Pastoral Letter: The Synod

Dear Sisters and Brothers –

Last month I made mention of the Synod that Pope Francis has convoked, which is entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” I explained then that through this Synod, Pope Francis hopes to give the faithful around the world an experience of listening deeply to one another in order to hear and understand how the Holy Spirit is moving among us, in order to live communion, to achieve participation and open us to mission. In the next weeks, we will be sharing with you the two ways that we are going to participate. One will be through the Archdiocese, which will be an online survey and will give us a wonderful snapshot of our parish. The other we have designed to enable us to listen to one another, to hear our stories, and – we hope – to understand better how the Holy Spirit is moving among us.

Our Synod will take place over three sessions, each separated by a couple of weeks for prayer and reflection. Each session will have two options, so more might be able to attend. More information will be shared in the next week. In the meantime, please mark your calendars with the following dates and times: Session I – Sunday, Feb. 6, at 1pm or Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7pm; Session II – Sunday, Feb. 20, at 1pm or Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7pm; Session III: Sunday, Mar. 13, at 1pm or Thursday, Mar. 17, at 7pm. Each session will last about an hour. (Note that you do not have to participate in all three sessions, although they will build on one another). Also, there will be in-person and virtual options.

In the spirit of what Pope Francis most desires, I encourage you to think about members of your family, your friends or former parishioners who no longer practice their Catholic faith; those who may have been hurt or disaffected in some way. Theirs are voices that we perhaps most need to hear. Indeed, theirs are the voices we most want to hear. Please invite them to come, to tell their stories, so that we can become a Church and a parish that better walks with people on their journey to the Lord.

I am very excited about what we have designed, I am confident that it will facilitate our attentive listening to the Holy Spirit as she has moved and is moving in the hearts of the People of God. Again, please mark your calendars, and please pray for the success of this local and worldwide endeavor of the Church.

Unfortunately, I have some sad news to share. Luis Muñoz, our Senior Director of Parish Operations, has taken a job as Director of Operations of two Hilton Hotel properties. You might recall that Luis came to us from the hospitality industry. I am very saddened by his departure. In addition to building on the work of his predecessors, Luis has implemented SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in all areas of the parish administration, including the various financial processes and the running of the bookstore. He has also worked with the Finance Committee to implement reporting that is concise and transparent. Luis has implemented a bi-weekly Project Planning Meeting at which the staff pulls back from the nuts and bolts of getting things done and takes the longer and broader view for planning. He did all this and more as Delta dawned and as Omicron separated us once again. Most importantly, he has been a kind, energetic and positive presence in the office, the behind-the-scenes person who supported all of us in our on-the-scenes ministries. We will miss him. I will miss him. We wish you well, Luis, and we’re grateful for your commitment to us and the ways you made us better. The doors to our church and our hearts are always open. Please come back often.

In the next weeks, a small committee and I will be discussing the way forward. I expect we will start with an interim arrangement to give us time to make some good decisions. Please keep this process in your prayers. And, as always,

Oremus pro invicem,

Fr. Greg