Pre-Synodal gathering at Westminster Cathedral

Singers and musicians from Hounslow parish

Source: Westminster Diocese/ICN

There was a vibrant atmosphere at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, 19 February, when hundreds of people from more than 90 parishes and 20 schools, as well as representatives from other communities, braved the aftermath of Storm Eunice to attend a day-long gathering, to "pray, listen, reflect and discern" together the synodal pathway for the diocese.

Refreshments were served by a team of volunteers in the Cathedral Hall.

As people came into the Cathedral, there was wonderful opening music and prayer from the parish music group of St Michael and St Martin, Hounslow, led by Mary Pierre-Harvey.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson introduced the day by saying that "although a great deal has been achieved already, it really is only a beginning" and that "the work we've done up to this point will now move forward in two directions."

The synodal pathway was launched with listening events that took place all around the diocese in November and December. Bishop Nicholas explained that the report from Westminster diocese is being sent to the Bishops' Conference, who will collect the findings from all dioceses in England and Wales. This report will in turn contribute to the submission to be prepared by the Bishops of Europe, which in turn will form part of the discussion at the World Synod in Rome in 2023.

He said: "We shall seek to capture for ourselves what the Spirit is saying to us as a diocese, by coming together at the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023 for a diocesan gathering where we will review our priorities for evangelization, informed by all that we have collected from the synodal process thus far."

Bishop Nicholas thanked Danny Curtin for the work he had done to facilitate the process, and handed over to him to share the feedback from the listening process with the assembly.

Danny gave a comprehensive summary of responses. He said there were many positive experiences of life in the Church: shared worship, supportive communities, caring for one another, diversity in liturgy, parish activities and communities. But there were also negative comments and sadness about those who were missing from the Church. "For many our diverse Church does not feel like an inclusive Church. Not everyone is valued: women, young people, those who are LGBT+, those with disabilities, people who are deaf, those on the peripheries and those who may feel 'outcast'. "

The responses emphasised the importance of accompanying each other and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, so as to accompany one another as we journey together.

The presentation of the findings was followed by small group discussions. Later these were shared with the assembly. (See Links below for more details)

In his reflection the Cardinal summed up the responses and reflected on what was said that day. He explained that, for him, there were four themes.

The first was a golden thread that has emerged from this process of a deep love for the Church. "It is utterly central to how we go forward together," he said. "Only this love of the Lord and of the Church can keep us together and responsive to each other, and to the Holy Spirit."

The second theme was the "great sensitivity towards those people and ventures who are 'missing', who feel left out or distanced."

He acknowledged that "these aspects of our life together are not well-known and they are certainly not embedded in the entire life of the diocese," that "there is much to do," and, "there is experience and achievements to help us to do so."

He spoke of the desire to listen to each other, but that there are "many other voices that we hear and listen to', that there is an opportunity to learn from these voices, but that 'we want to do it in a way that points to the person of Jesus as our model and our grace."

Finally he pointed to the day's Gospel reading about the Transfiguration, which teaches us that Jesus is the source of all we are and do.

The day concluded with a Liturgy of the Word. Preaching on the the Gospel Reading of the feeding of the multitude, the Cardinal noted that St John 'addresses the seeming impossibility of the mission given to the Church by Jesus.' Like the small boy whose resources are sufficient to feed a great multitude, 'this great sign and demonstration of God's faithfulness' shows that, while we have so little, "we are granted so much!" This, he said, "enables us to resolve to be as faithful as possible to that invitation, to that mission."

Colette Joyce from Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace, told ICN: "It was an important day for our Diocese, the cumulation of months of listening, sharing and discussion. The breadth of experience and diversity of the Diocese was on full display - one person described it as a mosaic where each piece was important to complete the picture. I was personally glad to hear questions about women's contribution to the Church had been raised in multiple submissions. As part of the Westminster Decarbonisation Team, I was happy to hear a commitment surfacing to tackling climate change. I look forward to contributing to on-going Synodal-style discussions within the Diocese in the months to come, especially around social justice, inclusion and unity-in-diversity."

LINKS

Feedback from listening sessions - https://rcdow.org.uk/news/feedback-from-synodal-listening-sessions/

Synod Gathering Summary - https://rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/addresses/synodal-gathering-summation/

Cardinal Vincent's homily: https://rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/homilies/synodal-gathering/

Photos from the day: www.flickr.com/photos/catholicwestminster/albums/72177720296860982