« Back to previous page

SYNOD

The Logo for the Dublin Archdiocese Synodal Path is inspired by the phrase ‘we are all in the same boat’.

The Lighthouse represents the guiding light of the Holy Spirit who guides us on our way

The Boat represents the Church, the People of God journeying together.

The Water represents the waters of baptism and the equality of the baptised.

What is Synodality?

The idea of synodality comes from the word ‘synod’. It’s an old word from the Greek speaking world – syn means with and odos means a path.

It’s a path or a journey that the People of God take together with each other. In this synodal pathway all the People of God take their part and make their own contribution. When we walk together as the People of God it is called synodality.

The quality of our attention to one another will be crucial in the synodal pathway. How we listen can be more important than what we say. Careful listening helps us
to understand the other person, to stand in their shoes. When we really listen, we are not thinking about what we might say next, we are not listening to answer, we listen to understand. Listening to understand means we
don’t plan what we are going to say next until we have fully absorbed what the person we are listening to is saying.

FROM THE ADDRESS OF POPE FRANCIS 9th October 2021

Dear brothers and sisters,
may this Synod be a true season of the Spirit!
For we need the Spirit, the ever new breath of God,
who sets us free from every form of self-absorption,
revives what is moribund,
loosens shackles and spreads joy.
The Holy Spirit guides us where God wants us to be,
not to where our own ideas
and personal tastes would lead us.
Father Congar, of blessed memory, once said:
“There is no need to create another Church,
but to create a different Church”
That is the challenge.
For a “different Church”,
a Church open to the newness that God wants to suggest,
let us with greater fervour
and frequency invoke the Holy Spirit
and humbly listen to him,
journeying together as he, the source of communion and
mission, desires: with docility and courage