All are invited to participate in Synod 2027 by attending a Conversations in the Spirit session to listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit and share their personal insights – how they encounter Christ in the local Church.  Attending a Conversations in the Spirit session is the primary way the faithful can participate in Synod 2027.
Conversations in the Spirit are gatherings of the faithful for prayer, listening for the Holy Spirit and sharing personal insights of the local Church.  These sessions aim to bring the faithful into deeper communion with one another and with Christ.
The session will include time for personal prayer and reflection, followed by small-group sharing at tables of around 8 people. There’s no need to prepare written materials in advance, and everyone is welcome to share as much or as little as they feel comfortable with.
Following the sessions, the archbishop and other leaders will prayerfully review insights offered and then formulate  matters for consideration. Every prayer and personal insight offered is part of the process, but not every contribution will be closely examined at subsequent stages.
Each session will follow the same format:Â
A brief time of prayer, rooting the conversations in the presence of the Lord and asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.Â
We will have two conversations, each with three rounds of sharing:Â Â
In the first round of conversation, each person has a chance to speak. There is no discussion in this round, and there is a time of silence to allow for reflection.Â
During the second round of conversation, you will be invited to share what struck you most or what resonated for you in the first round and what moved you during the time of silence. Once again this is followed by a pause for reflection.Â
In the third round of conversation, you will reflect together on what moved you most deeply. What new insights arise? What are the common themes or fruits of the conversations?Â
The prayers and personal insights of those who attend the Conversations in the Spirit sessions are accepted with gratitude. Following the Conversations, discernment of matters is not a tallying of responses, but a prayerful reading of how the Holy Spirit is calling us to fulfill the mission of the Church at this moment. Every prayer and personal insight offered is part of the process, but not every contribution will be closely examined at subsequent stages.
Each session will include the following question for prayerful consideration: As you reflect on your experience of faith and the Church, what stands out to you—experiences of joy or hope, difficulty or disappointment, belonging or exclusion, encounter or longing?
While certain groups whose voices are not always widely represented in the Church will have cohort sessions, general sessions support a primary value of Synod 2027, that people of varying perspectives pray together and listen to one another. The decision to have cohorts was done with that reasoning in mind, knowing that there would be only a limited number of cohort sessions so as to balance the primary value of bringing groups with varying perspectives together in prayer with the need to encourage participation from groups that tend to be less represented in the Church.Â
At least one employee of the Pastoral Center or one member of the Synod 2027 Preparatory Commission will be present at every session. Â Archbishop Casey will not be present at every session.
Synod 2027 is a prayerful discernment of how God is calling our archdiocese to live out and share the Gospel. Please prepare for participation at Conversations in the Spirit sessions by spending time prayerfully considering the question below and reviewing the important formation resources.
As you reflect on your experience of faith and the Church, what stands out to you—experiences of joy or hope, difficulty or disappointment, belonging or exclusion, encounter or longing?
Synod 2027 has been designed to encourage broad participation from across the archdiocese. Sessions are offered in two formats: location sessions open to all, and cohort sessions designed to hear from specific groups of people.
Please note:
These sessions are open to all and are spread throughout the archdiocese to allow for the broadest possible participation.Â
These sessions are designed with specific groups in mind. The cohort format is designed to elevate voices that are not always widely represented in the Church.
Registration coming soon!
Please contact [email protected]
