CHARLOTTE — Over the past five months, thousands of people across the Diocese of Charlotte have taken part in nearly 350 listening sessions as part of the Church’s worldwide conversation on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.”
Dr. Alessandro Rovati, department chair and assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College, was appointed by Bishop Peter Jugis to serve as the official contact person for the diocesan phase of the unprecedented worldwide synod.
Last fall Rovati reached out to all 92 parishes and missions, schools and colleges, auxiliary groups, lay movements, third orders, charitable ministries, religious communities, minority communities, immigrant populations, campus and youth ministries, and more.
Local listening sessions started in January. To date, more than 6,000 people have participated in synod discussions across the diocese. Another 1,000 people responded to the survey questions online.
“I sat in on almost 30 sessions across the diocese,” Rovati said. “I tried to visit as many places as I could. I got to meet people, to listen to them and rejoice in the many testimonies which were shared.”
He reports that across the diocese discussions so far have included: 67 parishes and missions; 17 diocesan offices and ministries (including Catholic Schools and Campus Ministry); two religious orders (the Sisters of Mercy of Belmont and the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey), in addition to 18 lay associations, apostolates and groups.
As of May 20, Rovati has received 100 reports from the synod discussions so far and expects to receive at least 50 more.
“What is impressive is that behind these numbers are people who took time to consider the questions and share their testimonies and comments,” Rovati said.
Rovati noted that he has already begun sharing some of his findings with Bishop Jugis.
He will present a preliminary report at a common gathering scheduled for June 11 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. The gathering will include the bishop as well as representatives of the different groups, who will have an opportunity to share some of the key results and testimonies from their listening sessions.
Looking back over the local synod process that is unfolding, Rovati emphasized, “It’s really moving that so many people expressed a desire to go deeper in a life of faith, to entrust their comments to the Church community and to respond to call of Bishop Jugis and the pope.”
A summary or “synthesis” of the diocesan-level synod will be sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by June 30. The USCCB will then send a synthesis of all the U.S. dioceses’ work to the Vatican.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
For more information
At www.charlottediocese.org/synod2023: Learn more about the Synod 2021-2023