OLD GOA
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão on Sunday stressed on communion, participation and mission, as the archdiocese began its Synodal Journey, as part of the two-year Synodal Journey opened by Pope Francis for the Universal Church last week.
During a special Solemn Eucharistic Celebration at the Se Cathedral in Old Goa, Archbishop Ferrão spoke of three synodal insights as the Catholic community begins this Synodal journey.
He also emphasised on service towards others, stating that the responsibility as people of God is to be of service to others.
The archbishop invited the Catholic faithful to encounter one another, to listen to each other “not just with our ears but with our heart” and “to discover together what God wants to say to us at this particular time as well as the direction in which he wants us to lead us, as a community of the disciples of Jesus our lord.”
Those participating in the Mass included representatives of priests, nuns, lay people, including elderly, youth, differently abled, migrants and others, from all over the archdiocese. A booklet regarding the Synod was also released on the occasion.
This Synodal Journey has commenced both in the Vatican and in the dioceses across the world. While the official inauguration of the Synod was presided over by Pope Francis in the Vatican on October 9-10, the local diocesan bishops opened this journey in their respective dioceses on October 16-17.
The Synodal Journey will unfold itself in three phases of consultations, diocesan level (Phase 1), Focus on the Continents (Phase 2) and XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023 (Phase 3).
A coordinating team, with Fr Simião Fernandes, Director of Pastoral Institute, as its convenor, will be organising various activities during this Synodal Journey in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. The coordinating team will issue, from time to time, guidelines on the participation in the proceedings at different levels.
The consultation process with the help of a questionnaire will take place at various levels: Lay Faithful, Religious, Priests and Deacons, Youth, Institutions of Formation, those who are away from home (Migrants).
This process will begin in mid-October and go up till the end of November, and culminate in the Pre-Synodal Meeting in mid-December. The final Synthesis to the Episcopal Conference will be submitted by the end of December.
