We've only just begun
Monday, August 13, 2012
Rosemarie Banich
I was recently asked by a well-meaning person whether I was relieved that the Synod was over. My friend was aware of the listening sessions that took place in June, and wrongly assumed that their conclusion also meant the end of the Synod. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth! The Synod, to quote The Carpenters, has “only just begun.”
As faithful readers of the Synod Snapshot know, the Synod is a period of planning for the future of the archdiocese. The first step in the process is to gather information: what is the Archdiocese doing well and what could we do better. Most importantly: what is the vision of the Catholic people of South Florida for our church, as we move further into the 21st century.
Now the second phase of the Synod is underway. The responses provided on thousands of feedback forms have been entered into a database and sorted by topic. During the upcoming month, Archbishop Wenski, along with the Synod Leadership Team, will be studying the feedback to discern what the Focus Areas will be. Remember that in order to create a pastoral plan that is attainable, it must be very specific, and cannot contain more initiatives than the archdiocese can realistically accomplish. As such, it is anticipated that there will be roughly 15 Focus Areas.
Once the Focus Areas have been finalized, teams of volunteers from across the archdiocese will be assigned to work on those specific areas. This is another opportunity for you to be a part of the Synod! The application to serve on a Focus Team can be found here. The Focus Team will evaluate the listening sessions’ feedback, study the most current research related to that area of ministry, and confer with Pastoral Center and other ministry leaders.
Eventually, a drafting sub-committee of each Focus Team will draft SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goals for that Focus Area, which will be submitted to the Integrated Planning Team for inclusion in the final Synod document. There is more detailed information regarding the time commitment to serve on a Focus Team on the application itself. This is truly a unique opportunity to affect the future of the Archdiocese of Miami, and I invite you to discern whether you are called to serve in this way.
The Focus Teams will continue their work through February 2013. We will then enter the third stage of the Synod: Integrated Planning. We’ll hold off on talking about that until we are closer to that date. As you can see, the work of the Synod is really only just beginning! We thank you for your continued support and prayers, and encourage your participation, whether it be through submitting a feedback form or volunteering for a Focus Team.
The Synod Snapshot will return on August 17, and for the time being will be published bi-monthly. For more information about the Synod, please visit our website at www.synodmiami.org.
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