’ that would form the basis of updated Church Law.
 
Meanwhile we are also preparing a petition to Pope Francis based on my recent book ‘Ten Commandments for Church Reform’. The petition is not complete, but it highlights some urgent pastoral  reforms which the Church needs to bring about without delay. We plan to present the petition in person to the Vatican, depositing it also in the curial office which collects recommendations coming from the Synodal discussions.
 
It would be great if you would sign the petition here - https://ten-commandments.org/sign-our-petition/  
I would be grateful if you would also distribute the invitation on your mailing lists, Facebook pages, blogs or wherever, asking others to sign it and also share it as widely as possible. Non-theologians too can sign it. We would like this to be a truly international event showing the authorities in Rome that action is really needed!

Root & Branch and Scottish Laity Network are deeply grateful to MACSAS (Ministry and Clerical Sexual Abuse Survivors) and Catholic Survivors for supporting us and guiding our planning. 

This powerful series seeks positive, lay-led and empowering outcomes to create a safe and just church for all people, especially the most vulnerable. 

Please catch up with our recordings here.

And don't miss our Open Forum with all our speakers on 24th February.

 
Synodal Conversation with Rafael Luciani on Understanding the Theology of Synodality
Please click here for the recording.
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ACTA Leeds prayer -  Seeking is Seeing
 
Seeking God is as good as seeing God.
Who, but a saint,
Would know so clearly
That the journey is the reality,
The steps are sight,
The effort is reward,
The seeing is the searching,
The dream is the reality?
Seeking God is seeing God.                    
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