HONG KONG (SE): With the diocesan process for the Synod of Bishops 2023 on Synodality having started, the Consultation Committee for the 16th Synod of Bishops began conducting a briefing sessions for parishes, schools and youth groups starting November.
During the briefing session at the Diocese Centre for parish leaders and staff of Church organisations on November 5, members of the committee explained the method of consultation and encouraged them to carry out the process in a synodal and prayerful way.
During the briefing, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing said that the synod is meant to help people hear the voice of the Holy Spirit who is present among the people of the Church in prayers and discussions. “We listen to the Holy Spirit as you raise your views, and then take actions and spread the gospel,” he said.
Bishop Ha stressed that the synod will provide a good opportunity for formation as people listen to and learn from each other. The committee has also translated the questionnaire provided by the the General Secretariat of the Synod for the local Church.
Bishop Ha invited individuals, parishes and communities or groups to fill in the questionnaire. People can choose the questions they want to answer. He also encouraged them to take the initiative to hear the voices of the people who rarely appear in parishes and those who felt hurt by the Church.
The committee invited people to submit their questionnaires before April 30 next year. The diocese will collate the answers, write a report and submit it to the General Secretariat of the Synod before August 15.
Committee member, Lee Kit-wai, invited people to fill in the questionnaire with understanding and humility, and support the formation process. The questionnaire is divided into three parts. The first part, with the theme, Communion, asks people to think about who our companions are; The second part entitled Mission is about the call to participate in the mission of the Church and encourage dialogue in Church, society and among Christians; while the third part is about Participation, identifying, as the Church community, the goals to be pursued and the way to reach them.
Bishop Ha stressed that the synod will provide a good opportunity for formation as people listen to and learn from each other. The committee has also translated the questionnaire provided by the the General Secretariat of the Synod for the local Church.
As for to how the consultation is to be carried out, the committee suggested the Church conduct it through holding prayer meetings. The diocesan website will offer the relevant materials for people to do reflections on the Bible, as well as other suggestions to support more open discussions in unity.
Precious Blood Sister Christina Cheung Suk-Yuen of the committee, spoke about the methodology for conducting group sessions by separating the participants into groups. Care should be taken and each group should consist of a certain number of people from different backgrounds. She invited people to choose one member to lead the discussions, and that these should be recorded and summarised by another member. She added that it woud be good if there could be three reporting sessions in a two hour discussion.
One parish council member expressed concerns that the consultation process might overlap with parish renewal tasks. However, Bishop Ha said the two projects are of identical nature and the services and sharing sessions carried out during parish renewal are in line with the theme of the synod.
Eva Li Yee-fu, chairperson of the parish council of St. Bonaventure Church, Tsz Wan Shan, who attended the briefing session on November 5, said lay people should play an active role in spreading the gospel in the local community which is also a good way to hear the voices of the people outside the Church. The parish runs a centre that serves Catholic and non-Catholic young people, and is thinking about different tools of evangelistion and ways to organise more activities for them so that they can hear one another and let their needs be known.
Father Pierre Lam Minh, parish priest of Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Kennedy Town, who joined a briefing for religious people on November 4, said the consultation can remind the faithful to listen more closely to the voice of the marginalised so that the evangelisation work of the parish can bring about more harmony in society. The theme of his parish this year is Communion as well.
The first stage of the synod will end in August next year. The results of the consultation will be arranged during the second stage which runs from September next year to March 2023; the Synod of Bishops is scheduled to be held in Rome in October 2023.
