.jpeg)
Acerca de
'Baptised and Sent': Irish Pre-Synodal Assembly Document Published
The document lists seven priorities for the pre-synodal assembly on Oct 18th and poses a series of questions for discussion beforehand.
Seven Priorities
-
Belonging: fostering a Church of welcome, inclusion, and safety where each person finds a home in community and in Christ.
-
Co-responsibility and Lay Ministry: empowering all the baptised, women and men, to share responsibility for leadership and mission through new models of ministry and decision making.
-
Family: supporting the domestic Church as the primary place of faith transmission and belonging, and strengthening its connection with parishes and schools.
-
Formation and Catechesis: deepening faith through lifelong formation that is Christ-centred, experiential, and equips the baptised for discipleship in today’s world. Rooted not only in learning but also in liturgy and sacramental life, so that prayer and worship become living sources of faith, understanding, and mission.
-
Healing: acknowledging wounds, especially those caused by abuse; committing to accountability, justice, and reconciliation; and ensuring safe spaces for survivors and all who carry pain.
-
Women: recognising and including women’s gifts, leadership, and co-responsibility at every level of Church life, as a matter of justice and credibility.
-
Youth: engaging young people with authenticity, offering them meaningful roles in leadership and mission, and listening to their hopes and challenges.
‘Baptised and Sent‘ – a preparatory document for the 18th Oct 2025 Pre-Synodal Assembly in Kilkenny – has been published by the Irish national synodal team.
A document of just 36 pages, it summarises the national team’s analysis of feedback from diocesan and other Irish church bodies convened to follow the synodal process begun in 2021 – and to express views on the ideal priorities to be followed by a church experiencing radical change. All in the wake of internal scandals, a shrinking clerical cohort, the coronavirus pandemic and a rapidly changing and media-frazzled society.
The dominant theme is the primary importance of the sacrament of Baptism as the basis of the Christian ‘call’.
Click on image to download document
“Baptism is the foundation of Christian life. This is because it introduces everyone to the greatest gift, which is to be children of God, that is, to share in Jesus’ relationship to the Father in the Spirit. There is nothing higher than this baptismal dignity, equally bestowed upon each person, through which we are invited to clothe ourselves with Christ and be grafted onto Him like branches of the one vine.”
Welcome to the Synodal Pathway
Synodality expresses how the Spirit shapes the Church...
In his recent homily for the Vigil of Pentecost, Pope Leo renewed his heartfelt commitment to synodality, our call to walk together as one people, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Pope Leo reminded us that the Spirit of the Lord, who descended upon Jesus and set his mission in motion, is the same Spirit who gathers and guides us today. As the Pope powerfully proclaimed:​
“On the evening of my election, moved as I looked out at the people of God gathered here, I spoke of ‘synodality,’ a word that aptly expresses how the Spirit shapes the Church.”
The Holy Father reminds us that the Church is not a collection of separate paths but a single journey united in Christ. He said, “God created the world so that we might all live as one.'Synodality' is the ecclesial name for this.
Calling us to live this vision in every parish, community, and meeting, Pope Leo said, "We are a people on the move. This does not set us apart but unites us to humanity like the yeast in a mass of dough, which causes it to rise. The year of the Lord’s grace, reflected in the current Jubilee, has this fermentation within it. In a divided and troubled world, the Holy Spirit teaches us to walk together in unity. The earth will rest, justice will prevail, the poor will rejoice and peace will return, once we no longer act as predators but as pilgrims. No longer each of us for ourselves, but walking alongside one another."
Let us respond to this invitation with open hearts!
You can read the full homily from the Holy Father at https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/homilies/2025/documents/20250607-veglia-pentecoste.html
Meath Diocese Strengthens Synodal Practice
Click on image to read the full article in The Irish Catholic Newspaper
Diocese Completes Series of Training Workshops in the 'Conversation in the Spirit'
During the month of June 180 members of Parish Pastoral Councils across the Diocese of Meath registered for training workshops in the Conversation in the Spirit method of listening and discernment in order to arrive at decisions to promote the Church’s mission in the Parish.
As a method, it promotes a prayerful discernment of questions that must be considered to build consensus and to ensure that the process of decision making is guided by the Holy Spirit.
Training took place in four centres across the Diocese: Dunshaughlin, Kinnegad, Tullamore, and Drogheda. The training workshops were offered by members of the Diocesan Synodal Team. The 2-hour session introduced the method and equipped participants to conduct a Conversation in the Spirit in their Parish Pastoral Council. A specially produced resource for this purpose was prepared by members of the Diocesan Synodal Team and is available from the Diocesan Office.
Quoting Bishop Deenihan, he said, "As the Church comes to a greater awareness of its synodal nature, whereby we journey together as the People of God seeking to grow in faith, hope and love, and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others, Conversation in the Spirit methodology has become a primary tool on our journey.' He went on, 'In terms of the shaping of the Church in the
Diocese of Meath into the future, the Parish
Pastoral Councils play a key role.
Therefore, it is necessary that the members
of the Councils are constantly discerning
the voice of the Holy Spirit so that we can
ensure that the main protagonist in all that
we do is the Risen Lord who is present in
the Church through the Holy Spirit."
Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod
Click on image to download the Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod document.
On Thursday 27 June 2025, members of the XVI Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod approved the 'Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod' – a tool designed to accompany the final phase of the synodal process. The text serves as a means of fostering dialogue between local Churches and the General Secretariat of the Synod and promoting the exchange of experiences among the Churches.
​
Referencing the 'Final Document', the text, structured around four chapters, aims first and foremost to provide an interpretive key for understanding the implementation phase of the synodal process: “the synodal form of the Church is at the service of its mission, and any change in the life of the Church is intended to make it more capable of proclaiming the Kingdom of God and bearing witness to the Gospel of the Lord to the men and women of our time” (from the Introductory Letter). The text then focuses on the intended recipients of the outlines: primarily the diocesan bishop and the synodal teams. The third chapter offers a set of fundamental criteria to help ensure that local implementation remains in harmony with that of the universal Church. The final chapter addresses the question of methodology and tools.
Documents from the Synodal Process
Baptised and Sent 2025
.png)
Final Document 2024
Instrumentum Laboris 2024
Synthesis Report
First Session
.png)
Instrumentum Laboris 2023
Pope Francis' Homily at the
Conclusion of the Synod
National Phase
Resources
Fr. Declan Hurley's Conference Paper
19-20 April, Knock
Diocesan Submission to National Synodal Team
April 2024
Synod - October 2023
Diocesan Phase
Continental Phase
Synodal Timeline
"In the Church, everything starts with baptism. Baptism, the source of our life, gives rise to the equal dignity of the children of God, albeit in the diversity of ministries and charisms. Consequently, all the baptised are called to take part in the Church's life and mission."
Pope Francis, opening Mass for the Synod, 'For a Synodal Church, Communion, Participation and Mission'
Synodal Resources
Following the 2023 Winter General Meeting of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, a research report, commissioned by the National Steering Committee of the Irish Synodal Pathway was published.
In keeping with the spirit and methodology of the synodal process, the National Steering Committee wanted to ensure that those who worked to create the spaces for others to be heard (during the Diocesan Stage of the synodal process in 2022) were afforded that same space for reflection and listening. The report provides valuable insights into the experiences, motivations and concerns of local leaders. It reflects a group that is diverse in terms of experiences and opinions, but united in their concern for the present and future mission of the Church, and in the conviction that the synodal process is an important development in the life of the Church.
Click on image above for www.synod.ie
In fulfilment of its remit to guide a two-year process of synodal listening and discernment for the Catholic Church in Ireland, the Report from the Steering Committee for the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland has now been published. Documenting the learning and offering recommendations to help shape and inform the next phase of the Irish Synodal Pathway, the report provides:
-
an overview of the work carried out
-
an explanation of the key milestones on the journey so far
-
key features of the context in which the Catholic Church in Ireland is undertaking this synodal journey
-
examples of synodal dialogue and outreach to illustrate the variety, creativity and significance of the work that has taken place to date
-
key themes in the learning from this initial two-year phase
-
insights into the experiences, motivations and concerns of local leaders (arising from research published separately at synod.ie/Research Report)
-
a series of recommendations for the next phase of the Irish Synodal Pathway
An brief executive summary is available on
pages 4 – 7 of the Report.
Click on image above for www.synod.va