The archdiocese’s moment has come: Let Us Act!

By JEFF GRAHAM

At long last the Archdiocese of Vancouver is implementing propositions from the Archdiocesan Synod, a nine-year project that is finally coming to fruition. Fifty Propositions, generated by hundreds of priests, religious, and lay people from across the archdiocese, are now being put into action.

On Dec. 3 at Holy Rosary Cathedral, Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, officially declared the synod closed, and with that, officially set the initiatives from the synod into motion.

The archdiocese will be buzzing with action.  

Jeff Graham / The B.C. Catholic After years of hard work and sacrifice, Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, (right) was able to complete the excellent work of his predecessor, Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, by declaring the archdiocesan synod complete.

Almost immediately, the first 20 declarations from the synod will come into effect. Among the highlights are initiatives to encourage pastors to delegate more duties to the laity, to promote the faith formation of teachers, to initiate an adult faith formation strategy, to establish an office and vicar for evangelization, and to initiate a support group for priests.

Archbishop Roussin wrote in his Declaration on the Archdiocesan Synod, a booklet which is being distributed to every parish in the archdiocese, that he is confident the propositions resulting from the synod are wise and well thought out.

“The soundness and fidelity of the propositions passed by this Archdiocesan Synod are an indication of the Holy Spirit’s presence, a mark of the spiritual health of the archdiocese, and a credit to the wisdom of the synod members,” he wrote.

“The final propositions are a well-balanced set of goals. Even the few propositions that seem beyond present resources can be pursued as longer-term objectives. I congratulate the synod members for their prudent and realistic choices. They wisely ask the archdiocese to support some of the more challenging goals, such as the establishment of a Catholic teacher’s college, recognizing that some things can best be accomplished by motivated lay leaders.”

“With respect to the timeliness of the 50 key propositions, I believe that almost all of the 20 top-ranked propositions (as chosen by the members when surveyed) can be implemented immediately, because they recommend that the archdiocese act directly.”

Briefly, a synod is a gathering of priests, religious, and lay faithful who assist the bishop in his ministry by helping him to discern where and how his diocese can improve. The only limit placed on the scope of the synod is that it can only deal with matters capable of being decided or changed at the diocesan level. For instance, discussing an issue like embryonic adoption would be inappropriate for a synod, while discussing whether to establish a diocesan office for evangelization would be appropriate.

The synod had its beginnings when Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, released his pastoral letter, Toward a New Springtime, in May of 1997. Toward the end of that year a plan for the synod was developed, and the late Father James Provost, a specialist in canon law, was brought in to assist with the process.

In October of 1998 the synod officially got underway, and over the next two years a series of focus groups and surveys were conducted in an attempt to find out how the people and the institutions of the archdiocese were faring.

In 1999 five preliminary commissions were formed, for Mass and the Sacraments, Prayer, Teaching, Community and Fellowship, and Evangelization and Mission. The commissions were responsible for discerning the information from the surveys, and in 2001 they published their findings.

These findings were subsequently distributed for discussion among priests, religious, and laity, with two representatives from almost every parish in the archdiocese picked to openly talk about what the churches and the archdiocese could look like in the future.

Throughout 2002 and 2003 synod members prayed, talked, and debated the best ways to improve, and soon after published their first series of propositions on Prayer and on Mass and the Sacraments.

On Oct. 7, 2003, Archbishop Exner, presiding at the synod’s close, made a point of calling on members of the Church to evangelize, after which synod members again reviewed the propositions to prioritize them.

After Archbishop Exner’s 2004 retirement, the synod was delayed until the arrival of Archbishop Roussin, who was able to complete the work of his predecessor with his Dec. 3 declaration on the synod at Holy Rosary Cathedral.

“Soon after I arrived in Vancouver, I was told that the archdiocese had just finished a diocesan synod,” Archbishop Roussin wrote in the booklet, “At first, I felt somewhat apprehensive, not having taking part in its proceedings, but once I read and reflected on the synod’s work, my apprehension disappeared and I felt only enthusiasm.”

The archbishop said he believes the initiatives coming from the synod will increase the faith and strength of the faithful of the archdiocese.

“The synod’s propositions, particularly those it deemed most significant, offer a clear vision. I see them as calls, calls to make our parishes true centres of holiness and union, calls to look more carefully at the challenges we face regarding the growing number of poor, both in our midst and elsewhere.”

“The synod was shaped by these words: ‘Our vision is to promote a new springtime of faith and Christian living.’ Our challenge is to continue listening to the Holy Spirit and to follow His guidance. That vision I now make my own with you, the clergy, religious, and the lay faithful of our archdiocese.”

Each parish to begin formal pastoral planning

bishop clearly passed down to the parishes, they now each face the major task of implementing the propositions. A number of the propositions call upon parishes to act, but because parishes differ in history, size, and resources, each parish is called upon to study the propositions in light of their own circumstances and act accordingly.

To begin implementation of the declarations of the synod, the archbishop has called upon each parish to begin formal pastoral planning to identify measures from the synod they would be able to adopt immediately, while incorporating the others into a long-term pastoral plan. The bishop has also asked that each parish, by next September, have a pastoral plan for dealing with parish life.

The responsibility for implementing synod recommendations belongs to the parishes whenever possible, and only when the parishes are unable to act does a more senior level, such as an office of the archdiocese, take charge. This means the responsibility for carrying out the synod recommendations whenever possible and appropriate should be carried out by parishes working together in their deanery.

The top-ranked proposition from the synod was to encourage priests to delegate more administrative duties to the laity and focus more of their time on being the spiritual leaders of their parishes. To assist with this, the archbishop suggests that the archdiocese should provide priests concrete ways of identifying the core of their spiritual mission, while offering practical help in delegating tasks that can be shared with others.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing each parish is heeding the call to help bring about the new evangelization. Surveys and study groups conducted during the synod found that enthusiasm for and understanding of evangelization was lacking, and subsequently paid special attention to this matter, eventually deciding to recommend that the archdiocese establish an office and vicar of evangelization.

The office will not be mandated to evangelize, but will help the Archdiocese of Vancouver become an evangelizing diocese. Specifically, its mandate will be to encourage evangelization in parishes and individual Catholics and to provide training and resources.

More broadly, the office will promote the new evangelization, and will subsequently promote the evangelization of culture by bringing Christian values to the workplace, the classroom, political life, and elsewhere. One of the office’s first practical responsibilities will be to create a visioning committee of young adults, an age group the archbishop feels is often overlooked.

The synod also calls for evangelization through action, by serving the poor and through expanding the scope of charitable efforts while promoting social justice and human rights issues. To accomplish this, an Office of Service and Justice will be established and will take over most of the current functions of Catholic Charities.

Another significant initiative of the synod is the catechetical formation of adults and children.

“During the debates, it became clear that teaching the faith to adults is a task that we are neglecting, and that there is a hunger for such formation,” wrote Archbishop Roussin.

“To provide this necessary help, the Office of Religious Education will develop a comprehensive strategy for adult faith formation. This will provide vision, methods, and resources for this important work. The Office of Religious Education will be asked to work closely with the Superintendent’s Office to support faith formation for teachers in our Catholic schools, and with parishes to help them assist parents in their role as primary educators.”

Catechesis will not just focus on adults, however. Another recommendation of the synod is to provide catechetical formation for youth all the way though Grade 12.

According to the archbishop, the religious education goals will not be the sole responsibility of the Office of Religious Education, but the office will help provide resources and programs. The Youth Ministry Office will also be partially responsible with assisting in the religious education of youth.

Among other highlights of the synod is a proposed marriage enrichment program for couples married less than three years. This will be aimed at helping couples facing difficulties during the first years of marriage.

One of the most ambitious propositions from the synod is the establishment of a Catholic university, something the archdiocese has been working toward for a number of years. The archdiocese has constantly expressed its support for Redeemer Pacific College and Corpus Christi College.

A recommendation of the synod also suggests that the archdiocese should pay close attention to liturgy, especially the Mass, as the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. It has been recommended that an Archdiocesan Liturgy Commission be formed to assist in liturgical formation in parishes. The archbishop said this commission will be particularly timely with the pending new translation of the Roman Missal.

The recommendations present numerous challenges to priests, religious, and laity, and so toward the end of his writing, Archbishop Roussin exhorted his flock.

“As your archbishop, I will seek to live this call with you. We are Christ’s body, due to our baptism. My ministry in your midst will be particularly that of a shepherd among his flock.”

“In closing, I want to thank each and every member of the Archdiocesan Synod for the important service they have given, recognizing the sacrifice of weekends and evenings that it demanded of them and their family members. I am grateful also to the staff of the Synod Office and to the members of the organizing committee, who did so much to ensure a fruitful celebration of this important event in the history of the archdiocese.”

“Now is the time. Let Us Act!”